Does an Arkansas park have to approve a mobile home buyer?

Arkansas has no statute requiring a park to accept a buyer as a tenant or limiting a park's discretion. Whether a buyer can keep the home on the lot depends on the park agreeing to a new lot-tenancy agreement on its terms.

What governs the tenancy a buyer steps into in Arkansas?

The written rental agreement, under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act of 2007. Arkansas Code §18-17-401 lets the parties set the rent and terms, and the tenancy defaults to month-to-month if no definite term is fixed.

What should an Arkansas buyer check about title?

Whether the home has a clear certificate of title from the Department of Finance and Administration with any lien paid off, or — if affixed to real estate — whether its title was cancelled under §27-14-1603. This is general information, not advice about a specific purchase — consider consulting a licensed attorney in Arkansas.

Buying a mobile home in Arkansas

Buying a mobile home that sits on a rented lot in Arkansas is two transactions at once: buying the home, and arranging a lot tenancy with the park. Arkansas has no dedicated mobile home park act and no statutory protection requiring a park to approve a buyer, so the rental agreement and clear title do the heavy lifting. This is a general overview; for a specific purchase, consider consulting a licensed attorney in Arkansas.

What the statute says

The tenancy a buyer enters is governed by the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act of 2007. Arkansas Code §18-17-401 leaves the terms to the agreement:

A landlord and a tenant may include in a rental agreement terms and conditions not prohibited by this chapter or other rule of law, including, but not limited to, rent, term of the agreement, and other provisions governing the rights and obligations of the parties.

The same section makes the tenancy month-to-month if no definite term is fixed. On the home itself, title transfers through the Department of Finance and Administration; §27-14-1603 addresses cancelling the title where a home is "affixed to real estate," which matters if the home is being sold with land rather than kept on a rented lot.

How it works in general

For a buyer who intends to keep the home in the park, the key step is reaching a lot-tenancy agreement with the park owner — there is no statute forcing the park to accept the buyer, and the park is generally free to set its own terms or decline. Once an agreement is signed, §18-17-401 governs it: read it closely for the rent, the term, and the rules, since Arkansas fixes very little by statute. On the home, the buyer should confirm a clear DFA certificate of title with any lender lien paid off (or, for an affixed home, that the title was properly cancelled under §27-14-1603).

Common scenarios

General examples Arkansas buyers commonly encounter:

A buyer wants to keep the home on its lot. The park's willingness to sign a new lot tenancy controls; there is no statutory approval protection.
A buyer reviews the rental agreement. Section 18-17-401 is what governs it, and the tenancy defaults to month-to-month if no term is set.
A buyer checks the title. A clear DFA certificate of title with liens paid is the goal before closing.

Other authorities that may apply

The certificate-of-title process (§27-14, administered by the DFA) governs ownership of the home, and a lender's lien must be cleared. The written rental agreement and the park's rules set the tenancy. Financing brings in federal laws such as the Truth in Lending Act, and the Fair Housing Act applies to how a park treats applicants. Because Arkansas leaves park approval to private agreement, the agreement and clear title are where a buyer's protection mostly comes from.