The only real difference is the method of construction. Other than this, a modern park home resembles in every way an attractively designed traditionally built bungalow with a pitched roof. Once inside, there's nothing to suggest that you are anywhere other than in a fully-equipped and luxurious modern dwelling. There will be good sized living areas and a separate kitchen, built-in cupboards and wardrobes, one, two or three bedrooms and fitted bathroom. Central heating and double glazing are usually installed as standard, and so is carpeting throughout.

It's not so much 'how' as 'where' which makes the main difference. Park homes are constructed to British Standard BS3632 under carefully controlled workshop conditions, before being thoroughly checked and transported to the park. Here they are sited on a concrete base and connected to all mains services such as electricity, drainage and sometimes mains gas. In theory, the home can be disconnected and taken by a low-loader to another location - but in practice most park homes stay throughout their lives on the original plot.

A park home is timber framed and provided with a tough and durable weatherproof exterior, plus a textured finish. Particular attention is paid to achieving a high level of insulation - often of equal or superior value to cavity wall buildings. This keeps heat loss and future energy bills to a minimum. Park homes are designed for easy maintenance, and owners are most unlikely to be faced with the sudden high repair bills, which are a common feature of bricks-and-mortar life.

They compare very favourably, and many people find that the sale of a larger family house provides sufficient cash to buy a luxurious, modern park home with enough funds left over to provide financial security. As to the actual costs, these of course vary according to the model chosen and the market value of the land on which the home is situated - precisely the same factors, in other words, which influence the price of a conventional house.

Loans for park home purchase are available from a small number of national finance companies who specialise in park home finance. Park home loans share many features with conventional mortgages and are available as both fixed rate and variable rate schemes and with repayment periods of up to 25 years. The lenders in this market are by and large specialists in park home lending with many years experience and are able to help you with the entire buying process.

These vary up and down the country depending on the location of the park, and range from around £15.00 to £30.00 per week. Increases in fees can only be made in accordance with the requirements of the Mobile Homes Act 1983.

It does indeed. The Mobile Homes Act 1983 gives owners of park homes security of tenure - and that is probably its single most important safeguard. It also gives the owner the right to sell the home on the park, and the right to leave it to certain members of the family.

The Park Home Owner's Charter sets out government-approved standards for the services provided by residential park owners. Parks in membership of BH&HPA will be happy to provide you with a copy of this document. Its provisions include an acknowledgement of your right to take independent advice on any aspect of an intended purchase, be this from a surveyor, lawyer or any other professional. The Charter also requires park owners to provide you with certain written information to consider before making a decision, including a specimen copy of the agreement signed by park home purchasers.

Yes: about 80% are in or near retirement - although some parks do have a higher proportion of couples where one or both go out to work on a full-time or part-time basis. In future we may well see more younger couples opting for home park life. For the present, however, they mostly benefit indirectly through the release of lower-cost housing onto the market when elderly couples sell up and move into park homes. There are currently an estimated 200,000 people living on home parks, representing some 96,000 park homes.

The social benefits are most readily appreciated by many. Home parks are very much communities where no-one need suffer the sense of isolation so often felt by people in retirement - especially those who move away from familiar surroundings. Individual privacy is, of course, respected as it would be anywhere. However, most park home owners do enjoy being drawn into the activities, committees, clubs and other social opportunities which develop as a result of initiatives by residents themselves. Other members of the family living elsewhere also have peace of mind from the knowledge that parks are semi-sheltered environments often with a resident owner or manager to provide additional security. Many park owners invest heavily in creating carefully landscaped and well laid-out surroundings with plenty of pathways, sitting-out areas and other facilities for residents to enjoy. Parks making exceptional efforts to improve and protect the natural environment can earn a David Bellamy Conservation Award through a scheme run in conjunction with BH&HPA.

Yes, most definitely. The protection offered by the Mobile Homes Act 1983, and assurances of the Park Homes Charter, are applied to licensed residential parks - and are not available to holiday parks. There are also important differences between a residential park home, which is designed and built for year round residential living, and a caravan holiday home, which is constructed to different standards to reflect its use as leisure accommodation. So in your own interests, and to safeguard the value of your investment, always ensure that your prospective park has a local authority site licence for residential (not holiday) use.

The BH&HPA Residential Home Parks Directory is a complete listing of parks in membership of BH&HPA throughout Britain. Any of the parks featured will be pleased to send you literature about themselves and the homes they have to offer. You should then take the opportunity to visit a few different parks in your chosen area: the owner or manager will be delighted to show you around, and to answer any questions. Take time also to chat with some of the residents: they, after all, are best placed to tell you about day-to-day life on the park and the benefits they enjoy.