A gas fitter has told of the ‘unbelievably stressful’ experience of losing £150,000 in life savings after investing in a holiday park scheme.
Christopher Lightfoot, hailing from Lincoln, enlisted with Liv Lodges, also known as LL Lincoln LTD, after being presented with an appealing opportunity for a new source of income.
At 50 years old, Mr. Lightfoot shared that the company promised a guaranteed annual rental yield of eight percent (after deductions) and a solid ‘exit plan’ that would ensure he not only recouped his investment but also made a profit.
After wooing them with a visit to the park, he and his wife – who asked not to be named – decided to buy a holiday home for £149,990 in April 2021.
At first the investment lived up to its promise and they saw a monthly income of £1,000 profit come in.
But suddenly in 2024 the money stopped arriving and Mr Lightfoot said he was fobbed off with excuses about where it was.
The 50-year-old was told the management of his lodge had been transferred to a new company called 5 Star Park Developments Limited.
When interviewed by MailOnline, Mr. Lightfoot disclosed, “We initially believed it to be a temporary setback and that they were merely facing some challenges. We found ourselves in a perplexing situation, unsure of the unfolding events.”
Christopher Lightfoot (pictured), from Lincoln, signed up with a company called Liv Lodges – which trades as LL Lincoln LTD – who he said painted a rosy picture of a new potential income stream
The lodge purchased by Chris Lightfoot. It was sold after Mr Lightfoot was taken through ‘impressive looking spreadsheets showing detailed profit forecasts’
Inside the lodge: Suddenly in 2024 the money stopped arriving and Mr Lightfoot said he was fobbed off with excuses about where it was
He was told he had to sign up to a much more stringent contract, which meant the rental income was dwarfed by the management costs.
Despite the contract seeming heavily weighted in favour of 5 Stars, Mr Lightfoot said he was assured site fees were covered under the management fee.
He also said he was told that in a phone call that if the rent from 5 Stars was ‘not enough’ LL Lincoln Ltd would pay the difference. Faced with the prospect of losing his investment entirely, he signed the contract on January 22 2025.
But disaster struck on April 7 2025 when LL Lincoln Ltd was dissolved before the date the attractive ‘exit plan’ could be activated, meaning his contract with 5 Stars was now permanent.
Debt started mounting and he currently owes the company some £6,600 in ground rent, an amount which is still thought to be increasing.
In the first quarter he received £1,394 of the £8,708 lodge income which then came to – £256 following the subtraction of rent and site fees.
He claims he is now unable to sell the lodge: ‘It can’t be moved from the site, and is an unattractive proposition for any potential buyer. We have basically lost the full £150,000. We are not making money from rental and instead have these ongoing costs.’
Park pub and restaurant, The White Horse. With building timber during the renovation – several brand new lodges were being installed in the area
Mr Lightfood added: ‘It is not an investment anymore – who would buy a lodge losing money?
‘All I know is the facts. They sold us something on a guaranteed basis but before we could activate the sellback the company has gone bust.
‘This is an incredibly stressful situation we’re going through here – this is our life savings.
‘Since the payment stopped it’s affected us unbelievably. We had a plan and that plan has completely come to an end.’
Mr Lightfoot explained he had come across ‘several other groups in the same situation’.
He said he is currently taking legal action against the companies with the help of the European Consumer Claims (ECC).
Greg Wilson, co-director of the ECC, explained the company had received in excess of 10,000 enquiries on issues related to holiday park owners.
He said: ‘Pretty much all the enquiries have had similar issues. These holiday park lodges seem to have developed into some form of quick and fast money making machines.
‘It’s quite dreadful how some of the larger brands in particular don’t consider how much damage it can do to individuals.’
LL Lincoln Ltd and 5 Star Park Developments Limited have been contacted for comment.
