Free template · Australian caravan & holiday parks
Caretaker Agreement Template
A complete, plain-English caretaker agreement you can adapt for your own park — duties, hours, on-site accommodation, notice and termination, and the handover clause most owners forget to write down. Copy it, change the bits in orange, and have someone qualified check it before anyone signs.
What it covers
Everything worth writing down before a caretaker starts
Most caretaker arrangements at parks run on a handshake and good intentions. That works right up until it doesn’t — someone leaves early, an amenities block floods at 11pm, or the on-site accommodation turns into a disagreement. A written agreement sorts who does what, for how much, and how it ends, so none of that becomes a guessing game.
Here it is. Read it on the page, or copy the whole thing into your own document.
Caretaker Agreement
This agreement is made between [Owner / operating entity, ABN] (“the Park”) and [Caretaker name(s)] (“the Caretaker”).
1. Position and term
The Caretaker is engaged to care for [Park name and address] from [start date] to [end date, or “ongoing, reviewed each season”]. Where two people are engaged as a couple, both sign and both are responsible for the duties below.
2. Nature of the engagement
The Caretaker is engaged as [an employee / an independent contractor]. This choice matters: a live-in caretaker is often an employee under Australian law regardless of what the agreement calls them, which affects wages, superannuation, leave and tax. Confirm the correct status before signing (see the note at the foot of this page).
3. Duties and responsibilities
The Caretaker is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Park, including:
- Guest arrivals and departures, bookings and the reception desk during agreed hours
- Cleaning and stocking the amenities blocks, camp kitchen and shared facilities to the standard set by the Park
- Grounds and basic maintenance — mowing, rubbish, site tidiness, minor repairs, and reporting anything beyond that
- Security and after-hours response, including a contactable phone for genuine emergencies
- Handling cash and card takings and banking them as directed
- Applying the Park rules fairly and keeping the peace with guests
A full task list for this Park is attached as [Schedule A].
4. Hours and availability
Rostered hours are [e.g. 8am–5pm, days]. The Caretaker is on call for emergencies outside these hours but is entitled to [number] days off each week and reasonable rest. Where cover is needed for time off, the arrangement is agreed in advance in writing.
5. Payment
The Park will pay the Caretaker [amount and basis — hourly, weekly, or honorarium], paid [weekly / fortnightly]. If the Caretaker is an employee, the Park also pays superannuation and meets the relevant modern award or the National Minimum Wage, whichever applies.
6. On-site accommodation
The Park provides [site / cabin / residence] for the Caretaker to live in for the term. This accommodation is tied to the role, not a separate tenancy — no residential tenancy is created, and the Caretaker agrees to vacate it within [number] days of the engagement ending for any reason. The Park covers [power / water / gas — specify]; the Caretaker covers the rest.
7. Conduct and confidentiality
The Caretaker will represent the Park courteously, follow its policies, and keep guest and business information confidential. [Set out any alcohol, drug, pet or visitor conditions here.]
8. Work health and safety, insurance and incidents
The Caretaker will follow safe work practices, report hazards and incidents promptly, and keep the records the Park requires. Who carries insurance follows the engagement in clause 2:
- As an employee — the Park covers the Caretaker under its workers’ compensation (WorkCover), and the Park’s public liability applies to the Park’s operations.
- As a contractor (ABN) — the Caretaker holds their own public liability insurance (and any professional indemnity) and their own WorkCover or personal-accident cover, and provides evidence of currency on request.
Either way, the Caretaker is responsible for their own [contents and personal effects].
9. Leave and absence
Time away is arranged in advance so the Park is never left unattended. Relief cover is [the Park’s responsibility / arranged by the Caretaker at the Park’s cost].
10. Ending the agreement
Either party may end this agreement with [e.g. four] weeks’ written notice. The Park may end it immediately for serious misconduct. On ending, the Caretaker returns all keys, equipment, records and Park property, and vacates the accommodation as set out in clause 6.
11. Handover
Before leaving, the Caretaker will complete a documented handover so the Park keeps running without them: current bookings and guest notes, keys and access, supplier and contractor contacts, the state of the amenities and grounds, outstanding maintenance, and where everything lives. The Caretaker will co-operate with the incoming caretaker during a reasonable handover period. This is the clause most agreements leave out, and the one that decides whether the next season starts smoothly.
12. Governing law
This agreement is governed by the laws of [State / Territory].
Name & date
Name & date
The bit the agreement can’t do
An agreement isn’t a handover
The template above sorts the legal relationship — who does what, for how much, and how it ends. What it can’t tell you is whether the person can actually run your park when you’re not there. That’s a different problem, and it’s where parks come unstuck.
The agreement gets signed, the caretaker moves in, and three weeks later nobody can find the after-hours booking process or knows which valve shuts off the amenities block. Clause 11 says a handover happens. It doesn’t tell you what a good one contains.
That’s what the Handover Kit is for — what to write down before a caretaker leaves, so the next one is running in 48 hours instead of 48 days. It’s free.