Florida Mobile Home Buyers Guide by FiscalRangers.com - Updated Sept., 2024

Created January 18, 2016             Tavares, FL       Updates added Sept. 4, 2024

Florida Mobile Home Buyers Guide on Selecting Safer Mobile Home Parks, Bully Mobile Home Park Owner Practices and More

by Vance Jochim - FiscalRangers.com is a watchdog blog in Lake County, FL  

The short URL to this page is:  http://tinyurl.com/FLMobileHomeOwnerGuide 

Join our new Facebook GROUP about Mobile Home Park Owner Abuses.  Get updates there.

Note: This article is the personal opinion of FiscalRangers.com blog reporter Vance Jochim based in Lake County, FL, and is based upon many personal and video interviews since 2015. 

Consumer Warning - What to know If you buy an older mobile or manufactured home in Florida in a park where you pay lot rent for the space:

- It is common for retirees or "snowbirds" to seek out and buy lower-cost mobile homes in Florida for low living costs.  That could lead to a loss of the home if they locate in one of the few Florida mobile home parks run by unethical or BULLY operators. 

– Florida State Statute Chapter 723 regulates the operation of Florida mobile home parks, and it supersedes local government authority.  Thus you can be threatened or harassed by a BULLY mobile home park operator and the local government cannot do anything.  You have to submit a written complaint to the Florida Division of Timeshares, Condos & Mobile Homes agency ( DTCMH - see below) which is not adequately staffed or effective.  My opinion is that 90-95% of mobile home PARK owners (where you rent a lot for your mobile home) are ethical and treat tenants ethically.  However, starting in 2022, very well funded hedge funds are buying up original owner mobile home parks and jacking up rents, as well as engaging in harassment tactics to get elderly or Veteran owners of older homes to move out and abandon them. Then the holding company flips the home for profit. This fact sheet describes how to prevent your being taken advantage of by the 5-10% unethical park operators. 

- Florida does not protect mobile homeowners from being evicted by park owners due to land-use changes and park closures.   As a consequence, you could lose all equity in your home or have to move it, costing $3,000 to $8,000. in my opinion.  

– Florida prohibits moving mobile homes manufactured before 1985 (we were told, but need to verify), thus if a park closes or the owner evicts you, you cannot move older mobile homes.  Abusive park owners can demand you pay rent even if you move due to harassment.  Situations have occurred where tenants filed complaints or lawsuits against a BULLY park owner and won, then the Park owner harasses anyone who provided supporting testimony and evicts them for generic reasons.  Then the park owner can file "abandonment" paperwork to take over ownership of the home and rent or sell it.

–Florida has no legal protections for elderly mobile home park owners or Veterans if the park operator bullies or harasses or threatens them to give up their homes so he can get it.  Although you will see the state government offering hotlines to report "elder abuse", they do not define mobile home park or landlord abuse of elders to fit that classification.  

–Florida only provides 2-3 investigators in the DTCMH for written complaints about violations of Florida statute chapter 723 which governs mobile home parks.  There are 5000+ mobile home parks in Florida with over 2 million homes in them. The agency that supervises compliance with Chapter 723 is the DBPR Division of Condos, Timeshares and Mobile Homes (DCTMH). That department has no travel funds for investigators to visit mobile home parks, thus fines and citations are rare. 

–Florida is an open records state.  If you file a complaint, your name and contact information are available to the public and park owners and they can harass you by threatening a lawsuit or eviction.

–Florida does not require that realtors disclose complaints about mobile home park owners or disclose pending plans to close parks for development actions.  Thus you could buy a home and soon after receive a required 6-month eviction due to the park being closed for redevelopment.  This happened in one Lake County mobile home park.  They are not required to disclose that Florida prohibits moving older mobile homes due to the age of the home.  Anyway, the cost of the move may exceed the value of older homes, so many just walk away from older, low value mobile homes, then the park owner files an abandonment claim and takes over ownership of the home to sell or rent it out to another naive buyer.

- The agency that regulates mobile home parks takes complaints but does not publish them, so you can't easily review complaints about specific mobile home park owners. You can, however, file a public records request to get complaints and we will post more here when we get responses. (Oct. 15, 2020)

- There are some unscrupulous owners of mobile home parks who treat tenants poorly and harass elders so they "abandon" their home and under threat of continued rent demands, give the title to the park owner who resells or re-rents the home. 

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Updates in 2024

Sept. 4, 2024 -  Kristina Smallhorn, Real Estate Vlogger, expose video on mobile home manufacturer Clayton Homes.

