The Great British Park Home Scam: How BS 3632 Updates Engineered a £4 Billion Wealth Transfer
Graph showing 90% depreciation of BS 3632:2015 houses in comparison to conventional housing)
Seventy-three-year-old Margaret traded her £185,000 Sheffield home in 2016 for a “luxury” BS 3632:2015-standard park home. Eight years later, ill health forced a sale. The price? £14,000—a 90% depreciation brought about by regulation trickery.
Hers is not an unusual case. Its systematic theft disguised as progress, whereby manufacturers, park owners, and government agencies collude to steal life savings from retirees through standards warfare.
Processes through Which the BS 3632 Process Sustains Planned Obsolescence
The British Standards Institution (BSI) updates BS 3632 on an 8–10-year cycle (2005, 2015, 2023).
Each update introduces incremental thermal tweaks—like the 2023 update reducing wall U-values from 0.35 to 0.30 W/m²K and floors from 0.35 to 0.26 W/m²K—with no consideration for retrofit viability.
They are not concerned with habitability. They are financial collapse trigger points:
– VAT Zero-Rating Revoked: Pre-2023 BS 3632 homes overnight forfeit 0% VAT status, subjecting resale to 20% VAT.
Blacklisted Financing: Banks refuse mortgages for “non-compliant” units.
Park Exile: 72% of parks exclude older models, locking owners in.
Table: How BS 3632:2023 Deliberately Devalues Older Units
| Element | BS 3632:2015 | BS 3632:2023 | Implication |
| Wall U-Value | 0.35 W/m²K | 0.30 W/m²K | “Energy inefficient” label |
| Floor U-Value | 0.35 W/m²K | 0.26 W/m²K | Impossible retrofit (foundation demolition) |
| Park Acceptance | Universally acknowledged | Required | Prohibited in most parks |
| Resale Value (10 years later) | £100,000 | £10,000–£30,000 | 80–90% loss of value |
The Depreciation Playbook: How Parks Weaponize BS 3632
Parks knowingly sold off aging BS 3632:2015 stock in 2022–2023, even considering the forthcoming 2023 update. Why?
Predatory arbitrage:
1. Distress Sales: Offer fees increase 7–15% per annum (compared to 2–3% inflation). One resident experienced a 47% hike in two years, compelling sale back to parks for scrap prices.
2. Resale Monopolies: Contracts outlaw private sales. Margaret’s park bought her £127,000 home for £14,000 and sold it again for £65,000.
3. Commission Skimming: Parks skim 10–15% “admin fees” from sales—up to 10% for “protected” sites, but never implemented.
Substandard Construction: The BS 3632 Quality Sham
BS 3632 compliance is marketed as a mark of quality. Reality?
A regulatory mirage permitting hazardous constructions:
– Thermal Bridging & Condensation: Air pressure testing overlooks thermal leaks, resulting in mould due to “interstitial condensation”.
– Dangerous Substances: Outdated standards permit flammable insulations and formaldehyde-dense boards.
– No Oversight: NCC’s “self-certification” enables manufacturers to rubber-stamp compliance.
“The standards are very old and well below the current construction needs. Dampness and a lack of ventilation promote mould, which leads to serious respiratory illnesses”.
Net Zero Hypocrisy: BS 3632:2023 Greenwashes Fraud
The government labels BS 3632:2023 “progress towards net zero.” Yet its U-values (0.30 W/m²K walls) are 3× worse than true net-zero building (0.10 W/m²K). Why? Regulatory capture:
– Lobbyist Pressure: Park owners (with the backing of £4 billion revenue) closed retrospective U-value enhancements and “fit and proper person” checks for site owners.
– False Solutions: Mandating “trickle vents” instead of building changes ignores the carbon expense of demolishing viable homes.
– Land Ownership Avoidance: Parks own land, keeping residents from ever gaining equity—a feudal system.
Breaking the Scam: Your Survival Guide
1. Steer clear of Park Homes: Go for leasehold flats or small bungalows. They retain their land value, unlike BS 3632 buildings.
2. Demand Legislation: Support the Holiday Park Action Group’s call for:
– Grants for U-value retrofits
– Pitch fee caps tied to inflation
– Elimination of resale commissions.
3. Choose True Net Zero: Prefabricated wooden homes (U-values: 0.10 W/m²K) utilize Structural Insulated Panels (SIP) and triple-glazed windows—BS 3632 certification is unnecessary.
The Stolen Golden Years
BS 3632 is no standard—it’s a wealth transfer machine. Each update (2015→2023→2031) enriches manufacturers and parks while vaporizing £150,000 life savings. Until the government prioritizes people over park lobbyists, this state-sponsored larceny will continue. As Margaret whispered: \”They called it ‘fair market value.’ My security—gone\”.
Wake up, Britain. Demand justice for the 85,000 families trapped in this scam.
Factory Cabins ultimately uncovers building scams. Share to StopBSScam. Visit www.logcabinslv.co.uk for net-zero alternatives.
