Written by Harry Turnbull
A mega wealthy tycoon living in Monaco is among those profiting from a controversial 10% sales commission charged to park home owners across England and Wales — many of them elderly residents on fixed incomes.
Alfie Best, estimated to be worth almost £1bn million in the latest Sunday Times Rich List, owns Wyldecrest Parks, the largest mobile park home operator in the UK. Through the vast majority of park sites his company controls, Best benefits from a system that allows site owners to claim up to 10% of the sale price every time a park home changes hands.
For a home selling at £150,000, that means £15,000 goes directly to the site owner — allegedly to help maintenance costs but this is on top of annual pitch fees already being paid by residents.
Now homeowners are being encouraged to make a stand.
Sonia McColl, who leads the Park Homes Justice Campaign, describes the charge as unjustifiable, particularly given where the profits are ending up.
“A site can generate hundreds of thousands of pounds a year in pitch fees,” she said. “There is simply no justification for what many residents see as a ‘money for nothing’ charge — especially when it’s enriching a tax exile in Monaco while elderly UK pensioners struggle.”
The commission applies even though park home owners — not site owners — are responsible for maintaining and improving their properties. Site owners provide the land and basic services, costs which are already covered through regular pitch fee payments.
Park home residents across the UK being encouraged to drop their MP a line.
With Wyldecrest controlling the vast majority of park sites in England and Wales, Best’s empire stands to collect hefty fees each year from this levy alone, paid by some of the most vulnerable homeowners in the country.
Ms McColl points out that the Housing Minister indicated in 2025 that the government would review the rationale for the commission. Campaigners have submitted evidence dating back more than a decade, yet reform has stalled.
“Continued delay is causing financial hardship and anxiety for elderly residents,” she said, calling for the commission to be abolished or reformed without further consultation.
The Justice Campaign launched a Facebook appeal this week urging residents to write to their MPs following a government announcement on leasehold reform, another unfair tax. The strategy was to use momentum from that announcement to push for action on the 10% commission.
About the author
Harry Turnbull is an experienced journalist based in the north who has held a variety of reporting and editing roles in the media.He also writes a reviews column for the UK’s biggest archive of BBC radio dramas.
https://www.clippings.me/hotoffthepress