Kristina runs a YouTube vlog from Louisiana mostly on residential real estate buying tips, but also a sub-interest of buying manufactured homes or mobile homes or modular homes.  This video, she interviews a Texas owner of a new Clayton Homes manufactured home and all the problems and BAD customer service.  If you have any interest in mobile homes, subscribe to Kristina at https://www.youtube.com/@KristinaSmallhorn.   

Here is the link to her video interview regarding Clayton Homes (which could apply to other manufacturers and it could vary by state).

        https://youtu.be/amUtUxFh_JU?si=7ZyETjHrtzSaI1l8   

Email us with your FLORIDA stories about BAD experiences with FLORIDA unethical mobile home park OWNERS where you own the mobile or manufactured home on a lot where you pay rent to the park owner.  We are getting more reports in 2024 of BAD mobile home park owners harassing elderly and veteran owners of old manufactured homes, so they move out, and the park owner then takes home ownership to rent or sell it for more profit.  The unethical park owner refuses to approve prospective buyers, thus the owner cannot sell the home either. We are working with local Florida legislators on this loophole in Florida Statute, Chapter 723.  Email [email protected].  We are also looking for "victims" of this practice who will agree to be interviewed on video so we can present it to the Florida Joint Legislative Audit Committee to request a full risk and operational audit of Chapter 723 violations, administration, reforms needed, and loopholes.  Sept. 4, 2024  

Updates in 2022

Sept 7, 2022 - Excellent overview by Kristina Smallhorn of predatory investment firms buying up mobile home parks and drastically increasing the rent. This is a must-view before you go further in buying a mobile home in a rental park.  

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Overview

Florida has over 5000 mobile home parks, with 151  of them in Lake County, FL.

If you are planning to move to Florida from elsewhere, you should read the official Florida "Residency Guide" for new residents.  (added Feb. 19, 2019)

Many mobile home park owners are ethical and good businessmen, providing a needed service for low-cost "affordable housing".  But there are some mobile home park owners, perhaps under 5-10%, who act against the interests of the homeowners, and regulations are needed.  That is what this guide is about.

This guide pertains to Mobile homeowners who OWN their mobile homes, but not the land.  They usually pay the DMV an annual  "vehicle" fee, while the park owner pays property taxes on the land. (Note: We found out that if the mobile home is no longer towed on Florida roads, you don't have to pay the DMV fee, so stop doing it.  Most mobile home park owners who own some homes as rental units don't pay the fee, but they do pay property taxes which can be passed to the tenant. ) The mobile homeowners lease or rent land from a mobile home park owner.  Some parks have converted to co-ops where the residents own shares in the park, not a separate individual or corporation, and these issues may not affect them.  In other tracts, the owners of mobile homes or manufactured homes also own the land, and their homes are classified as single owner homes and not covered by mobile home park regulations.  Thus they are not affected by these issues.  Owning the land is more costly in upfront costs than just owning the mobile home and paying a monthly rental space fee.

The risk in Florida is that if a mobile homeowner in these lot rental parks does not own the land, they can be evicted for non-payment, etc. which is appropriate.   But they also can be evicted if the park owner gets the zoning and land use changed to develop a project and intends on closing the park for redevelopment.  The owners, especially the elderly on fixed incomes, can also be stressed by intimidation tactics used by abusive mobile park owners to force the abandonment of the home so it can be resold or rented at a profit by the park owner. They also can have problems moving the home if it is too old to move, according to state regulations.  

Florida state has rules ( state statutes) that regulate mobile home parks and situations like evictions for park closures, but they are weak and poorly enforced. Chapter 723 of the Florida Statutes, also known as the Florida Mobile Home Act, is a chapter of law that governs the rental or leasing of mobile home lots in the State of Florida (be sure to select the most RECENT version of Chapter 723). The Florida Mobile Home Act should be read in conjunction with Chapters 61B- 29 through 32, and 35, Florida Administrative Code. It is important to realize that Chapter 723 supersedes LOCAL Home Rule law, thus local County or City governments have no authority over mobile home park operators.  That means you have to complain to the State if the park owner fails to keep water supplies safe, fails to make sure septic tank systems work and don't overflow, or intimidates and berates tenants for any reason (and Florida Elder abuse statutes don't cover landlord abuse).

During a FiscalRangers.com investigation of a mobile home park in Florida, we learned about many loopholes and abuses that some BULLY mobile home park owners might implement to benefit themselves.  We think those actions are not ethical and justify the need for corrective regulation and reforms of Chapter 723. As a former Certified Fraud Examiner, I have collected substantial evidence and interviews that will be used to encourage better regulations by Florida legislators.  If any reader has examples of mobile home park owners violating Chapter 723, or just plain decency towards tenants, please share in the comments or email me at [email protected].  

