Manufactured Housing Toolkit: Title Conversion, Lot Lease Review, and Park Closure Response

Summary. Fourteen documents, each aimed at a specific way homeowners lose money in this system.

How to use these

Manufactured housing is the area of law where the gap between a documented homeowner and an undocumented one is widest. The asset is large, the leverage is small, and the disputes are decided almost entirely by who has paper.

Three habits behind every template here:

Ask in writing. A verbal answer from a park manager is worth nothing in six months.

Confirm verbal answers in writing. "On [date] you told me [X]. Please correct me if I have that wrong." That single sentence converts a brush-off into evidence.

Photograph the data plate today. Before anything else in this toolkit. It takes two minutes and you will need it for a decade.

Template 1 — Pre-purchase information request to a park

Send before you commit to a home. The answers, or the refusal to answer, tell you what you need to know.

RE: Prospective residency — Lot [___], [Park name]

I am considering purchasing a manufactured home for placement on lot [___] at your community. Before committing, I am requesting the following in writing:

1. The lot rent charged for this lot in each of the past five years, and the date and amount of each increase
2. A copy of the current lot lease and all park rules
3. The written screening criteria applied to prospective residents
4. Written confirmation that my application has been approved, or the criteria on which it will be evaluated
5. A statement of all fees charged at move-in, annually, and on sale of a home — entry fees, transfer fees, application fees, commissions
6. A description of how utilities are billed — submetered, allocated, or flat rate — and the rate charged
7. Whether the community has changed ownership in the past five years, and if so, when
8. Whether any sale, closure, or change of land use is contemplated
9. Whether the park permits a resident to sell a home in place, and under what conditions

I understand items 7 and 8 may not be answered. I am asking anyway.

[Name] · [Phone] · [Email] · [Date]

Note. The lot rent history is the single most predictive document you can obtain. A park that will not provide it has told you something.

Template 2 — Itemized price demand

RE: Written itemized price — [Model], [Serial no. if known]

Before proceeding, please provide a written itemized price including each of the following as a separate line:

Item	Amount
Home, base price	$
Options and upgrades (itemize)	$
Freight / delivery	$
Installation and setup	$
Foundation, piers, and anchoring	$
Skirting	$
Steps and decks	$
HVAC and installation	$
Utility connections and trenching	$
Permits and inspections	$
Site preparation / land improvements	$
Taxes	$
Title and registration fees	$
Extended warranty or service contract (optional?)	$
Insurance products (optional?)	$
TOTAL	$

Please also provide:

• The wind zone, roof load zone, and thermal zone from the data plate
• The name and state license number of the installer
• A copy of the manufacturer's installation manual
• The written warranty from the manufacturer, from you as retailer, and from the installer, with the term of each
• Written confirmation of which items above are optional

I intend to obtain independent financing and will not be relying on your financing quotation.

[Name] · [Date]

Note. The last line changes the conversation. Retailers are compensated on financing, and a buyer who has said they are shopping it gets different treatment on price.

Template 3 — Data plate record

Fill this out, photograph the plate and label, and store both somewhere you will find them in ten years.

MANUFACTURED HOME RECORD — [Address]

Field	Value
Manufacturer
Model
Serial number / VIN
HUD label number(s) (one per section)
Date of manufacture
Wind zone	I / II / III
Roof load zone	North / Middle / South
Thermal zone	1 / 2 / 3
Sections	Single / Double / Triple
Dimensions
Data plate location	(closet, cabinet, near panel)
Retailer
Installer, license no.
Date of installation
Certificate of title no.
Lienholder
Insurance policy no. and carrier
Basis: ACV or replacement cost
Flood zone

Photographs stored at: [location] Installation manual stored at: [location]

Template 4 — Lot lease review worksheet

Read the lease in the left column. Read your state's park act in the right. The conflicts are where your rights are.

How to find your state act: call the state manufactured housing agency, a legal aid office, or the state manufactured home owners association. One call.

