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Mobile Home Lot Lease Agreement: Free Template

A mobile home lot lease agreement covers the rental of land, not a dwelling — the resident owns the home, and what they rent from you is the lot it sits on plus the right to use park roads, utility connections, and common areas. That makes it legally distinct from an ordinary residential lease, and in most states this kind of tenancy is governed by a separate manufactured housing statute with its own notice, termination, and home-sale rules.

Below is a lot lease skeleton to adapt, plus the clauses operators most often get wrong. For a dwelling you own, use the residential lease template.

General information, not legal advice. Mobile home tenancies are governed by their own statutes in most states, and those statutes frequently give residents protections ordinary landlord-tenant law does not — longer notice periods, limits on the grounds for ending a tenancy, and rules about selling and removing a home. Have a local attorney review your lease against your state's manufactured housing statute before anyone signs it.

Why a Lot Lease Is Not a Regular Lease

Almost every dispute in a park traces back to one fact: the resident owns the structure and the operator owns the ground under it. A residential lease assumes those are one party. Three consequences follow when they are not.

You do not maintain the dwelling. Obligations that would fall on a landlord sit with the homeowner. Your side is the lot, the roads, the common areas, and the infrastructure you own, and the lease has to draw that line.
Ending a tenancy can mean moving a house. A resident asked to leave may have to relocate or sell a structure worth many times a year of lot rent, and relocation is often impractical for an older home. That asymmetry is why statutes commonly restrict termination grounds and require longer notice — the sibling guide on mobile home park tenant rights covers those protections.
The home can be sold in place. A resident can generally sell to a buyer who keeps the home on the lot and becomes your resident. Your lease decides how that works, and a lease silent about it leaves you improvising during somebody else's closing.

The Mobile Home Lot Lease Template

Copy the text below and replace everything in brackets. This is a skeleton to adapt with counsel, not a finished contract — your state will require disclosures no generic form anticipates.