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What are the actions a "Bully" mobile home park owner/operator can take against mobile homeowners paying lot rent that are questionable?

• Remember, we have said that 90-95% of mobile home parks owners and managers are ethical and treat tenants fairly.  This page is about the other 5-10% of park owners, who in our opinion, are "Bullies", and how to prevent moving to their parks. We describe these issues because legislators have resistance from groups like the Florida Manufactured Housing Association (https://www.fmha.org/) in passing needed reforms. 
• New 2021 - During the 2020/21 Pandemic, many homeowners got Federal funds to cover rent or mortgages when out of work.  BUT, owners of mobile homes who are RENTERS of mobile home lots in mobile home parks did not qualify for them.  Then, if the home is fully paid off, but you can't pay the lot rent, even the ethical park owner can file an eviction notice just for not paying the lot rent, and you lose your entire home to them and the unethical park owners can come up with reasons to not let you sell the home, or pay you a "fair market rate" for the home.  Thus OUR best recommendation is only buy in owner coop communities or where you own the land. Another recommendation is only buy manufactured homes where YOU OWN the land. It is more expensive, but eliminates the risk of unethical mobile home park owners taking it from you or constantly jacking up the rent. Always research the reputation of the park owner and their manager (the owner could be ethical but the manager could be a bully to increase turnover and rent increases for higher commissions). 
• The park owner stands to gain if the resident being evicted for any reason cannot afford to move their home to another location.  In that case, to prevent future monthly rental charges from the park owner, they turn over the title to the park owner, or they just move away.   Thus if the park owner is unethical, they can harass or intimidate the resident to move out, and gain a FREE home that can be rented out for income or sold for a profit.  Either way, the park owner can file "Abandonment" procedures with the State to take ownership of the vacant home.  Assuming the homeowner cannot negotiate a payment for the home from the park owner or another party, they lose all equity in the home.   Ethical park owners won't harass homeowners for financial gain like this, but unethical ones might.  We have documented stories of this happening.
• Florida State has a fund to pay mobile homeowners about half of the relocation costs of a mobile home up to $6000 if a park owner changes the land use and closes the park and evicts the residents.  The agency that administers the mobile home relocation programs, the Florida Mobile Home Relocation Corp. and is at http://dev.fmhrc.org/test-web/.   Or, they can get $3000 if the home is left in the park.  However, to qualify, they must wait until the legal 6-month eviction notice is sent to them.  If they get stressed, and no eviction notice is received yet, they can move out, and turn the title over to the park owner (called abandonment), but not qualify for the relocation or separate abandonment fees.   Since the park owner is required to pay much of the relocation or abandonment fees, he gains by getting people to move out or abandon homes BEFORE he sends out a formal eviction notice. Those rules are all defined in Florida Statutes Chapter 723. The ability for mobile homeowners to collect from the fund is also limited to whether enough money is in the fund to fill all applications.  Read the rules at the website if you are evicted for land-use changes. 
• The park owner could be a poor businessperson and lose track of payments.  One park owner did so at least once for two different owners but sent a physically intimidating relative to collect the "missing" payment which had been paid, just not posted to the park's accounting records.
• Park owners could have two accounts for income.   One is for reporting to the IRS, and other rents are deposited in a second personal account and not reported to the IRS.
• Every space renter in a park should be given a "prospectus" defining the rent, pass-through taxes, etc.   We understand all residents should have the same prospectus, and rates, not get different ones.  Changes cannot be written in, and prospectus changes must go to the State of Florida, but in one park, that is not happening.  If a prospectus has handwritten changes, that is a red flag.  Any mobile homeowner and resident who has not received a prospectus should request one, or can visit the Florida State Division of Condos, Timeshares, and Mobile Homes to request one via a public records request. (I recommend doing that). 
• INSPECT AND GET THE FLORIDA STATE TITLE TO THE HOME BEFORE PAYING FOR IT!  If the park owner or other resident sells their home to a new owner, the buyer should get the official title to the mobile home with the buyer's name and seller's name.   In at least one case, a park owner sold a mobile home to a new resident without ever providing the title, which we believe is illegal. Without a title, you cannot move or sell your mobile home. 