If there is a conflict: the act generally controls, and a lease term that waives a statutory protection is frequently void. Parks operating in multiple states routinely use one lease form.

Template 5 — The four utility questions

The highest-yield letter in this toolkit. Improper utility charges are common, cumulative, and refundable.

RE: Utility charges — Lot [___]

My statement includes a charge of $______ for [water/sewer/trash/electricity]. Please answer the following in writing:

1. How is my usage measured — individual submeter, allocation formula, or flat rate? If an allocation formula, please describe it.
2. When was my submeter last read, and when was it last calibrated or tested? Please provide the readings used for the last three statements.
3. What per-unit rate are you charging me, and how does that compare to [utility company]'s published residential rate for the same period?
4. Does the amount billed to residents include any common-area usage — the community building, office, laundry, irrigation, pool, or street lighting? If so, how is it allocated?

Please also identify any administrative or service fee included in the charge, and the authority for it under my lease or state law.

Please respond within fourteen days.

[Name] · [Lot] · [Date]

If no adequate answer arrives: file a complaint with the state manufactured housing agency, attaching this letter and three statements. Charging above the utility's rate and allocating common-area usage to residents are prohibited in many states.

Template 6 — Rent increase response

RE: Notice of lot rent increase dated [date]

I received your notice increasing lot rent from $______ to $______ effective [date], together with new charges for [___].

Please provide the following in writing:

1. The date and method of delivery of the notice to each affected resident
2. The notice period you contend applies under [state act / the lease], and the provision relied on
3. The basis for the new charge for [___], which is not provided for in my current lease, and the lease or statutory provision authorizing it
4. For any utility charge: the answers to the four questions in my letter of [date]

[If applicable:] My lease term runs through [date]. Please identify the provision permitting a mid-term increase.

[If applicable:] [Jurisdiction] Ordinance [___] regulates lot rents in this community. Please identify your compliance with it.

[Name] · [Lot] · [Date] Copy: [Homeowners association] · [State manufactured housing agency, if a charge appears improper]

Template 7 — Rule enforcement response

RE: Notice dated [date] regarding [rule]

I received your notice regarding [condition]. Please confirm:

1. The cure period provided under [state act citation] and under the lease, and the date by which you contend compliance is required
2. The date this rule was adopted, and the notice given to residents at the time
3. How this rule has been enforced at other lots

I note that lots [___, ___, and ___] appear to present the same condition and, to my knowledge, have not received notices. Many state acts require that park rules be reasonable and uniformly enforced. If notices were issued to those lots, please confirm; if not, please explain the basis for selective enforcement.

[If you intend to comply:] Without waiving the above, I intend to [action] by [date].

[Name] · [Lot] · [Date]

Note. Photograph the other lots, dated, before you send this. Selective enforcement is a defense to eviction and sometimes a fair housing claim, but only if it is documented at the time.

Template 8 — Buyer rejection documentation

The letter that turns four verbal brush-offs into a provable pattern. Send one after every rejection.

RE: Application of [prospective buyer] for lot [___]

On [date] you informed me [by telephone / in person] that [buyer name]'s application to lease lot [___] was not approved. The reason given was: "[quote what you were told, as closely as you can]."

If I have misstated the reason, please correct me in writing.

Please also provide:

1. A copy of the written screening criteria applied to all applicants
2. A statement of which criterion [buyer] failed to meet, and the information relied on
3. Confirmation of whether [buyer] was given the opportunity to supply any missing item

This is the [second / third / fourth] applicant not approved for this lot. [If applicable: The prior applicants were [names], on [dates], for the stated reasons [___].]

Under [state act citation], I have the right to sell my home in place, and approval of a qualified purchaser may not be unreasonably withheld.

