Mobile home lot rent rules in Michigan

Michigan's mobile home park law lives mainly in the Mobile Home Commission Act (MCL 125.2301 et seq.) and the eviction provisions of the Revised Judicature Act. It requires a written lease and gives residents a year's notice before a change of use, but — like most states — it does not cap the amount of lot rent. The information below describes how the law generally works; anyone dealing with a specific increase should consider consulting a licensed attorney in Michigan.

What the statute says

A written lease is mandatory. MCL 125.2328(1)(g) makes it an unfair or deceptive practice for a park to rent "a mobile home or site in a mobile home park or seasonal mobile home park without offering a written lease," and a tenant "may bring an action on his or her own behalf for a violation of this section" (§125.2328(2)).

On the amount of rent, Michigan sets no cap. MCL 600.5775(3) provides that the just-cause eviction law "does not prohibit a change of the rental payments or the terms or conditions of tenancy in a mobile home park following the termination or expiration of a written lease agreement for the mobile home site." And MCL 125.2328a(2) ties a park's ability to change its operations to notice: the aesthetic-standard limits give way only if the park "is changing its method of doing business and provides not less than 1 year's notice ... to all affected mobile home park residents," which includes condominium conversion, conversion to total rental, or "changes in use of the land."

How it works in general

Every park space must come with a written lease offer, and the lease sets the rent for its term. Michigan does not impose a statewide cap on lot rent or a general rent-increase-notice period, so an increase is generally tied to the end of the lease term — after a lease expires, the park may change the rent or terms. What Michigan does guarantee is a full year's notice before the park changes its method of doing business (such as converting to condominiums or changing the land use), which protects residents from an abrupt loss of the community. A resident's strongest tools are the written lease and the just-cause eviction protections that apply during the tenancy.

Common scenarios

General examples Michigan park residents commonly encounter:

• A park offers only an oral arrangement. The park must offer a written lease (§125.2328(1)(g)).
• Rent rises at lease renewal. There is no statewide cap; the change follows the end of the lease term (§600.5775(3)).
• A park announces it is converting to condos or changing the land use. Residents are entitled to at least one year's notice (§125.2328a(2)).

Other authorities that may apply

The Mobile Home Commission Act and its rules (Michigan Administrative Code) govern the community, and a violation is enforceable by the tenant and as an unfair practice. The written lease supplies the rent and any notice terms. Local ordinances may add protections, and federal law such as the Fair Housing Act can apply to how an increase is administered. A lease provision that waives a right under the Act can be void under MCL 125.2332.