Anyone who is planning to purchase a mobile home inside a mobile home park should be aware of the laws. Regarding mobile home park tenant rights california has laws for both homeowners and the mobile home parks, so it’s important to be familiar with these laws and your rights.
In this post we’ll look at some of the key laws you should be aware of as a mobile homeowner.
You Must Obey Park Rules & Regulations
As hundreds of residents live in these parks, mobile home parks have to have a set of rules for park residents to abide by. This ensures everyone in the park can live peacefully, as well as making sure the park, residents and property are respected.
These park rules are actually enforceable under Mobile Home Residency Law (MRL). When you first sign a rental agreement, park management should give you a copy of the laws (MRL) and park rules so you know where you stand and know your rights.
Mobile Homeowners Are Not Immune To Eviction
Under the law it is easier to evict a tenant who is only renting their mobile home, but that doesn’t mean you’re safe from eviction if you’re a mobile homeowner. Anyone can be evicted for a number of reasons.
One of the most common causes for an eviction notice to be served is a failure to pay rent. As a homeowner within a mobile home park, you pay rent on the land your home sits on. There are also park fees and utility bills to pay each month. Continual failure to pay will eventually result in an eviction notice being served.
Not paying the rent is just one possible reason a resident could be evicted.
Park Management Should Offer You a Lease Agreement
You may be the owner of the home, but as mentioned, you are leasing the land that your home sits on from the mobile home park. When you buy your home, management or the park owners should offer you a lease with a minimum 12 month term (unless you stipulate that you want a month to month agreement and management is agreeable).
Your rent agreement will lay out the cost of your rent, any park fees, as well as the rules of the mobile home park that every resident must follow.
Who Is Responsible for the Upkeep of the Mobile Home Park?
In a way everyone is responsible. Park management will take care of all park maintenance, cleaning, repairs and so on, but it is also up to residents to look after the park by disposing of trash and respecting the park and its facilities.
Mobile homeowners are responsible for looking after their homes and the ground it sits on, although the park needs to prune or remove any trees on your lot that pose a hazard or a threat.
If everyone takes pride in their park and their home, the mobile home park will always be in top shape and a pleasant place to live.
Mobile Homes Are Subject To Taxes
Any mobile homes manufactured or sold after July 1, 1980, and homes permanently fixed to a parcel of land will be subject to local property tax. You may also have to pay taxes on cabanas, carports and so on, depending on their value.
In some mobile home parks that have recently been developed, homeowners might also be required to pay a school impact fee and other government related fees. This should all be stipulated in your rental agreement.
Selling Your Mobile Home
Mobile homes usually remain a fixture of the park they are located in as they are costly to remove. You have every right to sell your mobile home if you desire, though.
Here are a few quick points to be aware of when selling up:
- Park management can require notice of your intention to sell
- The park cannot require you to sell your home to them
- The park cannot demand a fee for the sale of your home unless you enlist their help in selling the property
- You have the right to put up a “For Sale” sign in the window of your home, or your yard facing the street
- Park management has the right to approve or deny any buyer of your home, as they will be residing in the park