[Name] · [Lot] · [Date] Copy: [State manufactured housing agency, from the second rejection onward]

Template 9 — Sale in place request

RE: Intent to sell home in place — Lot [___]

I intend to sell my manufactured home and leave it on lot [___], with the purchaser entering a new lot lease. Please provide, within fourteen days:

1. Written confirmation that a sale in place is permitted
2. The written screening criteria for prospective residents
3. The application form and process, and the time you require to decide
4. Any fees charged in connection with a sale, and the authority for each
5. Any condition or age standards applicable to a home remaining on the lot, and whether they are applied uniformly to existing homes
6. A statement of any amounts you contend are owed on my account

I understand that under [state act citation] the park may screen a purchaser under criteria applied to all applicants but may not unreasonably withhold approval, require that the sale go through the park, or require removal of the home solely because it is being sold.

[Name] · [Lot] · [Date]

Template 10 — Park closure response, with the sequence

The single most time-sensitive document in manufactured housing. The clock is already running.

RE: Notice of [intent to sell / change of land use / closure] dated [date] — [Park name]

The residents of [park] are forming [have formed] a homeowners association and intend to exercise any right provided under [state law] to purchase the community or to make an offer.

Please provide, in writing, within [seven] days:

1. The date this notice was issued and the method of delivery to each resident
2. The deadline for a resident association to submit an offer, and the statutory provision relied on
3. The asking price and material terms being offered to third parties
4. Financial information necessary to evaluate an offer: rent roll, operating statements for three years, capital expenditures, utility infrastructure condition, and any environmental reports
5. Any relocation assistance you contend is payable, and the process for claiming it
6. Confirmation of the closure notice period required by [state law] and your compliance with it

Please direct further communications regarding the sale to [association contact].

[Association officer] · [Date] Copy: [State manufactured housing agency] · [Local government] · [Technical assistance organization]

The ninety-day sequence

The work that makes this possible happens years earlier. An association that already exists, with officers and an account and a phone number for a technical assistance provider, can do this. One built from nothing in week six cannot.

Template 11 — Association formation outline

HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION OF [PARK] — ORGANIZING CHECKLIST

Purpose (state it plainly at the first meeting): to represent residents in dealings with the park owner regarding rent, rules, utilities, maintenance, and any sale or closure.

• Confirm the right to organize and to meet in common areas under your state act
• Hold a first meeting — flyer to every lot, at least a week's notice
• Elect officers: president, secretary, treasurer
• Adopt simple bylaws: membership, dues, meetings, voting, officer terms
• Incorporate as a nonprofit association or corporation in your state
• Obtain an EIN and open a bank account
• Set dues — even $5 a month builds a fund and establishes membership
• Build a resident contact list: name, lot, phone, email
• Designate a communications lead and a single point of contact with the park
• Join the state manufactured home owners association
• Identify a resident-ownership technical assistance organization and introduce yourselves before you need them
• Keep minutes of every meeting
• Maintain a file of all park notices, rent histories, and correspondence

Template 12 — Warranty notice

Send three separate letters — manufacturer, retailer, installer — the week you notice anything. Warranty periods are short.

RE: Warranty claim — [Manufacturer, model], serial no. [___], installed [date] at [address]

I am the owner of the above manufactured home, purchased from [retailer] on [date] and installed by [installer] on [date]. I am notifying you within the warranty period of the following conditions:

#	Condition	Location	First observed	Photograph
1	[Floor soft and deflecting]	[Master bath, near tub]	[date]	[ref]
2	[Gap at marriage line admitting daylight]	[Living room, north wall]	[date]	[ref]
3	[Doors will not latch; home appears out of level]	[Three interior doors]	[date]	[ref]

Prior repair attempts: [Date — crew — what was done — result.] Each of the above conditions has recurred following repair.

Data plate: wind zone [], roof load zone []. I am requesting confirmation that the installation conforms to the manufacturer's installation manual for this wind zone, including pier spacing and anchoring.

Please respond in writing within [fourteen] days with a schedule for inspection and repair.

I am also filing with the [state] manufactured housing agency and with HUD.

