Buying a mobile home in Alabama

Alabama has no dedicated mobile home park act, so a buyer's protections come mainly from the written lease, the park's rules, and general law rather than from mobile-home-specific statutes. The information below describes how the law generally works; anyone buying should consider consulting a licensed attorney in Alabama.

What the statute says

Alabama has no mobile-home-park statute requiring pre-sale disclosure, limiting buyer approval, or guaranteeing a buyer the right to take over the seller's lot. Where the Alabama Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act governs a covered tenancy, it caps the security deposit at "one month's periodic rent," with exceptions for pets, premises changes, and added liability risk (Ala. Code §35-9A-201(a)), and requires the landlord to keep the premises habitable (§35-9A-204). But the Act is built around the rental of a "dwelling unit" (§35-9A-141(4)) and does not regulate the sale or transfer of a resident-owned home. The home itself is titled by the Alabama Department of Revenue under the certificate-of-title law (Ala. Code Title 32, Chapter 20) and built to the federal HUD code, with installation overseen by the Alabama Manufactured Housing Commission.

How it works in general

A buyer in an Alabama park is largely on their own as a matter of statute: there's no required disclosure statement, no limit on how a park screens a buyer, and no guaranteed right to take over the seller's lot. That makes due diligence essential. Read the written lease and the park rules to learn the rent, the charges, and the park's approval requirements; confirm the seller holds a clean Alabama certificate of title and check for liens; and confirm whether the home is titled as personal property or has been converted to real property. Where the Alabama Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act governs, the deposit is capped at one month's rent and the landlord must keep the premises habitable. Federal fair-housing protections apply to how a park screens buyers.

Common scenarios

General examples Alabama buyers commonly encounter:

• A buyer wants the terms up front. No statute requires a disclosure statement — read the lease and rules (no dedicated act).
• A park screens the buyer. No statute limits buyer approval; federal fair-housing law still applies.
• A buyer checks the home. Confirm a clean Department of Revenue certificate of title and any liens (Ala. Code title 32, ch. 20).

Other authorities that may apply

Alabama's lack of a dedicated park act means the written lease, the park rules, and general law govern a purchase; the Alabama Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act caps the deposit and sets habitability where it applies. The home is titled by the Department of Revenue and built to the federal HUD code, with installation overseen by the Alabama Manufactured Housing Commission. Federal lending rules and the Fair Housing Act can apply. The lease, the park rules, and the title are the core documents to review.