Mobile Home Residents

This page includes helpful information on a variety of topics that may be of interest to mobile home park residents and mobile home owners. Please visit our homeowner resource page for information about financing, down payment assistance, and mobile home repair loans and services.

Resources on this page include information about:

• Vermont Statutes and Rules Protect Residents
• Forms for Buying or Selling a Mobile Home
• Rent to Own Agreements
• Mobile Home Retail Installment Disclosure
• Available Mobile Home Park Lots
• Installation and Set up of MH's
• Financial Assistance for Heating Fuel Tanks
• HUD Code for Manufactured Housing
• HUD Programs

  Vermont Statutes and Rules Protect Residents

Through a written lease and Vermont law, mobile home park residents are entitled to parks that are safe, clean, and habitable. This includes adequate and reliable utility services, safe electrical service, potable water and connection to a properly functioning septic system or sewer, safe roads, common areas, and facilities.

Mobile home park residents are also entitled to:

• A written lease that meets the requirements in the mobile home park law and is reasonable and fair
  • Notice on the Mobile Home Lot Lease Disclosure form if any lot(s) in the park are in a flood hazard area, attached as an addendum to any proposed or renewed lease (eff. 6/17/2024)
• A copy of your lease upon request
• Not be discriminated against in the rental of a lot and the purchase or rental of a mobile home
• Notice at least 60 days before any lot rent increase. Lot rent increases must be provided on the Department's form. 
• Dispute any lot rent increase that is more than the mediation threshold. For 2025 the mediation threshold is 5.4%
• Peaceful enjoyment of your home and the park
• Not have the park owner go on your lot except between the hours of 7 AM and 7 PM with 12 hours notice and only for the reasons allowed in the law (with some exceptions)
• Sell or rent your mobile home to someone else in place with the park owner's permission. The park owner can't unreasonably withhold permission
• Have your full security deposit returned within 14 days except for deductions allowed by law. Any deductions must be itemized in writing by the park owner
• Notice by Certified Mail before the park owner starts an eviction in court (in most cases)
• Not be evicted without cause, such as nonpayment of rent or substantial lease violation, and only by court order
• Proper notice of the park owner's intention to sell or close the park

Tenants who rent their mobile home are also protected by Vermont's landlord-tenant law: 9 V.S.A. Chapter 137. [Contact CVOEO Vermont Tenants for assistance.]

Assistance and Legal Services 

The Department contracts with the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) Mobile Home Program to assist mobile home park residents throughout Vermont. If you are experiencing any problems or have questions, call (802) 660-3455 ext. 204. Visit their website for more resources, including the Guide to Your Rights booklet. 

If you have received an eviction notice or any notice from the Court, get legal advice immediately. If you need help finding a lawyer, visit Vermont Law Help. 

Forms for Buying or Selling a Mobile Home

Mobile home owners are required to notify the park owner and town or city clerk at least 21 days before selling your mobile home and give them both a copy of the proposed (completed, but not signed) uniform mobile home bill of sale.

You must also give the buyer's name and address to the park owner by certified mail. If the park owner determines that the buyer does not qualify, you may not be able to sell the mobile home to that buyer.

A complete Vermont Property Transfer Tax Return will also be required in most cases. 

Uniform Mobile Home Bill of Sale Form:

PVR-2602C Vermont Mobile Home Uniform Bill of Sale (external link - Vermont Department of Taxes)

Or contact the Vermont Department of Taxes at (802) 828-2515

Property Transfer Tax Return, PT-172:

PT-172 Vermont Property Transfer Tax Return (external link - Vermont Department of Taxes)

Or contact the Vermont Department of Taxes at (802) 828-2515 

Vermont Property Tax Homestead Declaration:

Homestead Declaration (external link - Vermont Department of Taxes) 

Or contact Taxpayer Services at (802) 828-2865

 Rent to Own

Under Vermont law, a mobile home may be sold with a rent-to-own or lease-purchase agreement, but the buyer is still considered a tenant unless: 

1) the buyer and seller execute a Retail Installment Sales Contract that complies with 9 VSA Chapter 59; and

2) complete, execute, endorse, and file a Mobile Home Uniform Bill of Sale with the Town Clerk. 

Without both of these documents, the agreement is considered a residential lease, and the "buyer" is considered a renter and retains all of the rights and protections of Vermont landlord-tenant law and rental housing codes.

 Mobile Home Retail Installment Disclosure

Banking Bulletin #41:If you buy a mobile home from a retail seller, you may be eligible for a loan with a lower interest rate and less expensive financing costs, points, or fees from another lender. This bulletin provides guidance on the form, content, and timing of the disclosures required by 9 V.S.A. § 2603 and includes a model form of the Mobile Home Retail Installment Contract Disclosure required by 9 V.S.A. § 2603(e).

 Available Mobile Home Park Lots 

See which parks have available lots on the Department's list of nonprofit and cooperative (resident owned) communities or the annual Registry of Mobile Home Parks. You need the park owner's permission before buying or moving into a mobile home located in a park.

 Installation and Set up of MH's

All new manufactured homes set up in Vermont must be installed per U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations. As of May 1, 2016, this means they must be installed by a HUD licensed installer on an approved foundation and have been inspected by a qualified inspector before occupancy.In most cases, new MHs require a frost-protected concrete slab. Tie-downs and anchors are also required for new manufactured homes constructed since October 20th, 2008. The State of Vermont does not regulate the installation and set up of manufactured or mobile homes. However, it is still important to check with your town officials for any local requirements.

Financial Assistance for Heating Fuel Tanks

A spill or leak from a home heating fuel tank can cause an environmental hazard and cost thousands of dollars to clean up. Above ground home heating fuel tanks (AST's) are inspected every four years or when the tank is replaced or you change fuel providers. A tank that fails inspection may be "red tagged" or "yellow yagged". If your heating fuel tank is red tagged, no heating fuel will be allowed to be delivered to the tank until the tank is replaced or repaired.

The yellow tag provision is effective August 1, 2024 and allows for a more balanced and flexible approach to designating existing AST systems as noncompliant and managing fuel delivery prohibitions to such tanks. Note that all yellow tagged tanks automatically become red tagged on May 1st of every year.

The Residential AST Removal / Replacement Programoffers grants up to $3,000 for removal, replacement, or upgrade of AST's for eligible mobile home owners. It can also provide flood proofing (anchors / tie downs) assistance for your existing AST.

Contact the State's Waste Management and Prevention Division for information and income eligibility. 

 HUD Code for Manufactured Housing

Manufactured homes are built to pre-emptive federal standards of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These standards are referred to as the "HUD code."The State of Vermont does not regulate the construction or installation of manufactured or mobile homes. If you have a question or a problem related to the purchase or installation of a new manufactured home, contact HUD's Manufactured Housing Office or the Vermont Attorney General's Consumer Assistance Program. 

Under Vermont law, the terms mobile home and manufactured home are used interchangeably. 

 HUD Programs

State Administrative Agencies

• For issues related to new manufactured homes (i.e., cracks in walls or ceilings; centerline floor uneven, plumbing and electrical issues, etc.) but not including cosmetic issues or installation
• Administered by HUD for manufactured homes in Vermont
• May provide corrective action for safety-related defects that occurred during manufacturing
• Consumers should contact the retailer or manufacturer first

Dispute Resolution Program

• For defects in new manufactured homes (excluding cosmetic or contractual issues) or with the retailer, manufacturer, or installer that are reported within one year of installation
• Available to manufacturers, retailers, installers, and consumers in Vermont
• Administered by HUD for Vermont manufacturers, retailers, installers, and consumers
• Consumers should contact the retailer, manufacturer or installer first