Mobile Home Lot Lease Agreement

1. PARTIES AND DATE. This Mobile Home Lot Lease Agreement (“Agreement”) is entered into on [date] between [operator legal entity name] (“Operator”) and [resident full legal name(s)] (“Resident”). Each Resident who signs is jointly and severally responsible for the obligations in this Agreement.
2. THE LOT. Operator leases to Resident the manufactured home lot known as Lot [number] at [park name], [street address, city, state, ZIP] (the “Lot”), together with the right to use park roads, [list common areas and amenities]. This Agreement leases land only and does not lease a dwelling.
3. THE HOME. The manufactured home placed on the Lot is a [year] [make/model], approximately [width] x [length], VIN or serial number [number], titled to [name]. Resident represents that Resident owns the home. Operator has no ownership interest in the home and no responsibility for its condition, systems, or repair.
4. TERM AND RENEWAL. The term begins [date] and ends [date]. At the end of the term this Agreement [renews for a further term of ___ / continues month to month] unless either party gives written notice as required by applicable law. Notice periods for manufactured home tenancies are set by statute and control over any shorter period stated here.
5. LOT RENT. Resident shall pay lot rent of $[amount] per month, due on the [ordinal] day of each month, payable by [permitted payment methods]. Rent for a partial first or last month is prorated. Any change to lot rent takes effect only as permitted by applicable law and on the notice that law requires.
6. WHAT LOT RENT INCLUDES. Lot rent includes [list: e.g. use of the Lot, park roads, common-area maintenance, trash collection, ___]. The following are billed separately and are not included in lot rent: [list: e.g. ___]. Charges billed separately are stated on a separate statement and are due [when].
7. UTILITIES. Resident is responsible for [list utilities and services, e.g. electricity, gas, telephone, internet]. Operator is responsible for [list]. Utilities billed by Operator, if any, are billed as [describe the method] in accordance with applicable law. Resident is responsible for the utility lines and connections from [defined point] to the home.
8. LATE FEES AND RETURNED PAYMENTS. If lot rent is not received within [number] days of the due date, Resident shall pay a late fee of $[amount], to the extent permitted by applicable law. A fee of $[amount] applies to any payment returned unpaid. Statutory limits on late fees for manufactured home tenancies control over this section.
9. SECURITY DEPOSIT. Resident shall pay a security deposit of $[amount] before occupying the Lot. The deposit secures Resident's obligations under this Agreement and is held and returned as applicable law requires, less lawful itemized deductions.
10. PARK RULES. The park rules and regulations dated [date], provided to Resident and attached as Exhibit A, are incorporated into this Agreement by reference. Operator may amend the rules with the notice required by applicable law. Amended rules may not conflict with this Agreement or with applicable law.
11. MAINTENANCE RESPONSIBILITIES. Operator maintains park roads, common areas, and Operator-owned infrastructure to [standard]. Resident maintains the home and all of its systems, and maintains the Lot in a clean and orderly condition, including [mowing, trimming, snow removal, ___]. Resident shall promptly report any condition in a common area or in Operator-owned infrastructure that needs repair.
12. SKIRTING, ANCHORING, AND EXTERIOR CONDITION. The home shall be skirted with [material] within [number] days of placement and shall remain anchored and tied down in accordance with applicable installation standards. Steps, landings, and awnings shall meet [standard]. Exterior condition standards, including [siding, roofing, storage, ___], are set out in the park rules and apply for the duration of this Agreement.
13. PETS. Pets are [permitted / permitted with prior written approval / not permitted] subject to the park rules and to the following limits: [number, size, breed restrictions as permitted by law]. Pet-related charges, if any, are $[amount]. This section does not apply to assistance animals as defined by applicable law.
14. VEHICLES AND PARKING. Resident may park [number] operable, registered vehicles at [assigned spaces / driveway]. Guest parking is [location]. Inoperable or unregistered vehicles, and [boats, trailers, commercial vehicles, ___], are [permitted only in ___ / not permitted]. Vehicles in violation may be handled as the park rules and applicable law provide.
15. GUESTS AND OCCUPANCY. The home shall be occupied only by the following named residents: [names]. Guests staying more than [number] consecutive days require Operator's written consent, and any additional occupant must apply for residency and be approved before moving in.
16. SUBLETTING AND RENTING OUT THE HOME. Resident shall not sublet the Lot or rent out the home, in whole or in part, without Operator's prior written consent. Any approved renter must apply for residency and be approved under the same criteria applied to all applicants. Resident remains responsible for lot rent and for compliance with this Agreement.
17. SALE OF THE HOME IN PLACE. Resident may sell the home. If the home is to remain on the Lot, Resident shall give Operator written notice of the intended sale [number] days in advance, and the buyer shall apply for residency and sign a current lot lease before taking occupancy. Operator will approve or decline the applicant in writing within [number] days, applying the written approval criteria attached as Exhibit B to every applicant. Operator shall not unreasonably interfere with Resident's right to sell the home. All lot rent and charges owed must be paid current at closing.
18. ENTRY. Operator may enter the Lot to inspect, maintain, or repair Operator-owned infrastructure, and to show a vacant Lot, on [number] hours' advance notice or as applicable law requires, and without notice in an emergency. Operator may not enter the home.
19. TERMINATION AND NOTICE. Either party may end this Agreement only on the grounds and with the notice permitted by applicable law governing manufactured home tenancies. On termination, Resident shall remove the home and restore the Lot to [condition] within the period applicable law allows, or transfer the home as this Agreement and applicable law permit. Abandonment of a home is handled as the applicable manufactured housing statute provides.
20. GOVERNING LAW AND ENTIRE AGREEMENT. This Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of [state], including its statutes governing manufactured home communities. This Agreement, together with Exhibit A (park rules), Exhibit B (approval criteria), and any required disclosures, is the entire agreement and may be amended only in a writing signed by both parties.

The parties have read this Agreement, including the exhibits incorporated into it, and execute it as of the date first written above.

Operator signature

Printed name, title & date

Resident signature

Printed name & date

Resident signature (second adult)

Printed name & date

Exhibits attached

A: park rules B: approval criteria

Sample for educational purposes, not legal advice. Required disclosures and statute-specific language for manufactured home communities are not included and must be added before use.

The Clauses Operators Most Often Get Wrong

Four sections do most of the damage when they are vague, and all four are particular to parks.

Sale of the home in place. A resident can usually sell the home where it stands, and the buyer becomes your resident. Write down your approval criteria, attach them to the lease, and apply them to every applicant, within the response window your statute sets.
Utilities. Ambiguity here causes more disputes than anything else. State which utilities are included in lot rent, which are billed separately, how a separate charge is calculated, and where your responsibility for lines ends and the homeowner's begins. Any utility billing you do happens outside Kelpic®.
Skirting, anchoring, and exterior condition. These are enforceable only if written down before you need them. Put the material, the deadline after placement, and the condition standard in the lease or the rules, then enforce them uniformly.
Abandonment of a home. This is not the same as ordinary abandoned personal property, and treating it that way is a serious mistake. A manufactured home is a titled structure whose disposition after a tenancy ends is typically governed by its own statutory procedure. Our guide to tenant abandoned property covers the general framework, but mobile homes are treated differently — get counsel before touching a home.