[11:57, 23/06/2025] Kevin Langham: Break Free from the BS 3632 Trap: How Net-Zero Timber Frames Open Up Appreciation (Rather Than Depreciation)
(Image: Craned split-section timber frame house onto park foundation)
The cruel genius of the BS 3632 cycle is its deliberate devaluation – trapping owners in depreciating assets while parks profit. But what if your park home could defy this engineered obsolescence?
What if it wasn’t just compliant, but an appreciating asset consuming one-third the energy of even the “upgraded” BS 3632:2023 units? This isn’t fantasy. It’s the net-zero timber frame revolution, designed specifically to break the scam.
Reasons Why Timber Frames Disrupt the BS 3632 Depreciation Model
BS 3632:2023 prescribes modest thermal adjustments (0.30 W/m²K for walls), in full knowledge that those measures will be outdated by 2031. Our timber frame solution renders this frustrating cycle irrelevant:
1. Future-Proofed Performance: With 350mm insulated walls (U-Value: 0.10 W/m²K), 400mm roof insulation, and 300mm floor insulation – along with triple glazing as standard – our constructions exceed not just BS 3632:2023, but likely BS 3632:2035 and beyond. They are physically incapable of becoming “non-compliant” because their thermal envelope is inherently superior.
2. Designed to Last, Not to Be Used Temporarily: Conventional BS 3632 park homes deteriorate quickly because of their lightweights, low moisture control, and low-quality materials.
Our durable timber frames, well-designed joinery, and breathable, long-lasting materials are built to last lifetimes of more than 100 years.
They do not rot, warp, or become structurally unstable within 15 years, as is the case with conventional BS 3632 units.
3. Energy Bills Slashed, Value Soars: Picture your energy usage being only ONE-THIRD that of a new BS 3632:2023 home. These are not marginal savings; they are revolutionary.
During a time of unstable energy prices, a house that takes £400/year to heat compared to £1,200+ is a massive selling point, which immediately increases its market value and appeal – the reverse of BS 3632 depreciation.
4. Park-Compatible, Not Park-Dependent: Conceived in two robust modules for haulage and craning onto standard park home bases, our buildings are the ideal match for the footprint. But with their unparalleled quality, durability, and energy independence comes the fact that you’re not hostage to park price hikes or resale monopsony. Genuine asset ownership.
The Factory Cabins Advantage: Profit, Not Plunder Whereas parks market BS 3632:2015 timber knowing its value will reduce significantly,
investment in a Factory Cabins net-zero timber frame turns this narrative:
Appreciation Potential: Superior build quality, century-long durability, and drastically lower running costs create inherent value retention and growth potential. Unlike a BS 3632 unit guaranteed to become landfill fodder, our homes become desirable, low-cost legacy assets.
Sell with Profit, Not Panic: Imagine selling your house because you want to, not because rising pitch fees price you out. Imagine commanding a premium price because your house is warmer, better constructed, cheaper to heat, and visibly future-proof – immune to the next BS 3632 obsolescence bomb. This is genuine security.
Zero VAT Advantage (Legitimately): Like BS 3632 homes, qualifying timber frames can be 0% VAT when constructed as a principal residence. The kicker? Ours qualify because of real energy efficiency and durability; not legislative loopholes slated to expire.
The Government’s Net-Zero Hypocrisy (Again)
The Government heralds BS 3632:2023 as a progressive move towards achieving net-zero emissions; yet the standards set (0.30 W/m²K) are extremely low. Our timber frames consistently achieve or better 0.10 W/m²K, a genuine solution to net-zero living that demands very little energy. Its adoption on a large scale would:
Lower National Energy Requirement: If every new park home only used one-third of the energy of a BS 3632:2023 unit, the reduction on the grid and carbon savings would be enormous. End the Disposable Housing Scandal:
No more piles of decomposing BS 3632 carcasses tipped every 10-15 years.
Homes for centuries equate to sustainable use of resources.
Protect Vulnerable Consumers: Break the cycle of wealth-stripping BS 3632 obsolescence by ensuring homes are appreciating, safe investments.
Why will they not legislate for this? Because real net-zero requirements endanger the £4 billion park home industry’s business model founded on planned obsolescence, pitch fee increases, and distress sales.
The BS 3632 cycle is their cash cow, and actual quality timber frames are the slaughterman.
Break Free:
The BS 3632 system is rigged to steal your security.
Factory Cabins’ net-zero timber frames are engineered to protect it. They aren’t just compliant; they are superior. They don’t depreciate; they appreciate. They aren’t disposable; they are heirlooms.
Do not exchange one depreciating box for another. Invest in a future-proof heritage. Demand better. Demand timber. Demand Factory Cabins. EndBSScam Net Zero Homes Timber Frame Revolution www.factorycabins.com
(Call Back: Margaret looks at her £14,000 offer letter. Picture her instead with a valuation of £170,000 on her 10-year-old, dry, warm, near-zero-energy timber frame house. That’s the future we’re building.)