• If you have to move and want to relocate the mobile home to another park (costly), will the bully park owner refuse to approve any relocation and put barriers in place, so you end up abandoning the home so they get it?  We know of one BULLY park owner who prevented homeowners from getting estimates from a home mover to keep the homes in his park.  
• If you have to move and want to SELL your mobile home, will the park owner demand he approve any new tenant, but never does, so you end up abandoning the home so he can take it over.  
• If a park owner is an Attorney, they must follow certain ethical attorney guidelines.  We have documentation where one Attorney park owner may have apparently violated some Florida Attorney rules (being documented now).  In such cases, the homeowner could or should submit a complaint to the Florida BAR.  One unacceptable practice might be constant verbal (not written) threats to seniors about being sued if they say anything bad about the park owner.   
• If a park owner is planning to close a park for other uses (called a land-use change), they might take some questionable actions to prevent residents from moving their mobile homes or moving out until the end of a required 6-month eviction notice period in order to maintain cash flow.   Examples would be calling the police on a visiting mobile home mover who was asked by residents to give quotes on moving costs.  The cited reason is a solicitation, but that is not correct since the mover was invited in by a homeowner.   Another example is verbal threats (this really happened) to a homeowner that he would be sued if he moved his home without the approval of the park owner and the new site's park owner would be sued since a handwritten note in the prospectus said the resident had to get permission from the park owner to move.   This is bullying.  And the handwritten provision may be illegal since any revised prospectuses must be filed with the state.
• Uncertainty causes stress.  After a park owner issued an illegal eviction notice, one elderly resident stressed out, went into the hospital, and ran up a $20,000 bill.  The eviction notice was rescinded two weeks later.   Then the park owner made another stress-inducing statement at a City Council meeting he would evict tenants as soon as a land use change was approved by the State of Florida.  This uncertainty resulted in several owners moving out and giving the title of their homes to the park owner.  Then the owner had a third-party verbally tell some, not all, residents he would not evict them for another 6 months, causing more stress.  This notice should have been made in writing to ALL residents AND posted on the park's central bulletin board. It turned out the park owner could not get funding for his re-development project and the park and homes are still there five years later, but no compensation given to those who got stressed and moved out.
• Florida mobile home park regulations allow pass through taxes, like ad valorem taxes on the land, to be charged to the homeowners.  In the case we examined, the owner did so but did not provide any documentation of how he calculated the pass on cost (about $300/year).  In the case of an expected park closure, the park owner billed the tenants for the entire annual tax in a lump sum, apparently trying to collect a full year's payment rather than pro-rating the tax for the time in the park.  Owners should request the entire calculation of how the full tax bill was allocated to all homeowners.  Unethical park owners could include a portion of unrented space taxes to the total split among existing home owners, thus they are subsidizing vacant lots.
• Chapter 723 does not provide the ability of the Florida Division of Timeshares, Condos & Mobile Homes with criminal prosecution abilities or funding to do surprise field audits of borderline parks.  Without inclusion of definitions of criminal crimes like fraud, swindling, elder abuse, failure to adhere to statutes, harassment or abusive intimidation practices, the local police, and the Sheriff cannot take action and the Division has no authority to investigate and fine or jail those who do not adhere to the law.  Thus victims of BULLY park owners can only resort to Civil lawsuits by hiring expensive attorneys, but most low-income park residents cannot afford that. 
• State regulations require posting of the park "rules" in a public place.  We could not find them anywhere in our specific investigation, even with help of residents.  
• A park owner runs background checks on new residents who buy or move a mobile home into the park.   But if the park owner also OWNS some mobile homes and rents them, he should be required to run the same checks, but may not do so.  In one case, the park owner did not do that, and residents found the renter was a registered pedophile.  They complained enough that the park owner made the man move, but later, the park owner used the pedophile to visit residents and tell them verbally of changes, which caused more stress, especially among single women residents. This is bullying. 
• Prospectuses contain certain rules.  In one case they said homes could not be rented, and residents count on that to ensure only people with pride of homeownership move into the park and have a vested interest.   However, the park owner ignored that rule and rented out some homes he had obtained via abandonment, increasing the stress of other residents who owned their homes.

