I Lost My Life Savings: The Holiday Park Investment Scandal

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A gas installer recounted the "extremely stressful" ordeal of losing £150,000 in personal savings after putting money into a holiday park venture.

Christopher Lightfoot from Lincoln joined forces with a firm named Liv Lodges — operating under the business title LL Lincoln LTD — who portrayed an enticing prospect for generating extra earnings.

Mr Lightfoot, aged 50, outlined that the firm offered a net rental yield assurance of eight percent annually and included an 'exit strategy' ensuring he recouped his investment along with additional returns.

Following their attraction enhanced by a trip to the park, he along with his companion—who chose to remain unnamed—opted to purchase a vacation house for £149,990 in April 2021.

Initially, the investment met its promises, yielding a monthly profit of £1,000 for them.

However, all of a sudden in 2024, the payments ceased and Mr Lightfoot mentioned that they kept brushing him off with various reasons regarding its whereabouts.

The individual, who is 50 years old, was informed that the administration of his lodge had been handed over to a new firm named 5 Star Park Developments Limited.

In conversation with MailOnline, Mr Lightfoot stated: "Initially, we believed it would only last for a short time and that they were experiencing some difficulties. We found ourselves in a state of uncertainty about the whole situation."

It was explained to him that he needed to agree to a far stricter agreement, implying that the expenses for managing it overshadowed the rent received.

Even though the agreement appeared to be strongly biased towards 5 Stars, Mr Lightfoot stated that he was informed the site fees were included within the management fee.

He mentioned that during a telephone conversation, he was informed that if the income from 5 Stars wasn’t sufficient, LL Lincoln Ltd would cover the shortfall. Worried about potentially losing his entire investment, he agreed to sign the agreement on January 22, 2025.

However, calamity hit on April 7, 2025, when LL Lincoln Ltd ceased operations prior to the activation of the enticing 'exit strategy,' resulting in his agreement with 5 Stars becoming irreversible.

The debt began accumulating, and he now owes the firm approximately £6,600 in ground rent, with this sum expected to keep growing.

In the initial three months, he got £1,394 out of the total £8,708 from the lodge income. After deducting the rent and site fees, this amount went down to -£256.

He says he is currently unable to offload the lodge: "It cannot be relocated from its current spot, which makes it a hard sell for prospective buyers. As a result, we've effectively forfeited the entire £150,000. Not only are we not generating income through rentals, but we're also stuck with continuous expenses."

Mr Lightfood commented, "This isn’t considered an investment anymore – why would someone purchase a lodge that’s operating at a loss?"

'I only know the facts: they promised us a guarantee on this, but before we had a chance to initiate the buy-back process, the company went bankrupt.'

'Facing such immense stress with what’s happening right now—we’re talking about our entire life savings here.'

'Ever since the payments ceased, it’s impacted us tremendously. We had a strategy in place, but now that plan has been entirely derailed.'

Mr Lightfoot explained he had come across 'several other groups in the same situation'.

He mentioned that he is presently pursuing legal action against the firms with assistance from the European Consumer Claims (ECC).

Greg Wilson, who co-directs the ECC, stated that the organization has fielded more than 10,000 inquiries concerning matters related to holiday park operators.

He stated: "Most of the inquiries I've received highlight similar problems. It seems these holiday park cabins have turned into rapid revenue generators."

It's rather appalling how certain big-name brands, in particular, fail to think about the extent of harm they might cause to people.

LL Lincoln Ltd and 5 Star Park Developments Limited have been contacted for comment.

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