Campgrounds and RV parks across Ontario — the returning-camper seasonal-site leases and memberships are, in practice, a small land-lease portfolio bolted onto the real estate, and each one needs its own review rather than a single assumption that they all carry over the same way.
Part of Recreation & Entertainment — see the family overview.
Every figure below is a typical Canadian deal-market pattern, not a valuation — use it to sanity-check what you're being told.
| Metric | Typical benchmark | Use this to |
|---|---|---|
| Seasonal-site lease book | The number, term, and renewal pattern of returning-camper site leases and memberships, treated like a mini land-lease portfolio.† | Test how much revenue is locked in versus dependent on new bookings after closing. |
| Valuation convention | Priced off a blend of real property value and normalized operating earnings from seasonal and transient site revenue.† | Separate what you're paying for the land from what you're paying for the operating business. |
| Public-health licensing history | A clean campground-licensing compliance record supports both value and a faster change-of-operator review.† | Weigh compliance history alongside the financials, not as an afterthought. |
| Septic/well capacity | System capacity relative to actual site count and occupancy is a core operational constraint.† | Confirm the property can actually support the site count being sold. |
| Environmental history | Decades of fuel and septic use on many rural sites make Phase I findings a meaningful value driver.† | Budget diligence time for the property's history, not just its current condition. |
Seasonal-site lease and membership arrangements with returning campers function like a mini land-lease portfolio — each one needs its own review for assignability and deposit-liability transfer, not a single blanket assumption that they all carry over the same way.
Public-health campground-licensing standards reset on a change of operator, so a strong compliance record under the seller is a good sign but doesn't substitute for the buyer's own confirmation before the season opens.
Septic and well systems on rural campground sites are a capacity constraint tied to the property, not the operator — a buyer needs to confirm the system can actually support the site count and occupancy being sold, not just that it's been working so far.
The same sequence underlies almost every campground or rv park deal — what changes from deal to deal is how long each step takes, and which one becomes the bottleneck.
Reaching an agreement
The offer sets price and key terms — for a campground or rv park it should build in the conditions that actually matter from day one, not just financing.
usually 1–2 weeks†The APS fixes price, structure — asset or share — and closing date, plus the reps, warranties, and holdbacks that protect you if diligence turns up something different than promised.
1–3 weeks to negotiate†Seasonal-site lease/membership agreements, Public-health campground licensing, Septic/well compliance, Environmental Phase I, Real property all start moving at once, on separate clocks — this is usually where campground or rv park deals are won or lost.
often the critical path†Getting to closing
Corporate, PPSA lien, and litigation searches confirm what you're actually buying; we chase down licence standing and records the seller doesn't always have to hand.
2–4 weeks, in parallel†Funds, keys, and signed documents change hands, alongside any inventory count and interim authorizations that bridge the gap until final transfers are confirmed.
1 day, once conditions are met†We track final licence confirmation and the staff transition through to completion — nothing is left for you to chase once the deal is done.
1–2 week tail†This is the first real decision in almost every campground or rv park deal — and it changes what you're buying, what you're taking on, and how it's taxed.
| Question | Asset purchase | Share purchase |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | The park's assets — real property, seasonal-site leases and memberships, equipment, and goodwill. | The shares of the corporation — including its existing licensing, leases, and liabilities. |
| Seasonal-site lease/membership agreements | Reviewed individually and reassigned, or reconfirmed directly with the buyer. | Generally continue uninterrupted with the corporation. |
| Public-health campground licensing | Reassessed as part of the change-of-operator review. | Generally carries forward with the corporation, subject to notice to the health unit. |
| Septic/well compliance | Reviewed for capacity against the current site count before relying on it. | Generally carries forward with the corporation. |
| Real property | Purchased and transferred directly, with its own closing. | Stays with the corporation as a corporate asset. |
| Tax angle | Buyer gets a stepped-up cost base on the assets purchased; an HST election may apply. | Seller may access the lifetime capital gains exemption on qualifying shares. |
| Typical use | Common where isolating specific liabilities from prior corporate history matters more than continuity. | Common where continuity of an established seasonal-camper base and existing site leases is the deal's central value. |
The park's assets — real property, seasonal-site leases and memberships, equipment, and goodwill.
The shares of the corporation — including its existing licensing, leases, and liabilities.
Reviewed individually and reassigned, or reconfirmed directly with the buyer.
Generally continue uninterrupted with the corporation.
Reassessed as part of the change-of-operator review.
Generally carries forward with the corporation, subject to notice to the health unit.
Reviewed for capacity against the current site count before relying on it.
Generally carries forward with the corporation.
Purchased and transferred directly, with its own closing.
Stays with the corporation as a corporate asset.
Buyer gets a stepped-up cost base on the assets purchased; an HST election may apply.
Seller may access the lifetime capital gains exemption on qualifying shares.
Common where isolating specific liabilities from prior corporate history matters more than continuity.
Common where continuity of an established seasonal-camper base and existing site leases is the deal's central value.
We tell you which structure fits — before you sign anything.
Different lists depending on which side of the deal you're on — both matter for how smoothly closing goes.
No open-ended hourly surprises — the cost is confirmed in writing before any work begins.
| Type of work | Fee | How it's confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Straightforward purchase or sale | Starting from $3,388.87 Our charges · taxes included | Confirmed in writing once we see the agreement. |
| Larger or more complex deal | Quoted to scope | Short call → fixed written quote before any work begins. |
| Searches, filings & third-party fees | At cost | Itemized on your invoice, not marked up. |
A single park with a straightforward seasonal-camper base and one buyer, one seller.
Start my file →A campground bundled with substantial acreage, a large returning-membership base with lease terms to renegotiate, or a deal where septic capacity or an environmental Phase I flags a concern.
Book a consultation →Not sure which you are? That's our job to figure out, not yours. As a rough guide, most deals under a couple of million dollars are the first kind — above that, you're usually in Mergers & Acquisitions territory.
†Typical patterns across Canadian deals — not a quote or advice; every deal is confirmed on its own facts.
They're reviewed individually rather than assumed to carry over as a block — most seasonal-site leases and memberships function like a small land-lease portfolio, and each one gets checked for assignability and deposit handling as part of the deal.
No — campground-licensing standards generally reset on a change of operator, so a strong record under the seller supports the deal but doesn't replace the buyer's own confirmation before the season opens.
That's a specific diligence item, not an assumption — we review system capacity against the current site count and occupancy, because a system that's been adequate under lighter use might not support the same or expanded occupancy going forward.
Because decades of fuel storage and septic use are common on rural recreational sites, a Phase I is a standard, proportionate step for this sector — not a sign that something specific is wrong with the property.
Where continuity of an established seasonal-camper base and existing site leases is central to the deal's value, a share sale that keeps the corporation intact is often preferred. Where isolating specific liabilities matters more, an asset sale is more common.
| Resource | Official link |
|---|---|
| Ontario public health campground licensing Campground-licensing standards | Visit www.ontario.ca |
| Ontario septic system standards Septic and well compliance | Visit www.ontario.ca |
| Find your local public health unit Change-of-operator review and inspections | Visit www.ontario.ca |
Where we close campground or rv park deals
Tell us about your campground or rv park deal — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.