Mobile Homes

Renting a Site

Before you rent a site, the park owner must give you the following information both in writing and by telling you:

• Total rent.
• Extra fees, like charges for fuel or services or a local mobile home tax.
• Names and addresses of the park owners.
• Any proposed or recent changes, like plans to close or sell the park.
• A paper called “Important Notice Required by Law,” that has information about your rights.

If you meet a park’s rules and you can afford the rent the owner must rent to you.

If you are a new tenant, the owner must offer you a 5-year lease at fair market rent.

They may also charge a security deposit and last month’s rent. See Security Deposits and Last Month’s Rent.

Park Rules

Many of your rights as a park tenant are based on your park’s rules.

While the park owner makes the park’s rules, all rules must follow state regulations.

The new rules are only legal if the owner submits them to the Attorney General’s (AG) office and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD):

• At least 75 days before new rules go into effect, the owner must post them and give them to any tenant association.
• At least 60 days before they go into effect, the owner must submit to the AG and DHCD.
• At least 30 days before the new rules go into effect, the owner must give them to each tenant with proof that the AG and DHCD received the proposed rules.

If you believe a rule change is unfair, submit your comments to the AG as soon as possible within the 60-day review period.

Protect Yourself - Park Conditions

You have the right to decent park conditions. The owner is responsible for:

• Park roadways and common areas like lawns and shared buildings.
• Collection of tenants’ garbage.
• Gas, electric, water, and sewer lines and utility hook-ups.

You are responsible for keeping your mobile home and site in good condition and free of garbage and rubbish. If your owner refuses to fix a problem, ask the Board of Health to inspect.

Rent

Local Mobile Home Rent Control

If the park is rent-controlled, the park owner must get approval from the local rent control agency before increasing rents. Rent control rules are available at town hall. As of 2017, there is mobile home rent control in:

No Local Rent Control

If there is no mobile home rent control where you live, the park owner can charge any rent they want. A park owner may increase your rent, but only if:

• All other park tenants get the same rent increase, and the park owner sends park tenants a rent increase notice that says that the tenancy ends in 30 days, and what the new rent amount will be.

The rent increase is illegal if:

• The park owner does not give you correct written notice, or
• The rent increase is based on a park rule that is unreasonable or unfair.

Illegal Rent Increase

If a rent increase is illegal, call the Attorney General’s Consumer Complaint Division for help (617) 727-8400.

Eviction

A park owner can only evict you from a mobile home park if:

• You do not pay rent.
• You break a park rule.
• You break a law or rule that protects the health or safety of other tenants.
• The mobile home park is going to close. If the park closes, the owner must give you at least 2 years notice.

Then the owner must follow strict rules:

1. They must send you a “Notice of Termination” by certified or registered mail at least 30 days before the date they want you to move out.
2. The notice must tell you the reason they want you to move and give you 15 days to cure or fix the problem.
3. After giving you the correct notice they must get a court order.

A mobile park owner cannot evict you if they do not get a court order.

Park Closings

If a park owner wants to close the park, they must give you at least 2 years notice. If you move in during that 2-year period, they must tell you before you rent.

If at least half the tenants form a tenant association, you have the “right of first refusal.” The park owner must offer to sell the park to your group before selling to anyone else.