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Want to put up your house in the UK? Here is all you need to know.
A tiny house in the UK, the caravan way
In the UK a house that can be moved in one piece can count as a caravan in law, and a caravan used as part of your home in your own garden often needs no planning permission. A modular home on foundations is a building and follows the normal rules. Here is how it works, and which of our houses fit.
- Legally a caravanMovable in one pieceor in two sections up to 20 × 6.8 m
- In your gardenOften no permissionwhen used as part of your own home, not as a separate one
- From SwedenImport VAT + customsthe UK left the EU in 2021; our customs agent prepares the paperwork
The rules in Great Britain
Caravan or building: the question that decides everything
Start here, in this order: is the house a caravan or a building, what will it be used for, and where will it stand. The first answer depends on the house, the other two on your plans and your plot.
- 1Caravan or building
- 2Use and where it may stand
Which of our houses count as caravans ↓
- Whether a house counts as a caravan is a question of fact. A house on its own trailer that stays movable is the clearest case. Once it is fixed to foundations or built into the ground, it is treated as a building.
- Do not rely on waiting it out. In England, since 25 April 2024, a council has ten years to take action against a building or a change of use to a dwelling without permission (it was four). In Wales it is still four years.
- England, Wales and Scotland share the caravan definition and the size limits, but each has its own planning system and building rules. Scotland needs a building warrant for building work. Northern Ireland has its own caravan law (Caravans Act (Northern Ireland) 2011), planning and Building Regulations.
- In England the Future Homes Standard (new Part L and Part F) applies to new homes from 24 March 2027.
- A caravan that is someone's home is a dwelling for council tax in England and Wales. Paying council tax does not make the siting lawful.
- Always ask your council's planning department about your plot before you order. A lawful development certificate gives you a formal answer for the garden route.
Sources: Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960, s.29 · Caravan Sites Act 1968, s.13 (twin-unit caravans) · Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, s.115 · HMRC VAT Notice 701/20: caravans and houseboats · Building Circular 01/2026: the Future Homes and Buildings Standards
Which houses fit
All our houses, against the caravan rules
Our mobile houses stand on their own road trailer and can be moved in one piece, which is the clearest case of a caravan. The semi-mobile houses arrive on a low-loader; whether they count as a caravan depends on how they are built and placed on your plot. Our non-mobile houses stand on foundations and are buildings.
| House | Size (l × w × h) | Footprint | Legally a caravan | Building Regulations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Nature Pod | 6.00 × 2.30 × 2.50 m | 13.8 m² | Yes, on its trailer | Generally not |
 Moon | 6.10 × 2.50 × 3.50 m | 15.3 m² | Yes, on its trailer | Generally not |
 Sofia | 6.10 × 2.55 × 4.00 m | 15.6 m² | Yes, on its trailer | Generally not |
 Maya | 6.70 × 2.55 × 4.00 m | 17.1 m² | Yes, on its trailer | Generally not |
 Sunshine | 6.70 × 2.55 × 4.00 m | 17.1 m² | Yes, on its trailer | Generally not |
 Felicia | 7.20 × 2.50 × 3.94 m | 18.0 m² | Yes, on its trailer | Generally not |
 Venus | 7.30 × 2.50 × 4.00 m | 18.3 m² | Yes, on its trailer | Generally not |
 Luna Office | 7.30 × 2.55 × 3.50 m | 18.6 m² | Yes, on its trailer | Generally not |
 Luna Home | 7.30 × 2.55 × 3.50 m | 18.6 m² | Yes, on its trailer | Generally not |
 Porto | 7.30 × 2.55 × 4.00 m | 18.6 m² | Yes, on its trailer | Generally not |
 Elise | 7.30 × 2.55 × 4.00 m | 18.6 m² | Yes, on its trailer | Generally not |
 Smile | 7.30 × 3.00 × 4.00 m | 21.9 m² | Depends on the siting | Ask building control |
 Julia | 7.90 × 3.00 × 4.00 m | 23.7 m² | Depends on the siting | Ask building control |
 River | 8.50 × 2.90 × 3.90 m | 24.6 m² | Depends on the siting | Ask building control |
