Selling a mobile home in Louisiana

Louisiana has no dedicated mobile home park statute and no law granting a right to sell a home in place or limiting a park's approval of a buyer. A sale is governed by the written lease, the park's rules, and general civil law; how ownership of the home transfers depends on whether the home is movable or has been immobilized. This page compiles that law. For a specific sale, consider consulting a licensed attorney in Louisiana.

What the statute says

Louisiana has no sell-in-place statute for mobile home lots. On how ownership moves, La. R.S. 9:1149.3 keeps a home on land "movable" unless immobilized, and La. R.S. 9:1149.4 provides:

It shall be presumed that any transfer of an immovable on which a nonimmobilized factory-built home is located includes all of the transferor's interest in the factory-built home, subject to the rights of third persons in the factory-built home.

So a movable home is sold by assigning its Office of Motor Vehicles certificate of title, while a home immobilized under R.S. 9:1149.6 transfers with the land as immovable property.

How it works in general

Because no statute fixes a right to sell in place, set buyer-approval limits, or cap commissions for mobile home lots, the written lease and park rules define what a selling resident may do — including whether the buyer must be approved as a new tenant and on what terms. Ownership of a movable home transfers by its certificate of title; an immobilized home transfers with the land. A buyer who keeps the home in the park should confirm the park's approval and lease terms before closing.

Common scenarios

General examples Louisiana park residents commonly encounter:

• A resident wants to sell where the home sits. The lease and park rules — not a statute — set whether and how that can happen.
• A park screens the buyer as a new tenant. What it may require comes from the lease.
• Ownership changes hands. A movable home transfers by its OMV certificate of title; an immobilized home transfers with the land.

Other authorities that may apply

The written lease and park rules are the primary authorities. Title transfer of a movable home runs through the Office of Motor Vehicles, and immobilization (R.S. 9:1149.6) changes the home to immovable property. Federal law such as the Fair Housing Act can apply to buyer screening, and the bill of sale and financing documents also control.