Selling a mobile home in Missouri

Missouri 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 law; ownership of the home transfers by its Department of Revenue certificate of title. This page compiles that law. For a specific sale, consider consulting a licensed attorney in Missouri.

What the statute says

Missouri has no sell-in-place statute for mobile home lots. On how ownership moves, Mo. Rev. Stat. §700.320 titles a manufactured home through the Department of Revenue "in the manner prescribed by law for the acquisition of certificates of title to motor vehicles," so a sale is completed by assigning the certificate of title to the buyer, who applies for a new title. A home that has been converted to real estate under §700.111 transfers with the land as real property.

There is no statute fixing a right to sell in place, limiting buyer-approval, or capping commissions for mobile home lots — those terms come from the written lease and park rules.

How it works in general

Because no statute guarantees a right to sell in place or limits buyer approval, the written lease and park rules define what a selling resident may do — including whether a buyer who wants to keep the home in the park must be approved as a new tenant and on what terms. Ownership of the home transfers by its Department of Revenue certificate of title; a buyer who keeps the home in the park should confirm the park's approval and lease terms before closing. A home converted to real estate transfers with the land.

Common scenarios

General examples Missouri 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. The home transfers by assigning its certificate of title (§700.320).

Other authorities that may apply

The written lease and park rules are the primary authorities. Title transfer runs through the Department of Revenue (§700.320), and conversion to real estate (§700.111) changes how the home is conveyed. Federal law such as the Fair Housing Act can apply to buyer screening, and the bill of sale and any financing documents also control.