[Name] · [Address] · [Phone] · [Date] Sent by [certified mail no. ___] on [date].

Note. The data plate paragraph is the one that changes outcomes. Installation errors — pier spacing, anchoring for the wrong wind zone — cause far more of these problems than construction defects, and comparing the installation to the manual is a comparison almost nobody makes.

Template 13 — State agency complaint

RE: Complaint — [Park name / Retailer / Installer], [address]

To: [State] Manufactured Housing Agency

Complainant: [Name, address, lot, phone] Respondent: [Name, address, license number if known] Home: [Manufacturer, model, serial number, HUD label number, date of manufacture]

The complaint: (check all that apply) [ ] Improper utility billing — [rate above utility rate / common-area allocation / no submeter readings] [ ] Rent increase without required notice [ ] Termination or eviction without good cause or required notice [ ] Refusal to permit sale of the home in place / unreasonable refusal of qualified purchasers [ ] Selective or unreasonable rule enforcement [ ] Improper fees [ ] Closure without required notice or relocation assistance [ ] Retaliation [ ] Construction or installation defect [ ] Unlicensed installer or retailer

Facts, in order:

• [Date] — [what happened]
• [Date] — [what happened]

What I have already done: I wrote to [respondent] on [dates]. Copies enclosed. The response was [___] / there was none.

What I am asking for: [Refund of $___ / an order to correct billing / an inspection / repair / a determination that the notice was insufficient].

Enclosures: correspondence · statements · photographs · lease · notices

[Signature] · [Date]

Template 14 — Eviction answer skeleton

File it. A default judgment here costs a house.

[COURT CAPTION] · ANSWER AND DEFENSES

Defendant answers as follows:

RESPONSES. [Admit what is plainly true. Deny what is not. "Defendant lacks sufficient information to admit or deny" is a complete answer for anything you cannot verify.]

DEFENSES (waived if not raised)

1. Insufficient notice. The notice dated [date] does not comply with [state act citation], which requires [period/content/method].
2. No good cause. [State act citation] permits termination only for enumerated good cause. The ground stated is not among them / is not supported.
3. Cure period not provided or not expired. The act requires [N] days to cure; [Defendant cured on (date) / the period had not expired when this action was filed].
4. Selective enforcement. The rule relied on is not uniformly enforced. [Lots ___ present the same condition without notice.]
5. Retaliation. This action followed Defendant's [complaint to the state agency / participation in the homeowners association / written objection to utility billing] on [date].
6. Improper utility charges. The amount claimed includes charges not permitted under [act citation].
7. Accord and satisfaction / payment. [If applicable.]
8. Improper service.

REQUEST FOR RELIEF. Defendant requests dismissal. In the alternative, Defendant requests a reasonable period to sell the home in place rather than an order requiring removal, and requests that the Court address the disposition of the home, which Defendant owns.

[Signature] · [Printed name] · [Lot / address] · [Phone] · [Date] Certificate of service.

The short version

• Photograph the data plate today.
• Get the lot rent history for five years before you buy anything.
• Demand the itemized price, not the payment.
• Shop the loan away from the dealer.
• Read the lease next to the state act.
• Ask the four utility questions in writing.
• Document every buyer rejection, in writing, the same week.
• Form the association before the crisis.
• Answer the eviction case. Never abandon the home.
• On a closure notice: call a technical assistance organization that week.
• On a defect: write all three parties, and compare the installation to the manual.

Related documents

• Manufactured Homes and Mobile Home Parks
• Buying and Living in a Manufactured Home
• Manufactured Home Purchase and Park Tenancy Checklist
• Landlord-Tenant Toolkit
• Subsidized Housing Toolkit
• Consumer Debt Defense Toolkit
• Self-Represented Litigant Toolkit

Educational only, not legal advice. Adapt every template to your state's park act and your court's rules. Mobile home park law varies more by state than almost any other area of housing law.