The Basics
When you rent a mobile home (trailer) look for the same things as when you rent a house or an apartment. You should also think about these things . . . .
Checking the Place Out
- Mobile home tenants should make sure the trailer is anchored and skirted. This is both for safety and to save money. Strong winds can blow some trailers over. No skirting can mean huge heating bills.
- Carefully inspect the insulation. Also inspect the outside walls and roof.
Heating Bills
- The cost of heating is a major concern when renting a trailer. You should ask to see utility bills from prior months to make sure you can afford it.
- You can also get a written promise from the landlord that he will pay bills if they go over a certain amount.
- You should also ask which utilities will be covered by the landlord. Find out how much the landlord will charge to have certain services installed.
Lot Rent
- Many people own their trailer and rent the lot where it sits.
- Some trailer courts have only month-to-month rentals. This means a landlord can ask you to leave with only a month's notice. You must then remove your trailer from the lot.
- The landlord may have a personal reason for asking you to leave. He can do this as long as it is not because of your race, religion or sex.
- To avoid this, you may wish to go where you can get a longer lease.
Most of the laws making landlords do certain things do not apply to mobile homes.
Your landlord must still return any deposit if you have not caused damage and have paid all your rent. But, there are no time limits for this return when it comes to mobile home landlords.
Lot Rent vs. Trailer Rent
When renting a trailer, you may have two different landlords. One is for the rental of the trailer itself. The other is for the rental of the lot where the trailer sits.
- Learn about each landlord and compare their leases. This will help you spot any problems between the two leases.
- For instance, in an area where lots are scarce or your trailer cannot be easily moved, it might be foolish to sign a one year lease for a trailer, but rent land month-to-month.
- If the lot landlord evicts, you will still have to pay the trailer rent even if you cannot live there or have no place to put the trailer.
Before you Rent
- Before you agree to rent, make sure to get a copy and read all rules of the trailer court where you'll be living.
- Inspect the trailer court.
- Learn as much about your landlord as you can.
- Make sure you can live with everything you find out before you sign a lease.
What If The Trailer Is Wrecked?
- In your lease include a clause about what happens if the trailer is wrecked.
- It should say that if the trailer gets wrecked or is not fit to live in the lease is over.
- It should say that you will owe no future rents.
- It should also say that any prepaid rent or deposits will be given back to you.
If you damage the trailer, you will have to pay for it. You should not have to pay for things that are not your fault. You should not have to live in an unsafe trailer.