What Actions should a prospective Florida Mobile Home Buyer take to prevent the above situations caused by unethical BULLY mobile home park operators or prevent other mobile home living surprises?

• Consider buying a mobile home in a co-op mobile home park (also known as ROC's or Resident Owned Communities) where the homeowners actually own the park and self govern it. Since residents own the land, the cost is higher to purchase, but there is no lot rent that can go up without notice.  Here is one group, the Mid-FL ROC (Resident Owned Communities) with almost 20 ROC's in three Florida counties, Lake, Sumter & North Orange County.  READ their website at http://www.mid-fl-roc.com/index.html.   There is also the Florida wide Florida Residential Owned Communities site at https://www.flaroc.com/.   Seriously look into moving into one of them and not a owner-owned park where you pay a lot rent and could be subject to BULLY park owners.  However, you will be buying into the park, requiring a higher mortgage, but it doesn't go up like rent.  And, these co-ops rarely are sold to investors, since it would require all homeowners to agree to sell.
• Only buy in a park that has an active Homeowner's association and you talk to the officers to determine risks and ethics of the operator.  Also, ask them of the risk that the owner/operator of the park may sell the park or evict everyone to build something else on the park's land. And, look to see if they have a chapter of the Florida Mobile Home Owners Association there, which is a good sign (FMO.org).  Bully park owners will resist any formation of a Homeowners Association or FMO chapter to standup to bully tactics. If the company that owns the park is a chain with many parks, research their practices and if they state they plan to retain all parks and not sell them for investment profits which could result in evictions or higher rents. 
• Resist any offer to buy a mobile home from a private party who did not own and live in the home and whose name is not on the title.  They could be a straw seller for the park owner who took over the home using abandonment procedures and you may have problems trying to obtain legal title to the house.
• Consider only buying a manufactured home on land YOU will own.  The front end cost is higher, but you don't have rent or park operators to worry about. (That is what I did). But understand the property tax implications first.  Such homes are reclassified from a "vehicle" with only an annual license tag fee to a legal Home that is subject to property tax assessments and resulting taxes. 
• Insurance is HARD to find for older mobile homes so don't buy a manufactured home until you get a firm house insurance estimate. So, you either pay cash and go bare (no insurance) or get insurance from the Florida State pool for "high risk" homes, Citizens Insurance.  Your local insurance broker will know what to do.  Find one that focuses on mobile homes.  If you buy a mobile home where YOU own the land, that is different and different insurance may be available.  Every time Florida gets hit with a hurricane, homes get destroyed and insurance rates go up for several years.  Plan for that.  Here in January 2021, one investor said his mobile home insurance bill went up to $500.   Insurance firms can refuse to offer insurance for mobile homes built more than 25 years old.  Firms can only offer insurance for over 25-year homes that is higher.  
• DON'T buy on the Florida coasts without proof you can get insurance from a reputable company at a reasonable cost.  They are more vulnerable to hurricane damage and high insurance costs.  
• Ensure you know what utilities exist, who provides them and how much they cost.  Many mobile home parks have septic tanks and well water provided by the park owner.  Verify there are current water safety inspection reports. Drive around and ask neighbors about the condition of the water quality and septic tank conditions.  Do they trust the water quality (if from a well) enough to drink it?  Many older parks have failing water and septic systems and may not be safe. Ask residents if septics overflow and who pays to fix them (the park owner should do that, so verify) and then ask if a septic problem happens does the park owner quickly fix the problem. 
• Remember mobile homes are considered vehicles when on rented land, and there are no building inspections or standards for their construction.   Any mobile or manufactured home made before 1976 had poorer construction quality.  In Florida, tie-down systems to prevent rollovers during hurricanes are important, and the standards have improved over time.  There are no building permits to do work on older homes, so the work quality can be inept or very good.
• GET A FULL, DETAILED INSPECTION OF THE MOBILE HOME BY A QUALIFIED INSPECTOR to determine if electrical and plumbing work correctly and are safe.  This is very important.  I know examples of people who bought older homes without inspections (don't rely on one from the owner) and they later found walls full of mold, or holes in the floor from water damage, or illegal house wiring provided by the former owner that could have electrocuted them. 
• Before paying for a home, request:
  • The prospectus (lease) for the home and ensure it is NOT a "market rate" lease where the park operator can increase lot rent anytime claiming "market rates. We have been told of rates going up 12% a year.  Instead request a lease where the rents can only go up based upon a reasonable, common rate such as CPI. We were told by insiders that some parks have two leases. The gullible home buyers get the market rate lease, and the ones who inspect the leases and demand a CPI-based lease get that version.  
  • To see the TITLE for the mobile home in the name of the SELLER you are buying from or Park operator.  Mobile homes on rented lots are considered a vehicle like a car and regulated by the DMV, If they say "I will give it to you later", don't do it.  Without a CLEAR title, you can't sell it, insure it, move it, etc.  We know of homeowners who keep asking for their title from the park owner who sold the home to them and never get it.  That could be because they took the home over when a renter left and never paid the taxes to register it (or other reasons).
  • To see the draft bill of sale you will get. Don't PAY for the home without getting a valid bill of sale with the name of the seller on it. 
  • To see the printed rules of the park, which should be also posted on a public bulletin board. For instance, the rules may prohibit certain pets, and you don't know it, then are later threatened for eviction for having such pets. 
  • Verify in writing any amenities you expect like a pool, etc. in case they later close it. Insist a partial reduction in rent be specified if a promised amenity like an exercise room is not provided after you move in (which really happened to one couple who needed the promised exercise room and machines to maintain health).
  • Information on how the purchase price will be paid. If they request cash only, that is a red flag where they may be trying to avoid tax reporting.  If you pay cash, make sure to get a detailed, written receipt specifying the home VIN with a date, the actual amount paid, and legible signature and name of the seller.  You want to verify you have actual ownership of the home. 
  • Get written details on how, when and where lot rent is to be paid, details on late fees, etc.  Do not pay lot rent in cash. There have been instances where staff or relatives collect cash only rent, then report only part of it to the actual owner, and the homeowner gets billed for the "missing amount" and late fees, or even eviction notices. Or, the park owner only reports part of the cash as income to escape tax liabilities.  Walk away from such operators. 
  • Obtain a printed copy of all fees, including documentation of any pass-through fees like an allocation for property taxes, utilities, etc.  You don't want to be surprised with inconsistent or arbitrary fees.  Get a copy of how property taxes are calculated including seeing the original County or City tax bill to verify you are not being overcharged. You can usually look up those property tax bills on the County Property Appraiser or County Tax Collector website.

