Ground lease (lot lease)
A lease of the land a manufactured home sits on, separate from ownership of the home itself; the basis of most lot tenancies.
Published May 31, 2026
A ground lease, also called a lot lease, is a lease of the land a manufactured home sits on, separate from ownership of the home itself. It is the arrangement at the heart of most manufactured-home community living: the resident owns the home but leases the ground beneath it.
This separation is what makes manufactured-home lot tenancies distinctive. Because the resident owns a home on land they do not own, a whole body of manufactured-housing law exists to govern the relationship — covering rent, notice, and the grounds on which a tenancy can end. The terms of the specific arrangement live in the lot rental agreement and, where required, the prospectus.
A ground lease keeps the home as personal property in most cases, because the home is not permanently merged with land the resident owns. That contrasts with a home that has been permanently affixed to the owner's own land.
This is general information, not legal advice.