When you own your home but rent the lot it sits on, maintenance responsibilities are divided between you and the park. Understanding where the park's duties end and yours begin can prevent disputes, protect you legally, and help you recognize when the park is failing its obligations. The exact division is set by your lot lease and by state law, and both matter.
The Basic Split: Park Owns the Land, You Own the Home
The defining feature of a mobile home park is that you typically own your manufactured home but rent the lot—the piece of land the home sits on. This split creates a divided maintenance responsibility: the park is generally responsible for the land, infrastructure, and common areas it controls, while you are responsible for your own home and usually for the immediate condition of your individual lot.
Your lot lease is the starting point. It should describe what the park is obligated to maintain, what you are required to maintain, and what condition standards apply to each. Many state manufactured home park acts add a floor of minimum landlord duties that the lease cannot eliminate or shift to residents.
What the Park Is Typically Responsible For
State park statutes and common lease terms usually assign the park responsibility for:
Roads and driveways within the park—including paving or grading, lighting, and drainage to keep them passable and reasonably safe for vehicles and pedestrians.
Common areas—clubhouses, laundry facilities, playgrounds, pools, and other shared amenities the park makes available to residents.
Utility infrastructure the park owns—water mains, sewer lines, electrical distribution systems, and gas lines up to the connection point at your home or lot pad.
Drainage and stormwater management—keeping the park graded and drained so water does not flood individual lots or damage homes.
Trees in common areas and on park-controlled property—trimming, removal of hazard trees, and liability for known dangerous trees in areas the park controls.
Common-area lighting along roads and in shared spaces.
Trash or recycling facilities the park provides as part of the tenancy agreement.
Many state manufactured home park acts also require parks to maintain the property in a condition that does not endanger residents' health or safety. If the park's infrastructure is in disrepair that creates a hazard, that is a landlord obligation the park generally cannot disclaim in the lease.
What You Are Typically Responsible For
As the homeowner, you generally bear responsibility for:
Your manufactured home itself—structural integrity, roof, windows, interior plumbing and electrical systems, heating, and appliances.
Your lot's immediate condition—mowing, groundcover or landscaping, and keeping the lot free of debris, junk vehicles, and other items prohibited by park rules.
Skirting—the panel system that encloses the space beneath your home. Park rules commonly require skirting to be maintained in good repair and appearance.
Porches, decks, and additions you have added to the home, unless the park installed them as part of the original rental arrangement.
The utility connection from the pad or hookup to your home—the precise boundary between park-owned infrastructure and resident-owned connections should be spelled out in your lease.
Trees: A Frequent Source of Dispute
Tree responsibility is contested more often than almost any other maintenance question. A large tree on your lot that falls on your home during a storm, or whose roots damage your sewer connection, raises the question of who should have maintained or removed it.
The general rule: trees in common areas or on park-controlled property are the park's responsibility. Trees on your individual lot may be assigned to you under the lease, even if the park originally planted them. If the park failed to remove a known hazard tree in a common area and it damages your home, the park may be liable for your losses.
The answer in any specific case depends on your lease, the precise location of the tree, and your state's law. If you believe a tree poses a hazard, document your concern in writing, notify the park in writing, and keep a copy of your notice. This creates a record that the park knew of the risk.
Drainage and Water Intrusion
If poor grading or drainage across the park causes water to flood your lot or damage your home, that is generally the park's problem to correct. Many state park acts require the park to maintain the property in a way that does not create avoidable flooding or drainage hazards that affect individual lots. However, if the problem originates from something on your lot—a blocked drain you are responsible for, skirting failure that lets water pool under your home—the responsibility may be yours.
Document flooding events with dated photographs. Notify the park in writing promptly after each event and keep your copies.