• Consider joining the Federation of Manufactured Homeowners (https://fmo.org/) for $25/year.  Support them because they are the only group monitoring Florida legislation and other issues that may affect your mobile home ownership.

As we said, probably 90-95% of mobile home park operators are honest and respectful of lot renters, but the other 5-10% should be detected and avoided until the Florida legislature enacts reforms of Chapter 723 to prevent and penalize the above practices. 

What needs to be improved in Florida regulations Chapter 723 over Mobile Homes

• It is time Florida moved from being a HUCKSTER state that permits bully practices like described above and the Florida Legislature needs to stand up to lobbyists and reform Chapter 723 to define criminal practices and prohibit and penalize mobile home park bullies for the above practices. 
• A Complete Florida State Guide to Mobile Home Owner Rights and Responsibilities is Needed:  We have not been able to find a publication on mobile homeowner rights and where to complain.  Smart ones can track down the Chapter 723 regulations and some FAQ's on a website, but there is no consumer-oriented central publication and it is needed.   Regulations should also require the guide to be attached to the prospectus when given to the resident, and the prospectus should contain a statement where to find updated guides.  The guide should also describe park owner actions that are prohibited, including:
  • Verbal harassment without written notices.  
  • The requirement to process any prospectus revisions properly and not handwrite them.
  • Requirements that the park owner publish rules as specified and a fine if not done.
• Mobile Home Tie-Down Standards varied by year:  (Added July 1, 2019) . Sellers of new or old mobile homeowners should be required to provide written notification on tie-down standards, which year standards were used for the home, and include a mandated inspection of leveling status and tie-down safety by a licensed mobile home installer and an estimate of costs to update them to current standards.  We don't think upgrades should be mandatory, but buyers should be formally notified of the cost for upgrading before closing a purchase of a mobile home.  Make sure you understand which "tie-down" standards were used to hold the mobile home down to the ground. Earlier tie-down standards were not strong enough to prevent hurricanes, tornados or high winds from flipping or raising mobile homes, especially singe wides.  Have the tie downs inspected for possible upgrading. In some situations, old support "piers" for homes sank into the ground, causing the home to sag, perhaps on the outer walls, so have it inspected by a Florida Licensed Mobile Home Installer. Even the method of bolting carports to driveways varied and earlier ones could be ripped out by high winds.  Here is a FL state brochure with the name of a firm that checks foundation levels in Lake County, FL.
  • https://www.facebook.com/onthelevelbuildingchriscubberly/photos/fpp.2020797788019307/2073415162757569/?type=3&theater  
  • Check the Florida mobile home tie-down standards at the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website. 
  • Here is a 2009 article I wrote about mobile home tie down damage by tornados.  City and County code departments have NO requirement to upgrade tie-downs to current standards or to notify owners of better tie-down methods, thus many buyers of older homes don't know their home is more susceptible to wind damage due to lower tie-down standards.  
  • If you buy a mobile home, I seriously recommend that as part of escrow, you require an inspection of tie-down and leveling issues by a Florida Licensed Mobile Home Installer. Also, of course, you need to mandate you will not close the purchase until your personally selected mobile home inspectors checks out the house (including under the house) for all issues, and you negotiate who pays for the fixes needed.
• New regulations are needed to protect the equity of mobile homeowners due to the high cost of moving homes.  If they end up in a park owned by a predatory bully, they face substantial moving costs, perhaps more than the home is worth, to move it.   Park owners should have no ability to prohibit an owner moving their home out of the park or getting estimates from movers.  Movers should be required to report any attempt by a park owner to BULLY them not to move a home (which has happened). 
• Many Florida mobile homes have individual or group septic tank systems.  The seller should provide an inspection and certification of a pump-out before closing the sale of a home. The buyer should also be provided an estimate of the costs of five-year inspections and pump-outs. A certified septic tank provider should provide the inspection report.  (Note: When I bought my used 1985 double-wide in 2006, I had no clue it had a septic tank at all since I had always lived in places with city sanitation connections.  I did have a city water connection, but not a sewer connection. )  Newer homes of all types with septic tanks in some environmentally sensitive areas are required to have inspections and pump-outs if needed every five years. 
• Florida prohibits moving mobile homes made earlier than 1985 due to weaker construction and hurricane tie-down standards (This needs to be verified - one mover said that is not an issue, but moving cost may be more than an older home is worth).   There needs to be a clear waiver to allow moving older homes when evictions are issued for any reason or the homeowner has cause to suspect the park owner is shutting down the park or practicing other abusive methods.  However, older homes may be worth less than $10,000 when moving the home could cost $6-10,000 which leads to owners "abandoning" the homes which are then usually transferred via abandonment procedures to the mobile home park owner as their property. We know of two instances where owners were so mad at a BULLY park owner they paid to have their home destroyed so the park owner could not flip it.  
• Some park owners can profit substantially by converting the land use and evicting residents so the land can be used for other development purposes.   Recently, some mobile home parks were sold in 2020 to investors for $180,000 per lot, indicating there is a lot of profit to share with tenants. In such cases, where they stand to profit there should be a cost-sharing requirement that the owner pays the market value for the home or full cost to move a resident's home directly.   If the park owner actually processes a land-use change and issues the required six-month eviction notice, that action, not park closure, should trigger the immediate relocation payments to the homeowners and they should not have to wait six months or be threatened with paying lot rent for a year.   Another method might be a 50-100% discount on the space rent for a six month period (with or without formal evictions) until the park is formally closed.  

