What are mobile home titles and what needs to be done with them when buying or selling a home in Sarasota?
Are you looking to buy a home but don’t know what role a title plays in the purchase transaction?
Are you looking to sell a mobile home but are not sure what you are supposed to do with your title when it comes time to sell the home?
This is understandable as many times when we get asked these questions they are asked by mobile home buyers or sellers who only sell or buy a few mobile homes their entire life.
Mobile homes on lease land are taxed in Florida as personal property, not real estate.
As such, these personal property homes have a title that shows proof of ownership and not a deed like traditional real estate has.
You may be familiar with the term title from when you bought or sold a vehicle. This is the same type of title we are referring to here. So, if you have any experience with vehicle titles then we’re halfway there already!
A certificate of title is proof of ownership of a mobile home in the state of Florida. Most mobile homes are required to be titled. The exception is mobile homes which are declared as real property.
When you purchase a new mobile home, bring a mobile home into the state, or there is a change in the ownership of the mobile home, you must apply for a registration and title in your name.
When you buy a mobile home it is a good idea to make sure the seller has the title to the home in their name.
Mobile homes must be registered with a current decal affixed to the mobile home unit at all times, even when unoccupied. For mobile homes affixed to land that is rented, mobile home decals will expire on December 31 each year. The registration fee for mobile homes is based on the length of the mobile home. Doublewide, triple-wide, or additional mobile home units require a separate registration and decal for each unit.
Individuals who currently have a regular mobile home decal and who own the land upon which the mobile home is affixed are required to have a permanent Real Property (RP) decal affixed to their mobile home. In such cases, the mobile home owner is required to obtain a Declaration of Real Property from the Property Appraisers Office. Then, the mobile home owner is to present their RP Declaration to a Tax Collector’s Service Center and purchase an RP decal for their mobile home.
Mobile home in Florida
Registration Renewal
Florida law requires mobile home decals and registrations to be renewed before they expire on December 31st. It is a violation of the law to fail to display a current registration decal. Mobile homes that fail to properly display a current decal are subject to late fees or tangible personal property taxation.
Mobile Home registration and decal renewals may be conducted online, by mail, or at one of the Tax Collector’s Service Centers.
To renew by mail, be on the lookout for your registration renewal notice! As a courtesy, the Tax Collector’s Office mails renewal notices to mobile homeowners. The courtesy renewal notices are generally mailed no less than 3 weeks before the mobile home registration expiration date (December 31st). The renewal notice includes materials that allow mobile homeowners to easily renew their registration(s) by mail. Florida law does not require mobile home registration renewal notices for vehicles to be mailed, and failure to receive a courtesy renewal notice by mail does not relieve the mobile home owner of their responsibility to timely renew their mobile home registrations and decals.
Here is your first tip of the day:
Do not buy a mobile home from someone whose name is not on the title as they do not have proof of actually owning the home in the very first place!
Check to see if the owner has a lien on the title.
If they don’t have a lien then it is referred to as the owner having what’s called a clear title. If a lien is present that means that the owner of the title has a lien against the property which also means that they owe money to someone or some agency before they own it in full. The lien information will physically be written on the title on the front page of it.
If you are selling a mobile home you will always want to make sure your title is ready for when the buyer is ready to buy and that you can sign over the title to the new owner.
Our second tip of the day:
Make sure you know where your title is and that you can physically locate it!
We, at the Mobile Home Dealer, work with buyers and sellers daily and help complete the entire title transfer process as part of our services.
Knowing what a title is and why it is important is the first step in knowing who owns the mobile home and the insurers you are buying the home from the correct person.
The Mobile Home Dealer are licensed mobile home brokers in Sarasota Florida and the surrounding areas. We provide professional buy and/or sell assistance to our clients. If you have any questions, please contact us by clicking this link. You may also visit our Facebook Page and send us a message
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:
- Is Termite Tenting Necessary In A Sarasota Mobile Home?
- Is Water Always Included In A Sarasota Mobile Home Lot Rent?
- How Long Does It Take To Sell A Mobile Home Fast In Sarasota?
- What Are Sarasota Mobile Home Soft Spots? Volume 2
- Sarasota Mobile Home Industry Update!