Give Every Lot a Lease and a Ledger

The lease is your document. The monthly charge behind it, and the record of who paid, is what software should hold.

Set Up Your First Park

Attaching Your Park Rules

Rules are usually incorporated by reference rather than written into the lease, because rules change and a lease containing them can only change when every resident re-signs. Attach the dated version as an exhibit and give the resident a copy at signing. Changes generally require notice under your statute, and amended rules cannot contradict the lease or the statute. The sibling guide on mobile home park rules and regulations covers what belongs in the rules rather than the lease.

Using One Form Across the Park

One form for every lot, dated and signed by every adult resident, with the same rental application and approval criteria for every applicant, including buyers taking over a home in place.

If you just bought the park, start with an audit, not a mailing. Leases signed by the prior owner generally survive a sale — the principle in buying a house with tenants — so your new form applies at renewal, not the day you close. Note each lot's term, rent, and renewal date, then convert them in order. Deposits transfer with their own rules, so check the security deposit guide, and confirm timing before any change — how often a landlord can raise rent is the floor, and manufactured housing rules sit above it.

The Lease Is Yours. The Recurring Charge Is Software's.

Whatever the lease says, the operational half is the monthly charge and the record behind it. In Kelpic each lot is a unit with a resident, a lease record, and a recurring lot rent charge, so you can see which lots have paid and who is behind and by how many days, across several parks under one login. Kelpic does not write or sign the lease. See the mobile home park management software overview, the lot rent guide, rent collection, or pricing.

Track Every Lot Rent Payment

The Essentials

It is a land lease. The resident owns the home; you own the ground and common areas.
The governing statute is separate, and more protective of residents.
Address sale of the home in place and utilities explicitly. Those two cause most disputes.
Incorporate park rules by reference and attach the dated version.
Use one form for every lot, with the same approval criteria for everyone.
Have a local attorney review it against your state's manufactured housing statute.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a mobile home lot lease agreement?

A mobile home lot lease agreement is a contract in which a park operator rents a parcel of land to a resident who owns the manufactured home placed on it. It covers the lot plus the right to use park roads, utility connections, and common areas, and it sets the lot rent, term, park rules, and condition standards. It is not a lease of a dwelling, and in most states it is governed by a separate manufactured housing statute.

How is a lot lease different from a regular lease?

The difference is ownership. In a regular lease the landlord owns the dwelling and must keep it habitable. In a lot lease the resident owns the home and the operator owns only the ground and the common areas. Three things follow. The operator does not repair the home. Ending the tenancy may require the resident to move or sell a structure worth far more than a year of lot rent, which is why statutes commonly restrict termination grounds and require longer notice. And the home can be sold in place, so the lease must address that.

Can a park owner refuse a buyer when a resident sells their home?

Generally an operator may require a prospective buyer to apply for residency and may decline an applicant who does not meet written approval criteria, but may not unreasonably interfere with the resident's right to sell the home in place. That balance is set by state manufactured housing statutes and the specifics vary. The practical protection is consistency: publish your criteria, apply them to every applicant, decide within the time your statute allows, and put the reason in writing. Fair housing law applies as to any tenancy decision.

What should a lot lease include?

At minimum: the parties and date; the lot, by park name, lot number, and address; the home, by year, make, size, and VIN or serial number, with a statement of who owns it; the term and how it renews; lot rent, due date, and payment method; what lot rent includes and what is billed separately; utilities and who is responsible for each; late fees; the security deposit; park rules incorporated by reference; the split of maintenance duties; skirting, anchoring, and exterior condition standards; pets; vehicles and parking; guests and occupancy; subletting; sale of the home in place and buyer approval; entry rights; and termination and notice consistent with applicable law.

Can a park raise lot rent during the lease term?

During a fixed term the rent is generally what the signed lease says it is, unless the lease contains a clearly written escalation provision permitted where the park is located. Increases usually take effect at renewal or, for a month-to-month tenancy, after written notice. Manufactured housing statutes frequently impose longer notice periods for lot rent increases than ordinary residential law does, because the resident cannot simply move the way an apartment tenant can. Check your statute and any local ordinance first.

How long should a mobile home lot lease be?

One year is the most common term, renewing annually or converting to month-to-month at the end. A defined term gives both sides a scheduled moment to reset rent and re-sign the rules, which matters where a home may sit on one lot for decades. Some states require an operator to offer a written lease or a minimum term. Confirm what your statute requires.

This template and guide are general information for educational use, not legal advice. Mobile home and manufactured housing tenancies are governed by separate statutes in most states, with their own rules on notice, termination, rent increases, home sales, and abandonment. Verify current requirements where your park is located and have a local attorney review your lease before anyone signs it.

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