Mobile homes are becoming more and more popular not only with older people but also with employed singles and young families. According to the US Census, 25% of mobile home owners are retired and have a great life, while 57% are employed. The rest are either self-employed or local small business owners.
There are many reasons why people are moving into mobile homes this includes comfort, having no commitment, affordability, and even luxury.
But living in a mobile home has its share of advantages and disadvantages and today we will talk about the possibility of getting evicted from a leased land where your mobile home is sitting.
Is it possible for a mobile home park to evict a mobile home for not paying their lot rent?
As we have discussed in the past, when living in a mobile home park that has leased land, the Owner of the home needs to pay the park each month for usage to the land the home sits on.
This payment, as we have reviewed several times, is called your monthly lot rent.
Paying your lot rent ensures the Owner of the home has access to usage of the land for the month so that their home can reside on the same piece of property without any issues from the mobile home park.
Each mobile home park has a long list of do’s and don’ts, that each resident is required to abide by when living in the park.
This list is put together in what is referred to as a Mobile Home Park Prospectus.
Each park you visit will have unique portions to its prospectus, such as what types of dogs are allowed, what types of vehicles may be parked at each home, right down to how the park wants you to hang your Holiday decorations.
As a general rule of thumb, usually the nicer the park, the more restrictions they have.
Although each park will have its unique requirements, one of the main requirements is the same in all of the park prospectus, that we at The Mobile Home Dealer have reviewed, and that is, the importance of paying your monthly lot rent on time each month.
One needs to view their lot rent payment just like any other monthly bill. If it is not paid in full on time each month, then the company such as the park in this situation will have a process that they can follow to ensure the payment of the lot rent is made each month.
This is the same way as a car payment is made. If the payment for the car is not made on time each month for some reason, then the lien holder on the car could very well come and take your vehicle for failure to pay on time.
Much the same with your car payment, the mobile home park can do with your mobile home!
Most parks will have a clause in the prospectus that states, “If the lot rent is not paid on time each month, then the park could move to evict the home from the park for failure to pay.”
Palm Terrace Mobile Home
So what does that mean?
This statement means that the park could legally kick your home out of the mobile home park itself and force it to be moved!
So next question is, what happens if you are unable to move the home or if it is too old or not in good enough shape for it to be moved?
If that is the case, then the mobile home park will usually move to repossess your home, if the lot rent is that far back on payment.
This can be done by taking your home to the auction by the local Sheriff’s Department and auctioning it off for sale!
What to do if you’re facing eviction
If you’re behind on rent and received a demand for payment, but no eviction notice has been filed yet, you can do the following.
If you want to stay in your home, make a plan to catch up on your rent.
Get help with rent and utilities. You can apply to state or local organizations for federal money to cover rent, utilities, and other housing costs. Learn more about emergency rental assistance.
Talk with your mobile home park manager about making a repayment plan. Find out if the park manager or owner is willing to work with you or if they plan to file an eviction lawsuit. Sometimes, the hardest part is just getting the conversation started.
Find out about the state of Florida’s local protections. Florida may have rules that could delay your eviction while you get help as other states do.
If an eviction lawsuit HAS been filed against you and If a court has ruled that you can be evicted, seek legal help.
Some financial advice.
Disclaimer. The Mobile Home Dealer is not a financial institution neither promoting nor connected to any financial company. This suggestion is based on our personal life experience that we find helpful to people who are struggling to pay their lot rent.
We understand that a monthly payment of anything can sometimes be stressful if we are having financial difficulties, but we believe that there is always a solution to mitigate eviction which is considered very serious. Eviction could change someone’s life forever.
If you are struggling financially but still have some jobs to support yourself or your family, the only option is to squeeze your personal and household budget. Not all people who are facing evictions are due to financial problems. Some are due to procrastination ignoring the due dates.
Put your lot rent on the very top of your list of bills to pay every month. By paying your lot rent before everything else, you can have peace of mind and can think of other things to solve your other financial problems. Remember that in extreme life situations, not having breakfast is better than being homeless.
Cut your expenses on less important things like toys, gadgets, dinner outs, and other things you can live without. Having a roof without money is better than being homeless without money.
We at the Mobile Home Dealer always recommend in order for you to avoid this terrible situation, to always pay your lot rent on time each and every month.
This is Mark Kaiser with The Mobile Home Dealer, and we help mobile home Buyers and Sellers get to a better place in life!
See Also:
- Do Sarasota Mobile Home Pest Inspections Include Termite Treatment?
- Does Past Due Lot Rent Need To Be Paid On A Sarasota Mobile Home?
- What Is My Sarasota Mobile Home Worth? Volume 3
- What Is My Sarasota Mobile Home Worth? Episode #2
- What Is My Sarasota Mobile Home Worth? Episode #1