This guide discusses the rights and protections provided by Maine law to residents of a mobile home park.
Mobile Home Parks downloadables
Rights of Residents of Mobile Home Parks
- Overview
Maine is home to hundreds of mobile home parks, also called manufactured housing communities.[i] Many park residents own their homes but rent lots from the park owner. Maine law provides specific rights and protections for you as a resident of a mobile home park, in some cases beyond those provided to tenants generally.
[i] A “manufactured housing community” is a parcel or adjoining parcel of land under single ownership that has been planned and improved for the placement of 3 or more manufactured homes. A “mobile home park” is a parcel of land under single or common ownership or control which contains or is designed, laid out or adapted to accommodate 2 or more mobile homes.
- Mobile Home Warranties
Implied Warranty of Merchantability
When you are sold a new or used mobile home by a merchant, it automatically comes with the Implied Warranty of Merchantability, which is a promise that the mobile home is fit for its ordinary use. This warranty cannot be disclaimed or limited. Please refer to our warranties guide for a detailed discussion of the Implied Warranty of Merchantability.
Workmanship and Installation Warranty
When sold and installed in Maine, a new mobile home automatically comes with 1-year workmanship and installation warranties. Both the manufacturer and the seller must certify in writing at the time of sale that the home is free from any substantial defects in materials or workmanship,[i] and at the time of installation the installer of a mobile home must promise in writing that the installation is free from any substantial defects.[ii] As with any warranty, there is a notice requirement: you must notify the manufacturer, dealer, and/or installer of the substantial defect within 1 year plus 10 days of the delivery or installation. A waiver of either warranty by you is unenforceable and void. Any violation of these warranty requirements is an unfair trade practice. For a discussion of remedies available to consumers under the Maine Unfair Trade Practices Act, please refer to our guide on unfair trade practices.
Manufacturer Warranties
Mobile homes may also come with manufacturer warranties in addition to those required by law. These are express promises from a manufacturer, and you must comply with their terms and conditions, including those relating to notice.
- Implied Warranty and Covenant of Habitability
The Implied Warranty and Covenant of Habitability applies to the rented areas of a mobile home park. If you rent both your home and the lot, you have the same rights and remedies as you would of any rental housing, as discussed in our tenant’s guide. If you own your home and rent the lot, these rights and remedies are limited to the lot.
- Rent and Fees
Unless provided for in the original lease, a park owner may not charge you any fees other than for rent, utilities, reasonable incidental service charges, entrance fees, and security deposits. If you are moving into a mobile home that is already in the park, entrance fees are capped at twice the monthly rent. Security deposits are capped at 3 months’ rent and they must accrue interest. Otherwise, the requirements for holding and returning (or retaining) a security deposit are the same as for tenants at will, as discussed in our tenant’s guide.
Fee increases (including rent increases) require 90 days’ notice.[i] If the increase is large enough, and 51% of residents agree to it, they can require the park owner to enter mediation with them about the increase. The park owner must pay all costs of the mediation. If a park owner acts in bad faith with respect to the mediation, the increase is delayed for another 6 months. Changes in rent must apply uniformly to all tenants. As of 2026, some municipalities in Maine have adopted rent stabilizations ordinances or freezes on rent increases at mobile home parks.
[i] 10 M.R.S. § 9093-B.
- Park Rules
A park owner may adopt rules governing the conduct of tenants to preserve the order and peace of the mobile home park. A written copy of the rules must be provided to you before entering into a rental agreement. Rules cannot be unreasonable, unfair, or unconscionable, and they must apply uniformly to all tenants. Rules that do not comply with these requirements are void and unenforceable. Changes to rules require 30 days’ written notice. The rules must clearly describe the standards under which the park owner may require you to remove a mobile home from a park.[i] The age of a mobile home cannot by itself be a sufficient reason to require removal.
[i] 10 M.R.S. § 9094(2).
- Change in Use
You are entitled to 1 year’s written notice of a change in use at the park.[i] A change in use includes a decision by the park owner to redevelop the property and/or to cease operating the property as a mobile home park.
[i] 10 M.R.S. § 9097(1)(F).
- Residents’ Right to Purchase their Park
If a park owner decides to sell the park, they must provide notice to every owner of a home in the park. The notice must include the following:
- That the homeowners have the right to purchase the park and that they can make an offer within 60 days;[i]
- The price, terms, and conditions of the sale;
- The price, terms, and conditions of each park that is being sold, if the park is being sold as one part of a package of multiple properties.
If residents make an offer that matches the price and has largely equivalent terms to another offer the park owner is considering, then the park owner must accept the residents’ offer. The park owner may not reject an offer solely based on the inclusion of a financing contingency in the residents’ offer. Additionally, the park owner cannot require a non-refundable deposit as a condition of acceptance. The residents must obtain appropriate financing and a commercially reasonable time to close on the sale within 90 days from acceptance.