References:

You can download the entire listing of ALL Mobile Home Parks in Florida HERE.  Oops - doesn't work - I am searching for another source. Updated Jan 15, 2021.

The Florida State Division responsible for regulating mobile homes (following FL Statute 723 - below) is Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares, and Mobile Homes, 2601 Blair Stone Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1030  (Telephone: 850-488-1122). 

Complaints: You can get the form for filing a complaint related to mobile home park operations HERE:  

http://www.myfloridalicense.com/dbpr/lsc/documents/mobilehomecomplaintform.pdf  

Florida Statute 723, the Florida Mobile Home Act, governs the operation of mobile home parks and owners.

Florida list of licensed mobile home installers.   

The Florida Dept. of Health also has a statute in chapter 513 governing health issues in Mobile Home parks and recreation facilities like RV parks.  "CHAPTER 513 - MOBILE HOME AND RECREATIONAL VEHICLE PARKS (2010 version - check for updated versions)"

Florida Mobile Home Parks are subject to Florida Dept. of Health inspections for water and sanitary health. Most parks use septic tanks and well water, so if they don't work or are not safe, you can complain to the local County office of the FL Dept. of Health.

Mobile homes, lodging and recreational vehicle parks, and recreational camps are licensed annually by the Department of Health through Florida's 67 County Health Departments, in accordance with Chapter 64E-15, Florida Administrative Code (<1 Mb PDF). The County Health Departments provide direct services in the operational aspect of the program through routine inspections, plan reviews, educational programs, and enforcement actions. If you would like any information on parks and camps, including how to open one, contact your County Health Department. 

I know of three residents in one mobile home park that filed a complaint about a mobile park owner who failed to fix leaking septic tank pipes, which overflowed on their lawns.

- You can read all about their inspections HERE. 

- You can look up their inspection status HERE, by county, park name, etc. For example, 

The Federal Dept. of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) has a page with federal rules related to Mobile Homes:  https://www.hud.gov/states/florida/homeownership/mobilehomes  

Mobile Home tie-down standards for older homes - an article I wrote in 2009 about wind damage risk after some local tornados damaged some mobile homes. 

June 1, 2019 - Generic Daily Commercial article by Don Magruder on how mobile home standards have improved over the years.

Details on Specific Florida Mobile Home Parks

In 2018, the long time family owner of the older Sharp's Mobile Home Park in Eustis, FL decided to sell out to a developer, which meant all the owners of homes would be evicted once the sale was near completion.  After numerous hearings, complaints, and funding failures by the developer, the sale was canceled.  The park was then sold to another owner who promised to upgrade the park and retain the tenants.  But these articles offer a fascinating overview of the risks of owning older (1950-1970) homes in a park. Starting from the first hearing to the halt of the project to the new buyer who plans to re-invest in the existing park. (Update Oct. 2020 - no improvements have been made by the new owner as promised.)