What Happens When the Lease and State Law Conflict
A park lease may attempt to shift maintenance duties onto residents that state law assigns to the park. Many state manufactured home park acts set minimum obligations for park landlords that cannot be contracted away. If your lease says you are responsible for road maintenance or drainage that the state act assigns to the park, the state law may override the lease provision. Check your state's manufactured home park act for the baseline duties that apply regardless of what the lease says.
When the Park Fails Its Maintenance Duties
If the park is not maintaining common areas, roads, or infrastructure as required by your lease or state law, you typically have several options:
Written notice to the park. Put your complaint in writing, describe the specific condition that needs repair, and give the park a reasonable time to address it. This creates a paper trail that is essential if you later need to escalate.
Complaint to the state manufactured-housing agency. Many states have a division or agency that oversees manufactured home parks and can investigate maintenance violations and issue compliance orders.
Local code enforcement. Road conditions, drainage failures, and structural hazards may also fall under local building or housing codes. Your city or county code enforcement office may inspect and issue an order requiring the park to make repairs.
Legal remedies. Depending on your state, available remedies may include rent withholding, repair-and-deduct rights, or a damages lawsuit. These options carry strict procedural requirements. Consult a licensed attorney before withholding rent—doing it improperly can give the park grounds to pursue eviction.
What You Can Do
Read your lease carefully. Find the sections describing what the park must maintain and what you must maintain, including any condition standards the park requires you to meet.
Look up your state's manufactured home park act. State law sets minimum park maintenance obligations that a lease cannot take away from you.
Document problems in writing. Send maintenance requests to the park by email or certified mail so you have a dated record. Follow up in writing if repairs are not made within a reasonable time.
Photograph conditions with timestamps. Images of road damage, flooding, failed utility connections, and common-area neglect are important evidence if a dispute reaches an agency or court.
Contact the right agency. Look up your state's manufactured-housing division or local code enforcement office to find where to direct a maintenance complaint in your jurisdiction.
This article is general legal information, not legal advice. Maintenance responsibilities in mobile home parks are defined by your specific lot lease and your state's manufactured home park statute, both of which vary. Consult a licensed attorney in your state for advice about your particular situation.
Check your state and local law
Landlord-tenant rules vary significantly from state to state — security-deposit caps, return deadlines, notice periods, and eviction procedures all differ. This article explains the general principles; for the rules that actually apply to you, look up your own state's law.
Local ordinances may apply. Your city or county may add protections — such as rent control, just-cause eviction, rental registration, or stricter housing codes — beyond state law. Check your local city or county ordinances too. This is general legal information, not legal advice.
Tree responsibility depends on your lease and your state's park law. Trees in park-controlled common areas are typically the park's responsibility. Trees on your individual lot may be yours under the lease even if the park originally planted them. Document any hazard tree in writing and notify the park to create a record.
What can I do if the park refuses to fix a road or drainage problem?
Put your complaint in writing first and give the park a reasonable time to respond. If the park does not act, file a complaint with your state's manufactured-housing agency or local code enforcement, both of which may inspect the property and issue a violation order requiring repairs.
Does the park have to maintain the utilities running to my home?
Generally the park is responsible for utility infrastructure it owns up to the connection point at your lot or home. Where that boundary falls should be specified in your lease. Beyond that point, maintenance is typically your responsibility. Check your lease and your state's park act for the exact boundary.
Can a lease shift all maintenance responsibility to me?
Many state manufactured home park acts set minimum maintenance duties for park landlords that leases cannot override. A park cannot simply disclaim all responsibility for roads, drainage, or common-area infrastructure through lease language. Check your state's park act for the minimum duties that apply regardless of what the lease says.
Who is responsible if a park-area tree falls on my home?
If the tree was in a park-controlled common area and the park knew or should have known it was hazardous, the park may be liable for damages. If it was on your lot, responsibility may fall on you. This is fact-specific and varies by state—document the incident and consult a licensed attorney if you have suffered significant damage.
This article is general legal information, not legal advice, and may not reflect the most current law or the law in your jurisdiction. Laws vary by state and change over time. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney.
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