 Lucia | 7.50 × 4.00 × 4.00 m | 30.0 m² | No, a building | Yes, approval needed |
 Sky | 11.00 × 3.45 × 4.35 m | 38.0 m² | Depends on the siting | Ask building control |
 Zenith | 11.00 × 3.45 × 4.35 m | 38.0 m² | No, a building | Yes, approval needed |
 Leah | 12.00 × 3.45 × 4.00 m | 41.4 m² | No, a building | Yes, approval needed |
 Antonia | 9.00 × 7.95 × 4.00 m | 46.6 m² | No, a building | Yes, approval needed |
 Evergreen | 8.30 × 6.00 × 4.00 m | 49.8 m² | No, a building | Yes, approval needed |
 Helena | 9.20 × 5.98 × 4.00 m | 55.0 m² | No, a building | Yes, approval needed |
 Evergreen XL | 11.80 × 5.95 × 4.00 m | 70.2 m² | No, a building | Yes, approval needed |
For VAT, HMRC treats a caravan up to 7 m long and 2.55 m wide at the standard rate (20%) and a larger one at 5%; the 0% rate is only for caravans built to BS 3632. Several of our mobile houses are just over 7 m long, so we confirm the rate for your model before you order. Ask us for the drawings, weights and U-values, and you and your council can see exactly what applies.
Good to know
Questions about tiny houses in the UK
Is a tiny house on wheels a caravan in the UK?
Usually, yes. The law defines a caravan as a structure designed or adapted for people to live in that can be moved from one place to another, whether towed or carried on a vehicle or trailer. Our mobile houses stand on their own road trailer, so they fit that definition as long as they stay movable. If you take the wheels off and fix the house to foundations, it becomes a building.
Can I put one in my garden without planning permission?
Often, if it is used as part of your home: a guest room, an office or an annexe for a family member who shares your household. The caravan has to stay within the garden of your house and be used for purposes incidental to it. As soon as it becomes a separate home, with its own household, it needs planning permission. Councils judge this case by case, so ask yours, or apply for a lawful development certificate for a formal answer.
Can I live in it full time?
Yes, with planning permission for a residential caravan or a new dwelling, and for a caravan normally also a site licence from the council. A caravan that is your home is banded for council tax in England and Wales, but paying council tax does not make the siting lawful. In England a council can act against a home without permission for ten years.
What do I pay in VAT and customs?
The UK is outside the EU, so the house is exported from Sweden without Swedish VAT and you pay UK import VAT when it arrives, at the same rate as the same goods sold in the UK. You are usually the importer, but a customs agent we employ prepares all the required paperwork. Under the UK-EU trade agreement there is no customs duty on goods that qualify as EU origin; ask us about the origin paperwork early. For our mobile houses the caravan rates apply: 20% up to 7 m long and 2.55 m wide, 5% above that.
Do Building Regulations apply?
For a modular home on foundations, yes: you need building control approval, including the energy rules. A caravan that stays movable is generally outside them. If you are unsure, ask your council's building control. We send drawings, weights, U-values and the technical documentation you need, free of charge.
Is it the same in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
The caravan definition and the size limits are the same in England, Wales and Scotland, but planning and building rules are devolved, and Wales still has a four-year enforcement limit. Northern Ireland has its own caravan law and follows EU rules for goods, so a delivery from Sweden there is handled differently. Tell us where you are and we will check it with you.
Can I see one of your houses?
Our owners who show their houses are in mainland Europe, for example in the Netherlands, Belgium and France. See where on Book a viewing. If you are thinking about a loan, read more under Financing.
Look at your plot together with us
Tell us where your plot is, what already stands there and how you want to use the house, and we will work out which houses fit and send the drawings and technical file you can take to your council. It costs nothing.