questions & answers

Question: I've owned my mobile home for 6 years now and the new owners of the mobile home park are now asking me to pay 100$ non refundable deposit for my dogs. Can this legally be done? I not renting any kind of structure, just the plot of dirt. Please advise

Answer: The question of whether you are renting a mobile home or a mobile home space matters less than the question of whether the new owners can show that a nonrefundable pet fee – applied evenly to dog-owners across the park – is a reasonable means of covering the actual or potential cost related to having dogs live in the park. An even more important issue for a current long-term resident of the park such as yourself is whether you have an existing rental agreement with the former owners of the park. The reason why this is important is because new owners are required to honor existing agreements between tenants and former owners, so, as a general rule, until an agreement comes up for renewal, the new owners cannot charge a new fee without the tenant’s approval.