How to Move Your Mobile Home: Terminating Lease, Terminating Utility

ESSENTIAL HOME PREPARATION FOR TRANSPORT Just like preparing a surface for painting ensures a successful end product, so does the correct preparation of the home to be moved.  If you do not use good planning, you will waste substantial funds in repairing unnecessary damage to your home. TERMINATION OF EXISTING LEASE AND NOTICE OF MOVING HOME The first thing you need to do, if you are moving your home, is to start the clock on terminating your existing lot lease (if you are in a mobile home park).  Most park leases require at least thirty days advance written notice to move out and, if you fail to do this important step, you may forfeit your deposit for failure to give timely notice.  Ask your park manager, or consult your lease, to find out how much time is necessary.  In addition, you will want to contact your local taxing authority to see if there are any unpaid property taxes on the home.  If so, pay them immediately and get a paid receipt.  In most states, you cannot transport the home, or get a permit to transport, if there are any property taxes owed. Some parks will also have conditions on when a home can be moved, so be sure you know these and can tell the mover. TERMINATION AND REMOVAL OF UTILITY CONNECTIONS When the mover shows up to move the home, this is NOT the time to start shutting off utility arrangements.  You will need to give reasonable advance notice to all utility providers (water, sewer, trash, electricity, gas (natural or propane), cable tv, telephone, etc.) and have a firm cut-off date.  Yes, you may need to stay in a hotel if you guess wrong, or if the mover is delayed.  But that is all part of the game.  Be sure to have a knowledgeable, insured individual do the actual disconnection of the utility to your house.  Many an idiot has electrocuted themselves trying to be an amateur electrician and not noticing that the power has yet to be turned off, or caused a major water leak.  Yes, you’ll save a few dollars disconnecting things yourself-unless you make a mistake and rack up a ton of money fixing it. By Frank Rolfe Frank Rolfe is a mobile home park investor and owns over 100 parks with his partner Dave Reynolds. Frank also leads regular Mobile Home Park Investing Bootcamps through the MobileHomeUniversity.com.