Manufactured Home Parks

Resources

Glossary of Terms

Lot:
An area within a manufactured home park designed or used for a manufactured home.

Manufactured Home:
A structure that is not a part of real estate, and that has one or more sections that may be transported. The home (or a section of the home) has a width of eight body feet or more and a length of 40 body feet or more. On site, the home is 320 square feet or more. The home must be built as a permanent chassis. The home may or may not have a permanent foundation. The home must be designed as a dwelling when connected to the required utilities.

Manufactured Home Park:
Any site, lot, field, or tract of land where two or more occupied manufactured homes are located, either free of charge or for compensation. This includes any building, structure, tent, vehicle, or enclosure used, or intended to be used, for the manufactured home park. This does not include facilities open three or fewer seasons each year.

Park Owner:
The owner of a manufactured home park or any person acting on behalf of the owner to operate the park.

Resident:
A manufactured homeowner who rents a lot in a manufactured home park. This includes all members of the resident’s household.

Resident Association:
An organization formed to resolve matters related to living conditions in the manufactured home park. The organization must have written permission from at least 51 percent of the homeowners in the park to represent them.

General Resources

This section is designed to provide additional resources to manufactured home park owners, managers, residents and dealers. The following agencies provide varying services to those involved with manufactured home parks.

Conciliation Courts

Currently, claims of up to $15,000 may be brought in conciliation court. You can obtain legal forms for conciliation court by calling or visiting the respective courthouse that you intend to file your claim in. Forms are also available online at www.mncourts.gov.

What Is Conciliation Court?

Conciliation court is often called “people’s court” or “small claims court” because its basic purpose is to help people recover relatively small sums of money without having to hire a lawyer. Conciliation court allows you to bring your legal disputes to a court without the hassles of confusing legal procedures and high costs. Court rules are generally simple and informal, and the cost of filing in conciliation court is low.

Legal Aid Services

Legal Aid Services provide legal assistance to financially disadvantaged persons. Each Legal Aid office has criteria to determine when a person qualifies for legal assistance at little to no cost. Some Legal Aid offices provide assistance only within certain areas of the state or to certain groups of individuals—see specific listings for more information.

Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services

(888) 575-2954
www.smrls.org

Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid Offices

www.mylegalaid.org

Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota

www.lasnem.org

Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota

www.lsnmlaw.org

Anishinabe Legal Services

www.alslegal.org
Serves Indian and non-Indian residents of Leech Lake, Red Lake and White Earth reservations.

Housing Alliance Law Office

Refugee, Immigrant, and Migrant Services

www.smrls.org

Judicare of Anoka County

Judicare of Anoka County, Inc. is a non-profit corporation that provides free legal representation in non-criminal matters to low-income residents of Anoka County.

Judicare of Anoka County
1201 89th Avenue Northeast, Suite 310
Blaine, MN 55434
(763) 783-4970
www.anokajudicare.org

Minnesota State Legislature

Contact your legislators if you have questions about changes in the law or wish to propose changes to state law:

Minnesota Association of Community Mediation Programs

The Minnesota Association of Community Mediation Programs consists of several centers which provide trained volunteer mediators to help resolve disputes peacefully and cooperatively. These centers cannot provide legal advice. The costs and fees vary:

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Provides brochures and housing programs. HUD also handles most low-income public housing assistance claims and programs:

United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Minneapolis Field Office
212 Third Avenue South, Suite 150
Minneapolis, MN 55401
(612) 370-3000
www.hud.gov

U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs

Provides information, loans and insurance to veterans who wish to purchase manufactured homes:

United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Benefits Administration
St. Paul Regional Office
1 Federal Drive, Fort Snelling
St. Paul, MN 55111
(800) 827-1000
www.va.gov

Forms Required by State Law

There are two forms that people buying and selling manufactured homes will use. These are the Notice Required by State Law (Form 1) and the Notice of Compliance Form (Form 2). The full text of these forms follows:

Form 1: Notice Required by State Law

This notice must be printed in minimum size of ten point, boldface print, and posted in a conspicuous and public location in the park.

Important Notice:

State law provides special rules for the owners, residents, and prospective residents of manufactured home parks.

You may keep your home in the park as long as the park is in operation and you meet your financial obligations, obey state and local laws which apply to the park, obey reasonable park rules, do not substantially annoy or endanger the other residents or substantially endanger park personnel and do not substantially damage the park premises. You may not be evicted or have your rent increased or your services cut for complaining to the park owner or to a governmental official.

If you receive an eviction notice and do not leave the park, the park owner may take you to court. If you lose in court, a sheriff may remove you and your home from the park within seven days. Or, the court may require you to leave the park within seven days but give you 60 days to sell the home within the park.

If you receive an eviction notice for a new or amended rule and the court finds the rule to be reasonable and not a substantial modification of your original agreement, the court will not order you to leave but will order you to comply with the rule within ten days. If you do not comply within the time given or if you violate the rule at a later time, you will be subject to eviction.

All park rules and policies must be reasonable. Your rent may not be increased more than twice a year. Changes made in park rules after you become a park resident will not apply to you if they substantially change your original agreement.

The park may not charge you an entrance fee.

The park may require a security deposit, but the deposit must not amount to more than two months rent.

You have a right to sell the home in the park. But the sale is not final until the park owner approves the buyer as a new resident, and you must advise in writing anyone who wants to buy your home that the sale is subject to final approval by the park owner. The park must provide to you, in writing, the procedures and criteria used to evaluate a prospective resident. If your application is denied, you can request, in writing, the reason why. You must also disclose in writing certain safety information about your home to anyone who wants to buy it in the park. You must give this information to the buyer before the sale, in writing, on the form that is attached to this notice. You must completely and accurately fill out the form and you and the buyer should each keep a copy.

Your rental agreement and the park rules contain important information about your rights and duties. Read them carefully and keep a copy.

You must be given a copy of the shelter or evacuation plan for the park. This document contains information on where to seek shelter in times of severe weather conditions. You should carefully review the plan and keep a copy.

By February 1 of each year, the park must give you a certificate of rent constituting property taxes as required by Minnesota Statutes, section 290A.19.

For further information concerning your rights, consult a private attorney. The state law governing the rental of lots in manufactured home parks may also be enforced by the Minnesota Attorney General.

Form 2: Notice of Compliance Form

A used manufactured home manufactured after June 14, 1976, cannot be sold or installed for occupancy unless it complies with the Notice of Compliance Form set forth below, signed by the seller and purchaser indicating which party is responsible for making or paying for necessary corrections prior to transfer of ownership.

Notice of Compliance Form (PDF)