This section of PALawHelp.org has information and resources about Mobile Homes & Manufactured Housing in Pennsylvania.
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Parks
Residents of manufactured home parks in Pennsylvania have special legal rights under the Manufactured Home Community Rights Act. This law protects residents of manufactured home parks—people who are buying or who already own their home and who rent space in a manufactured home park containing at least three manufactured homes. The law does not cover people who are renting a home in one of these communities. These people have rights under the Landlord and Tenant Act.
As a resident of a manufactured home park, you can be evicted only for the following reasons:
- Nonpayment of rent;
- Two or more violations of park rules within a six-month period; or
- The park is closed or the park land is changed to a different use.
To be evicted for nonpayment of rent, the park owner must notify you by certified or registered mail that an eviction case may be started in court unless you pay the unpaid rent within 20 days of getting the notice (or within 30 days if the notice is given on or after September 1 through March 31). If you pay the back rent but fall behind again within six months, the park may file an eviction case in court immediately.
To evict you for breaking park rules or for breaking part of the lease agreement, the park owner must first notify you by certified or registered mail of the violation. The owner can file an eviction case in court ONLY if you break park rules or the lease another time within a six-month period.
The park owner must get a court order to evict you. Even if the park owner gets a court order, you still have 10 days to appeal it to a higher court if you have a good reason (defense). The park owner cannot legally evict you in any other way, such as shutting off your utilities or padlocking your door.
Also, you cannot be evicted if your landlord is getting back at you for exercising your rights under the Manufactured Home Community Rights Act or any other legal right.
Click on a resource category listed below to see information related to that category.
Your Right as a Tenant to a Decent Home
This brochure from the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network describes the right of a tenant to a safe and sanitary home. When you rent a home, Pennsylvania law says that it must be a decent place to live. This right to a safe and sanitary home comes from a decision of the state Supreme Court. The court called this right the implied warranty of habitability. Your landlord is not required to provide you with a perfect place to live. But the landlord must make repairs necessary to keep your home in a safe, sanitary, and healthy condition, provided that you did not cause the damage and provided you are current on your rent when the problems develop.