If I buy a home in a Montana park, can I automatically keep it there?

No. Under Mont. Code Ann. §70-33-305, buying a mobile home on a lot 'does not automatically entitle the purchaser to rent the mobile home lot' — the purchaser 'shall make suitable arrangements with the landlord in order to become a tenant' and must 'enter[] into a rental agreement with the owner of the lot.' This is general information, not advice about a specific purchase — consider consulting a licensed attorney in Montana.

How does a Montana buyer take ownership of the home?

By the certificate of title. A manufactured home is titled through the Motor Vehicle Division, so the buyer takes ownership when the seller transfers the title and the buyer applies for a new one; a home built to the federal HUD standards carries that certification. See the Montana title guide.

Buying a mobile home in Montana

Q: What must a Montana landlord do to keep the lot livable?

Under Mont. Code Ann. §70-33-303, a landlord shall 'make repairs and do whatever is necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition,' 'keep all common areas ... in a clean and safe condition,' and 'maintain in good and safe working order ... all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, and other facilities ... supplied or required to be supplied by the landlord.'

Montana's Residential Mobile Home Lot Rental Act sets clear expectations for a buyer: purchasing a home in a park does not by itself include the right to rent the lot, the buyer signs their own rental agreement, and the landlord owes ongoing maintenance duties. The information below describes how the law generally works; anyone buying should consider consulting a licensed attorney in Montana.

What the statute says

On the buyer's tenancy, Mont. Code Ann. §70-33-305 provides that a sale "does not entitle the purchaser ... to retain rental of the lot unless the purchaser ... enters into a rental agreement with the owner of the lot," and that "the purchase of the mobile home does not automatically entitle the purchaser to rent the mobile home lot." The rental agreement itself is governed by §70-33-201, under which the tenancy is month-to-month unless a longer term is agreed.

The landlord's maintenance duties are in §70-33-303(1): a landlord shall "make repairs and do whatever is necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition," "keep all common areas of the premises in a clean and safe condition," and "maintain in good and safe working order ... all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, and other facilities and appliances ... supplied or required to be supplied by the landlord."

How it works in general

A Montana buyer who plans to keep a home in a park should treat the purchase and the lot tenancy as two steps: buy the home (by transferring the Motor Vehicle Division certificate of title), and separately apply to the landlord to become a tenant under a rental agreement, because the purchase does not automatically grant the right to rent the lot. Once a tenant, the buyer is owed the landlord's maintenance duties — a fit and habitable lot, clean and safe common areas, and working utilities and facilities the landlord supplies. Reviewing the rental agreement, the park rules, and the home's title (and any lien) are the key steps before closing.

Common scenarios

General examples Montana buyers commonly encounter:

A buyer assumes the lot comes with the home. It does not — the buyer must sign a rental agreement with the landlord (§70-33-305).
A buyer asks what the landlord must maintain. The landlord must keep the premises fit and habitable and the facilities working (§70-33-303).
A buyer takes ownership. The home transfers by its Motor Vehicle Division certificate of title (see the Montana title guide).

Other authorities that may apply

The Residential Mobile Home Lot Rental Act governs the rental agreement and the landlord's duties, and is read with the general Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Title 70, chapter 25) under §70-33-109. The home's construction follows the federal HUD code. Ownership transfers by certificate of title through the Motor Vehicle Division, and federal lending rules and the Fair Housing Act can apply. The rental agreement, bill of sale, and certificate of title are the core documents to review.