Who regulates the dealers and installers a Maine buyer uses?

The Manufactured Housing Board. Under the Manufactured Housing Act (10 M.R.S. Chapter 951), the Board licenses manufacturers, dealers, and installers and sets installation standards. Section 9002 defines a HUD-code home as one the manufacturer certifies is built to the federal HUD standard under the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974.

Buying a mobile home in Maine

Q: Can a Maine buyer back out if the park won't let the home stay?

Yes, within 30 days. Under 10 M.R.S. §9094(3), a buyer 'may rescind the contract for the purchase of the mobile home within 30 days of execution' if the seller represented the home could remain in the park and 'the buyer is not permitted to keep the mobile home in that mobile home park or the buyer is not accepted as a tenant.' This is general information, not advice about a specific purchase — consider consulting a licensed attorney in Maine.

Q: What must a Maine park disclose to a new buyer before move-in?

Everything, in writing. Under §9097(5), before any rental agreement the owner must provide each tenant and prospective tenant 'a written copy of the rules of the mobile home park' and 'a written copy of this chapter,' and under §9093(1) must disclose all fees, charges, and assessments before occupancy. An entrance fee for a home already in the park may not exceed two months' rent (§9097(3)).

Maine's laws give a manufactured-home buyer several protections: a right to rescind if the park won't take them, full fee and rule disclosure before move-in, an entrance-fee cap, and a licensing system for the dealers and installers behind the sale. The information below describes how the law generally works; anyone buying should consider consulting a licensed attorney in Maine.

What the statute says

The buyer's key protection is the rescission right in 10 M.R.S. §9094(3): the buyer of a home located in a park "may rescind the contract for the purchase of the mobile home within 30 days of execution of the contract if" the seller or agent represented the home "may remain in that mobile home park" and the buyer "is not permitted to keep the mobile home in that mobile home park or the buyer is not accepted as a tenant."

Before move-in, §9097(5) requires the park to provide each tenant and prospective tenant "a written copy of the rules of the mobile home park" and "a written copy of this chapter," and §9093(1) requires full written disclosure of "all fees, charges, assessments and rules before a mobile home dweller assumes occupancy." Section 9097(3) caps an entrance fee for a tenant "moving into a mobile home currently in the mobile home park" at "2 times the amount of the monthly rent." The homes and the businesses behind them are defined in the Manufactured Housing Act: 10 M.R.S. §9002 defines a "HUD-code home" as a post-June 15, 1976 unit the manufacturer certifies is built "in compliance with the HUD standard" under the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974.

How it works in general

A buyer who plans to keep the home on its current lot generally must be accepted as a tenant; if the seller said the home could stay and the park then refuses, the buyer can cancel within 30 days. Before signing on, the buyer is entitled to a written copy of the park rules and of Chapter 953 itself, and to full written disclosure of every fee — anything undisclosed can't be collected. An entrance fee for an existing in-park home is capped at twice the monthly rent. The manufacturer, dealer, and installer the buyer relies on are licensed by the Manufactured Housing Board, and a HUD-code home carries the federal HUD certification.

Common scenarios

General examples Maine buyers commonly encounter:

A buyer is refused tenancy after being told the home could stay. Section 9094(3) allows rescission within 30 days.
A buyer asks for the park rules and law. Section 9097(5) requires the park to provide the rules and a copy of Chapter 953 before the rental agreement.
A buyer faces a steep entrance fee for an existing home. It cannot exceed two months' rent (§9097(3)).

Other authorities that may apply

Chapter 953 governs the lot tenancy, the rescission right, the disclosure duty, and the entrance-fee cap; the Manufactured Housing Act (Chapter 951) and the Manufactured Housing Board govern the dealers, installers, and construction standards, and require a formaldehyde-emissions disclosure to buyers of new homes (§9006-B). How the buyer takes ownership depends on the home's title status (see the Maine title guide), and federal lending rules and the Fair Housing Act can apply. The written purchase contract, lease, and disclosures are the core documents to review.