Mobile home utilities in West Virginia

West Virginia's Mobile Home Parks act (W. Va. Code Chapter 37, Article 15) protects residents on utilities mainly by barring shutoffs and requiring disclosure. The information below describes how the law generally works; anyone disputing a specific charge or outage should consider consulting a licensed attorney in West Virginia.

What the statute says

Section 37-15-6(d) bars utility shutoffs used to force a resident out: "A landlord may not cause the eviction of a tenant by willfully interrupting gas, electricity, water or any other essential service, or by removal of the factory-built home from the ... site, or by any other willful self-help measure."

On charges, §37-15-5(a)(1) bars "any fee which is not listed in the rental agreement," and §37-15-3(d)(2) limits recurring charges to "fixed rent, utility charges or reasonable incidental charges for services or facilities supplied by the landlord." The Mobile Home Parks act does not cap a utility markup or require a particular metering method.

How it works in general

A West Virginia park can never cut off a resident's gas, electricity, water, or other essential service to pressure them out — that's prohibited self-help, and the park has to go through the courts. Any utility charge the park bills has to be disclosed in the rental agreement; the park can't tack on a utility fee that isn't written into the agreement. The Act doesn't cap the amount a park can charge for utilities or require submetering, so where the park bills for utilities the agreement sets the terms, and regulated utility service and rates fall to the Public Service Commission. The general landlord-tenant law (W. Va. Code Chapter 37, Article 6) supplies the landlord's broader duties.

Common scenarios

General examples West Virginia park residents commonly encounter:

• A park threatens to cut utilities over a dispute. Willful interruption of essential services is barred (§37-15-6(d)).
• A utility charge appears that isn't in the agreement. The park can't collect a fee not listed in the agreement (§37-15-5(a)(1)).
• A resident questions a utility markup. The Act sets no cap; the agreement controls, and regulated rates fall to the Public Service Commission.

Other authorities that may apply

The Mobile Home Parks act (§§37-15-3, 37-15-5, 37-15-6) governs disclosure and the ban on utility shutoffs; the West Virginia Public Service Commission regulates jurisdictional utility service and rates. Because the Act sets no markup cap, this guide flags that gap honestly. The general landlord-tenant law and the written agreement set the billing terms.