Mar. 16, 2018 - Eustis City Council announces plan after hearing.

Mar. 22, 2018 - "Eustis Lake Club: A boon to the city but with a price"  

Mar. 22, 2018 - Daily Commercial photo gallery of Sharp's Mobile Home Park    

Mar. 22, 2019 - Daily Commercial article about Facebook comments on Sharp's Mobile Home Park 

Mar. 24, 2019 - Daily Commercial: "Our Opinion: Eustis must take care of mobile park residents"

Jul.  8, 2019 - "Eustis mobile home park residents wait for word on eviction"   

Jul. 13, 2019 - "Facebook Forum: What you’re saying on social media"  

Jul. 20, 2019 - Daily Commercial: "Eustis Lake Club project gets tentative approval"   

Aug. 4, 2019 - "Remaining Eustis mobile home residents seek help"  

Aug. 12, 2019 - Daily Commercial Opinion:  "Our Opinion: Time for Eustis to step up for Sharp’s residents"  

Aug. 16, 2019 - "Plans for Eustis development on hold over funding"  

Sep. 7, 2019 - "Sharp’s in Eustis to remain a mobile home park"  

Dec. 4, 2018 - "Developer wants to revive Sharp’s Mobile Park"  

2016 - Evictions of mobile homeowners in a Mobile Home Park in Tavares, FL

The owner, decided in late 2015 to evict residents of this small,  older park in order to re-develop the land. I have audio or video recordings of him twice appearing at the Tavares City Council explaining his project and asking for the park to be annexed into Tavares in order to get city water and sewer lines. At one Council hearing, residents complained about early evictions and they were retracted. At a later hearing (on video) the park owner, Tamburro said he would definitely evict them but did not apparently reach the point where mass, legal evictions were sent out.  The project, however, ended up falling through for unknown reasons, and below is a link to an article from the Daily Commercial about the situation and where the owner refused to talk to the reporter. Many tenants vacated early and lost their homes to the park owner. The owner subsequently did not follow through with the land change and the park is still there (2024). BUT, many lot renters from 2015 who received the early eviction notices moved out early and abandoned their homes to the park owner, which were later rented out or sold by him. I have pictures of five of them with for sale signs, plus a for sale ad for one of them. All those that abandoned their homes, to my knowledge, lost all their equity.  One resident did persist and sold his daughter's home to another unknowing resident.  

• • Daily Commercial - Feb. 5, 2016 - "Seniors nervously await word of eviction from the mobile home park"   

2020 - Another mobile home park in Tavares, FL, Palm Gardens, was purchased by a new owner who is evicting tenants (I have two of them on video), destroying some of the old mobile homes after evictions, and installing pads for renting to RV's. Even though a manager at the Florida Division of Timeshares, Condos, and Mobile Homes told me that conversion of the lots from a mobile home lot to an RV rental lots is a land-use change that should trigger a formal land-use change process with six-month eviction notices and eligibility for relocation costs for tenants. The new park owner has not filed for that process, evicting one tenant at a time. So far, I have details from four of them that have been evicted.  Residents created a Facebook Group with over 40 members to share information on the issue at.  However, the affected residents, who moved out and lost all their home equity, refused to be interviewed.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/239503480528941. 

Unless Palm Gardens residents file formal complaints about the evictions with the DTCMH, they won't qualify for the longer eviction notice or relocation payments and will lose most or all equity in their homes. Although there are 90 rental lots in the park, they do not have a homeowner's association or chapter of the Federation of Mobile Home Owners (FMO) to help protect their interests.

2020 - Another older mobile home park in Lake County, FL is said to be undergoing a similar "change" where individual mobile homeowners are being evicted for various reasons so the park owners can install "Tiny Homes" to rent out. I have only second party information at this time, but I was told one evicted owner was so stressed about being homeless, he committed suicide. (This needs verification). I did visit this park later, and it clearly had upgraded tiny homes.

Why is this happening?  Some instances may be due to just the lack of ethics and humanity of some park owners, but another possible cause is numerous YouTube video presenters offering videos on mobile home investing and also how to buy mobile home parks and "make a killing".  They may actually be teaching potential investors these bully techniques.  More research is needed and more reforms in Florida legislation are needed. 

Vance Jochim - Reporter & Editor

FiscalRangers.com

[email protected] 

Retired Fortune 500 Certified Internal Auditor, Certified Fraud Examiner, and anti-corruption consultant for the US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq (2004-2006).

This document is the personal opinion of Vance Jochim based upon many documented sources from 2015 to 2024.

Vance Jochim [email protected] YouTube Channel "FiscalRangersFlorida"