This right to purchase can be enforced by residents in court, and a violation of these requirements by the park owner is an unfair trade practice.
[i] 10 M.R.S. § 9094-A.
- Selling a Mobile Home
A park owner may not unreasonably interfere with or discourage your attempt to sell your home in the park.[i] This includes restrictions on reasonable advertising for sale of a home. A park owner cannot require you to designate them as your agent for the sale of your home. If you do choose to have the park owner as your agent, it must be a written contract and the park owner may charge a commission or fee on the sale.[ii]
- Evictions
For Cause Evictions
Tenants at mobile home parks who own their homes are not tenants at will.
If a park owner seeks to evict you, it must be for one of the following reasons:[i]
- Nonpayment of rent;
- Damage by you other than reasonable wear and tear; or
- Non-compliance with park rules.
If the reason for the eviction is nonpayment of rent or violation of park rules, then you can prevent eviction by paying back rent or bringing yourself into compliance with the rules unless there are 3 or more violations within a 12-month period.
Written Notice Required
If you own your mobile home, the park owner must provide 45 days’ written notice, unless the eviction is for nonpayment of rent, which requires 30 days’ written notice. The notice must include the reason the owner is seeking to evict you. If you are to be evicted because of a change in use of the park, then 1 year’s notice is required.
Retaliatory Evictions are Illegal
A tenancy at a mobile home park cannot be terminated in retaliation for your participation in an organization concerned with landlord-tenant relationships or the assertion of any tenant rights.
Court Order Required
You cannot be removed from a mobile home park without a court ordered eviction. The required notice from the park owner is not a court order, and you are not required to leave the park unless and until a court has ordered you to and a writ of possession has been served by the sheriff. The legal proceeding for eviction at a mobile home park is known as Forcible Entry and Detainer and is discussed in more detail in our tenant’s guide (https://maine.gov/ag/consumer-protection/consumer-help-topics/housing/tenant-rights).
Removal of Mobile Homes After Eviction
If a park owner obtains a court ordered eviction, they must send written notice to you and any lienholder, if known, of their intent to remove your mobile home.[ii] You and/or the lienholder then have 14 days to respond to the notice and an additional 21 days to remove the mobile home. If weather or posted road conditions prevent removal of the mobile home, the park owner must allow additional time but may charge for additional costs incurred due to the delay.
If you and/or the lienholder do not claim the mobile home within 14 days of the written notice, or if the mobile home is not removed after claiming ownership within the required time, the park owner may:
- Condition the release of the home on payment of all overdue rent, damages, legal fees, and costs of storage;
- Sell the home for a reasonable fair market price and apply the proceeds of sale to overdue rent, damages, costs of storage, marketing expenses, legal fees, and outstanding taxes, with any balance being sent to you and/or the lienholder; and/or
- Dispose of the home if it has no reasonable fair market value.
- Illegal Agreements
For tenancies at mobile home park, there are several agreements or provisions that are illegal and unenforceable, including:
- Any agreement that has the effect of you giving up your rights.
- Any agreement in which you waive the protections of the Implied Warranty and Covenant of Habitability unless there is a stated reduction in rent or other specified fair consideration.
- Any provision that absolves the park owner from liability for the negligence of the park owner or their agent.
- Any agreement that requires you to pay the landlord’s legal fees in enforcing the lease or tenancy at will agreement.
- Any agreement that requires you to use your property, including your mobile home, as security for rent or other sums due to the park owner.
- Any agreement that requires you to acknowledge that the terms of the tenancy, including tenant rules, are fair and reasonable.
- Any agreement to pay a late fee that is not in writing and that exceeds 4% of one month’s rent.
- Seeking Help
If you are worried about being evicted from the park, you can contact Pine Tree Legal Assistance by calling during their call-in hours or visiting them at their offices. Pine Tree has offices in Augusta (207-622-4731); Bangor (207-942-8241); Lewiston (207-784-1558); Machias (207-255-8656); Portland (207-774-8211); and Presque Isle (207-764-4349). It also provides legal services to members of the Wabanaki Nations and any other indigenous community residing in Maine through the Pine Tree Indigenous Peoples Unit, which can be contacted by calling 877-213-5630.
If you believe that a park owner is violating the law, you can contact the Consumer Protection Division of the Maine Attorney General’s Office by using our online complaint service or by calling the Consumer Line, (207) 626-8849, Monday through Thursday, 9am to 12pm. For more information on the Consumer Mediation Service or help in finding an attorney, please see our guide on how to resolve a consumer complaint.