Buying a mobile home in North Carolina

North Carolina has no dedicated mobile home park act and no mobile-home-specific buyer-protection statute. What governs a purchase is the written lease, the general landlord-tenant law, the title rules, and the Manufactured Housing Board's licensing of the businesses that sell and set up homes. This page compiles that law. For a specific purchase, consider consulting a licensed attorney in North Carolina.

What the statute says

The homes and the businesses behind them are regulated by the North Carolina Manufactured Housing Board. N.C.G.S. §143-143.9 defines the terms (a "manufactured home" under §143-143.9(6) is a HUD-code structure "transportable in one or more sections") and the sections that follow create the Board, license manufacturers, dealers, salespersons, and set-up contractors, and administer the manufactured-home warranty. Title runs through the Division of Motor Vehicles, with surrender of the certificate of title governed by N.C.G.S. §20-109.2 once the home qualifies as real property.

Any security deposit the park charges is capped by the general Tenant Security Deposit Act (N.C.G.S. §42-51(b)) at 1.5 months' rent for a month-to-month tenancy.

How it works in general

A buyer's relationship with the park is set by the lease and park rules; there is no mobile-home-specific disclosure or buyer-approval statute. The Manufactured Housing Board licenses the manufacturers, dealers, salespersons, and set-up contractors a buyer deals with, and a manufactured home is built to the federal HUD standards. The buyer takes ownership by transferring the DMV certificate of title, and any deposit the park requires can't exceed the general cap (1.5 months for a month-to-month tenancy). The written lease, bill of sale, and certificate of title are the core documents.

Common scenarios

General examples North Carolina buyers commonly encounter:

• A buyer asks what protections apply. North Carolina has no mobile-home buyer statute; the lease, title rules, deposit cap, and Board licensing govern.
• A buyer checks a dealer or set-up contractor. The Manufactured Housing Board licenses those businesses (§143-143.9 et seq.).
• A buyer takes ownership. The home transfers by its DMV certificate of title (§20-109.2).

Other authorities that may apply

The Manufactured Housing Board (N.C.G.S. §143-143.9 et seq.) regulates dealers, set-up contractors, and warranties; the Division of Motor Vehicles handles title. The general landlord-tenant statutes govern the resulting tenancy and the deposit (§42-51), and federal lending rules and the Fair Housing Act can apply. The written lease and sale documents are the papers to review.