Selling a mobile home in Alabama

Alabama has no dedicated mobile home park act, so it provides none of the sell-in-place, buyer-approval, or commission protections that many other states give park residents. A resident's ability to sell the home where it sits is governed by the written lease and the park's rules, and the home transfers through its certificate of title. The information below describes how the law generally works; anyone selling should consider consulting a licensed attorney in Alabama.

What the statute says

Alabama has no mobile-home-park statute addressing the sale of a home in place, buyer approval, "for sale" signs, or sale commissions. The Alabama Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Ala. Code Title 35, Chapter 9A) governs the rental relationship for a covered "dwelling unit" (§35-9A-141(4)) but does not create a right to sell a resident-owned home on the lot or limit what a park may require of a buyer. The home itself is personal property titled by the Alabama Department of Revenue under the certificate-of-title law (Ala. Code Title 32, Chapter 20), and a sale transfers that certificate of title.

How it works in general

Because Alabama has no dedicated park act, selling a mobile home that sits on a rented lot turns almost entirely on the written lease and the park's rules. There is no statute that stops a park from refusing to rent the lot to your buyer, requiring the home to be removed when it's sold, charging a sale commission or transfer fee, or restricting a "for sale" sign — so whatever the lease and rules say will usually control. The home itself is transferred by reassigning its Alabama certificate of title (or, if the home was converted to real property on land the seller owns, by deed with the land). Given the lack of statutory protection, reading the lease and park rules before listing the home is especially important in Alabama.

Common scenarios

General examples Alabama park residents commonly encounter:

• A resident wants to sell the home in place. There's no sell-in-place statute; the lease and park rules control.
• A park demands a commission or transfer fee. No statute bans it — check the lease.
• The home changes hands. Ownership transfers through the Alabama certificate of title (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 contract law govern a sale; the home transfers through its Department of Revenue certificate of title. Federal law such as the Fair Housing Act can apply to buyer screening, and the bill of sale and any financing documents also control. This guide flags the absence of sell-in-place protections honestly.