Park Home People - Joan Aylott (IPHAS)

For anyone with less than a decade of experience in the park home industry, the idea of interviewing a very highly respected industry author and stalwart could be a little bit daunting. It’s impossible not to be at ease with Joan though, even only after a few seconds, and I can’t help thinking that her approachability is probably the very reason she’s achieved so much and is so highly respected in the park home world.

Joan is the President of IPHAS, a national organisation dedicated to offering advice on all aspects of park home living and relevant associated legislation.

As a founder member Joan has worked tirelessly for IPHAS for the past 17 years. During that time she has played a vital role in bringing the organisation to its present position where it is held in high regard not only by residents but also park owners and government departments, too.

Joan would be the first to say she hasn’t done this on her own though - she leads a whole team of volunteers including consultants and administrative supporters, providing an advice and information service to home owners.  This core team is from a diverse geographic spread around the UK, but meets twice a year in Oxford to get their forward planning done and discuss any joint issues they are working on.   

Last year, at the age of 80, Joan announced at one of these meetings that her thoughts were turning to semi-retirement but the reality is that she’s still very active in her role, and thinks it’s unlikely that she’ll ever retire completely.  She says: “It’s actually a full time job, and I’d never be able to do that if my husband Ernie didn’t keep everything else going in the house and help me with it – he’s a fantastic support.”  She’s also quick to praise the IPHAS team for their work and commitment, including her son Rus who has set up all their IT and web systems.  In the little spare time she has, Joan knits for charitable causes, completes the odd jigsaw, and enjoys card games with good friends. It’s clear from talking to her that she’s passionate about her work with IPHAS though.

PH&HC’s Anne Webb, another industry ‘legend’ who is also involved with IPHAS comments; “Joan is a truly remarkable lady - I'm amazed at the extremely efficient way she handles the admin at IPHAS and how, at the age of 81, she is still taking on board the latest technology with her computer system.”

A little additional background research reveals that Joan’s family are clearly a talented and hardworking lot – Rus works in IT and electronics and has a range of business interests, and Joan’s younger son, Glenn has received considerable acclaim in amateur dramatics and has just secured a place at acting school after deciding on a change of career, taking after Joan who apparently trod the boards as a youngster. 

A regular writer for PH&HC over the years, Joan lives with Ernie in Ashley Wood Park, near Blandford Forum.  Their move to a park home in 1983 was prompted by retirement. The family had already enjoyed camping and trips in motorhomes as a hobby and first considered the idea of a mobile home at a camping and motorhome exhibition at Earls Court. Two years of avidly reading every park home industry magazine followed, and it’s clear that they did a lot of research before buying their home, viewing 33 parks before deciding on Ashley Wood Park for its beautiful surroundings, views and countryside feel.

“Even with all that research we found there were still things we didn’t know though,” Joan says. “It was only when we started digging a pond when our park owner arrived and we quickly realised we couldn’t just do that without speaking to them first, it wasn’t actually our ground. Shortly afterwards our son came back to stay with us for a few months, and that was technically against park rules too, something else we hadn’t anticipated.” 

Making advice and information more readily available to owners was what led Joan to join a national residents’ association where she worked with the late Roy Waite before they set up IPHAS.  Among others, they were joined by Lord Graham of Edmonton who worked tirelessly in the organisation and set up the All Party Park Homes Working Group. Alan Savory joined IPHAS at around that time, too, and he is now their Government Liaison Representative and was awarded an MBE for his work.   “It’s been a bit frustrating though,” Joan says. “Our original aim was to get legislation improved and retire, but Governments keep changing, and we’ve often had to start all over again. Current park home legislation still needs major revision, even now.”

Joan says the major change in the industry has already happened though, and that’s in the public’s perceptions of what park homes are.  “People used to think of them as caravans because they were governed by the Caravan Sites Act and the wheels have to stay on. Now they are widely accepted as permanent residences, and park home communities near to villages or towns are considered part of the local community, just like any other housing.

Returning to the reason IPHAS was set up, Joan advises buyers to look at park rules and licences carefully before buying as there are a few issues which regularly catch people out, such as the (up to) 10% commission to park owners on sale of a property, occasional lack of all-year-round residency licensing, and rules on owning or replacing pets. She says; “There are a lot of great things about the park home lifestyle, you just need to protect yourself as much as you can to make sure you don’t fall into any common traps or preventable situations – that’s really what IPHAS is there to help with, that and to help residents resolve situations as amicably as possible.”

Joan is very much in favour of some new initiatives too by progressive park owners such as Britannia, which has recently started an allotment scheme for residents.  “There are some really good park operators out there who add value rather than looking for every opportunity to make money,” she says. “It would be great if more parks followed that sort of example in treating residents well. Until that time IPHAS will always have work to do.”

Joan and Ernie find life on their own park good and are still enjoying their home, which they’ve recently had insulated under the floor by Park Home Chassis Services to reduce winter heating costs and warm things up underfoot.  Although they have a lovely warm conservatory which they enjoy, they did feel the underside of their home needed a little attention. “It was always a little chilly so we should feel a bit of a difference this winter with that extra layer, and we’ll also have the peace of mind of knowing that our home is in good condition.  I was very impressed by the whole process from start to finish and it wasn’t disruptive at all - the customer service was good and the workmen were very friendly and efficient. A great example of how things should be done! “

In a nutshell:

• IPHAS is a membership organisation. It costs very little to join, which ensures that the huge wealth of knowledge and experience its officers have jointly amassed helps residents deal with and resolve a variety of situations, and it is easily accessible too. There are several papers and publications available to members including A Brief Guide to Park Home Living, written by Joan herself.  

• IPHAS has a range of publications available for park home owners from www.iphas.co.uk, including an information pack for prospective park home buyers at £3.50. Joan says; “The best way to really find out what a park is like is to go and speak to the residents first.”

• Joan says; “Read as much as you can about owning a park home before buying – reading magazines like PH&HC and joining IPHAS are both good ways of staying alert to the potential dangers of rogue traders and unscrupulous park owners.”

• What spurs Joan on is her team and members. She explains; “Getting a thank you letter from someone we’ve really helped makes it all worthwhile.”

• The IPHAS freephone helpline is open from Monday – Friday, 10am – 5pm on 0800 6128938. 

• Park Home Chassis Services doesn’t just help with chassis refurbishment, they also offer an under floor insulation system which can help reduce fuel bills and dampen noise levels. The system, which has a 25-year life expectancy, also has up to 8 times more insulation value than current park hoe BS3632 standards, and is sprayed into place so that there are no air gaps thus eliminating cold air and drafts.   

For further information on Park Home Chassis Services, visit www.parkhomechassis.co.uk, email info@parkhomechassis.co.uk or call 0118 984 3107