Residential Mobile Homes in Scotland

Appendix Two: Topic Guide for Residents

Residential Mobile Homes in Scotland
(Topic guide for residents)

Background to the Research

The Centre for Housing Policy, University of York, has been commissioned by the Scottish Government to undertake an investigation into residential mobile homes in Scotland. The Scottish Government Development Department require an up to date picture on the use of mobile homes as dwellings in Scotland and the further development of policy will be informed by the evidence that this research collects.

INTERVIEW CONFIDENTIALITY - no information will be passed onto anyone outside the research team, and they will not be identified in any reports that are produced.

Explain tape recording and ask permission to record.
Explain length of interview - about 45 minutes.
Explain incentive payment, £15 per household

Background details
Who lives in your home?

Could I just ask how old you are?

What is your employment status?

How long have you lived in your current home?

Do you own or rent your home:

Check:
- Own your mobile home and let the stance from the site owner
- Rent your property from the site owner
- Rent your property from a mobile home owner
- Is the mobile home tied with a job

Previous accommodation

Where were you living before you moved into your current home?

How long were you living there?

(If less than two years:

Why did you decide to leave your last place?

What would you say influenced your decision to move here?

Were there things about living in a mobile home that appealed to you?

Was there anything about living in a mobile home that made you hesitate about moving in?

Did you look at any other types of accommodation at the time you were looking for somewhere to live?

If yes: why did you not take these up?

If no: why did you not look at anything else?

Your current home

What is it like living in your home?

- best aspects
- worse/bad aspects

Could you tell me what you think about the design of your home?

- Layout
- Space - including storage
- privacy
- Heating
-what type of heating?
-is this adequate?
- does this vary with the season - i.e. overheating in summer, or too cold in the winter?)
- Comfort
-Any problems with the following:
- condensation
- leaks
- ventilation
- security
- noise

Could you tell me what you think about the design and the layout of the site generally?

- What do you think about the range of amenities on offer?
- What do you think about the management of this site?
- How do you get on with the person who owns the site?

Was the level of any fees/rent that you have to pay something that influenced your decision to move here?

Is living here good value for money? How does it compare with any alternatives you are aware of, or which you may have considered (referring back to decision to move)?

Has the amount that you have to spend on your home changed over time? For example, have rents or fees risen more than was expected?

One thing that the research is concerned about is the amount of money that people have to spend on heating their homes. Is it possible to give a rough estimate of the proportion of your income that you spend on heating your home?

- prompt: would you say it is more or less than ten per cent of you total income?

The future

Have you thought about moving home at all?

- Where would you like to move to?
- What type of accommodation would you like to live in?
- Would you like to live in another mobile home?

Would you prefer to:

- buy own home?
- Rent from a private landlord?
- rent from a council or a housing association?
- Is there anything that is stopping you from achieving this?

How long can you remain living here?

Just to check, do you have a written agreement from the site owner?

Is there anything else that you would like to discuss that we have not covered already?

Many thanks for all your help.