Can an Iowa park stop a resident from selling a mobile home in place?

No. Iowa Code §562B.19(3)(c) bars a landlord from denying 'any resident ... the right to sell that person's mobile home at a price of the person's own choosing.' The park 'may reserve the right to approve the purchaser ... as a tenant,' but that approval 'may not be unreasonably withheld.' This is general information, not advice about a specific sale — consider consulting a licensed attorney in Iowa.

Selling a mobile home in Iowa

Q: Can an Iowa park charge a commission on a resident's sale?

Only if it acted as the seller's agent. Section 562B.19(3)(d) bars a landlord from exacting 'a commission or fee with respect to the price realized by the tenant selling the tenant's mobile home, unless the ... owner or operator has acted as agent for the mobile home owner pursuant to a written agreement.'

Q: Can a park require a sold home to be removed in Iowa?

Only for a rundown home, and with time. Section 562B.19(3)(c) lets the park, on a sale to a third party and to upgrade the community, 'require that any mobile home in a rundown condition or in disrepair be removed ... within sixty days.' If the park denies the buyer as a tenant, it must give written notice and the general reason.

Iowa gives mobile home owners a clear right to sell their home where it sits. The Manufactured or Mobile Home Landlord and Tenant Law (Iowa Code Chapter 562B) bars a park from blocking the sale or charging an unrequested commission, while letting it reasonably screen the buyer as a new tenant. For a specific sale, consider consulting a licensed attorney in Iowa.

What the statute says

On the right to sell in place, Iowa Code §562B.19(3) provides that a landlord shall not:

Deny any resident of a manufactured home community or mobile home park the right to sell that person's mobile home at a price of the person's own choosing, but may reserve the right to approve the purchaser of such mobile home as a tenant but such permission may not be unreasonably withheld ... [and] may, in the event of a sale to a third party, in order to upgrade the quality of the ... park, require that any mobile home in a rundown condition or in disrepair be removed ... within sixty days.

The same subsection bars a landlord from exacting "a commission or fee with respect to the price realized by the tenant selling the tenant's mobile home, unless the ... owner or operator has acted as agent for the mobile home owner pursuant to a written agreement."

How it works in general

A resident may sell at a price of their choosing. The park may screen the buyer as a prospective tenant, but cannot withhold approval unreasonably, and if it denies the buyer it must give written notice and a general reason. The park cannot take a commission unless it served as the seller's agent under a written agreement. A rundown or disrepair home sold to a third party may be required to be removed within 60 days. When the landlord itself sells a home, §562B.17A requires a written agreement and assignment of the DOT certificate of title.

Common scenarios

General examples Iowa park residents commonly encounter:

A park tries to block a sale or set the price. Section 562B.19(3)(c) protects the owner's right to sell at their own price.
A park rejects the buyer. Approval cannot be unreasonably withheld, and a denial requires written notice and a general reason.
A park asks for a commission. Section 562B.19(3)(d) allows that only if the park acted as the seller's agent under a written agreement.

Other authorities that may apply

The buyer who keeps the home in the park signs a rental agreement and may be screened under the park's reasonable rules (§562B.19). Title transfer runs through the Department of Transportation, and Iowa's consumer-protection law and the Fair Housing Act can apply to buyer screening. The written sale documents also control the terms.