Landlord Atlas

Virginia Mobile Home Park Laws

Verified August 18, 2026 All Virginia topics →

Virginia's Manufactured Home Lot Rental Act, Va. Code §§ 55.1-1300 through 55.1-1320, governs the tenancy of a resident who owns the home and rents the lot beneath it in a park of five or more manufactured homes, and it works through the lease renewal rather than through a rent cap: a landlord must offer every year-round resident an agreement of at least one year, the agreement renews automatically on the same terms unless the landlord gives 60 days' written notice of a change before it expires, and it must be renewed except for reasons that would justify termination or eviction, on 90 days' notice stating the reason.

Cited to Va. Code ch. 13 of Title 55.1 (Manufactured Home Lot Rental Act) and 9 more sources · Verified August 18, 2026

Closing the park or changing its use takes 180 days' certified-mail notice to every resident and to the locality, and where the park is sold to a buyer that will redevelop it the landlord must pay each home owner $5,000 in relocation expenses. Since July 1, 2026 residents have a genuine right of first refusal: an owner that signs a contract to sell the park must tell every resident, the locality and the state housing agency within five business days, and a resident entity representing more than half the households may buy at the same price and on substantially equivalent terms, with the locality holding a second-priority right and the buyer committing to keep the land a manufactured home park for 15 years. Two more 2026 changes matter to owners: lot rent may not rise at renewal while a code violation stays unresolved, and every rental agreement must open with an itemization of all charges, with anything left off it uncollectible.

Governing actManufactured Home Lot Rental Act — Va. Code §§ 55.1-1300 to 55.1-1320
General law that also appliesVirginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, Va. Code §§ 55.1-1200 to 55.1-1262
Federal lender protections already required by state law5 of 8 (see the table)

Each row below is a state rule (with its citation) or an honest "no state rule" with what governs instead — lease terms and the general landlord-tenant law still apply where the park act is silent. This page covers a resident who owns the home and rents the lot; a home rented from the park is an ordinary Virginia tenancy.

On this page: Scope · Lot rent, fees and utilities · Lease, rules and disclosure · Termination and eviction · Closure and change of use · Sale of the park · The resident's home · Federal lender protections · Common questions · Citations

A. Scope — who and what the act covers

Rule Virginia law Source
State agency with a role in park tenancies Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, with the locality in which the park sits carrying most day-to-day enforcement The Department of Housing and Community Development is the state agency in this act, and localities do most of the enforcing. The department receives the notice a park owner must give when it contracts to sell the park and posts the information on its website within three business days. It also writes the plain-language statement of tenant rights and responsibilities for this act and the lot rental agreement form the parties must sign, both posted on its website. A locality may adopt ordinances to enforce the landlord obligations the act imposes, must tell residents about violations the landlord has not corrected within seven days, and may sue an owner that ignores the sale rules; the attorney for any locality may file for injunctive relief for any violation of the act. Va. Code § 55.1-1308.3 B; Va. Code § 55.1-1303 6; Va. Code § 36-139 27; Va. Code § 55.1-1312; Va. Code § 55.1-1313; Va. Code § 55.1-1319
Resident may sue under the act Yes A resident may sue under the act, and several sections say so in their own terms. A willful violation of the landlord's obligations, the prohibited-charges section, the sale-of-the-home section or the retaliation section lets the resident recover the greater of one month's rent or actual damages, plus reasonable attorney fees. A resident charged for anything left off the itemization on the first page of the agreement may recover actual damages, $500 for each occurrence and attorney fees. A resident may also sue over the right of first refusal, over an owner that will not negotiate with a resident entity in good faith, and over a rent increase imposed while a code violation is unresolved. Va. Code § 55.1-1318; Va. Code § 55.1-1302 B; Va. Code § 55.1-1308.3 K, L; Va. Code § 55.1-1308.4 B; Va. Code § 55.1-1320 C
Minimum park size for the act to apply (lots) 5 lots The act reaches a park of five or more manufactured homes. A manufactured home park is a parcel of land under single or common ownership on which five or more manufactured homes are located on a continual, nonrecreational basis, together with the structures, equipment, roads and facilities used with them. The count is of homes on the land rather than of lots offered, and a resident is covered as a person entitled under a rental agreement to occupy a manufactured home lot to the exclusion of others. Va. Code § 55.1-1300 definitions of "manufactured home park" and "tenant"
Other size thresholds that switch rules on No state rule No second size threshold switches any rule on or off. Every rule in the act applies once the land holds five or more manufactured homes on a continual, nonrecreational basis. The one proportional threshold in the act is a share of households rather than a count of lots: a resident entity that wants to exercise the right of first refusal must show that it represents more than half of the households holding a valid lot rental agreement. Va. Code § 55.1-1300 definitions of "manufactured home park" and "resident entity"
Park-owned rental homes Ordinary landlord-tenant law applies Renting the home itself, rather than the lot beneath it, falls under the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. This act runs to a person entitled under a rental agreement to occupy a manufactured home lot, while the general act defines a dwelling unit to include a manufactured home and does not exclude one from its reach. Va. Code § 55.1-1300 definitions of "tenant" and "manufactured home lot"; Va. Code § 55.1-1200 definition of "dwelling unit"; Va. Code § 55.1-1201 C
RVs and park-model homes Excluded Recreational vehicles and park-model units fall outside this act. A manufactured home must be eight body feet or more wide or 40 body feet or more long in the traveling mode, or 320 or more square feet when erected on site, and built on a permanent chassis and designed to be used as a dwelling when connected to the required utilities. The park definition adds that the homes must be there on a continual, nonrecreational basis, and campground occupancy is excluded from the general landlord-tenant act as well. Va. Code § 55.1-1300 definitions of "manufactured home" and "manufactured home park"; Va. Code § 55.1-1201 C
Local rent regulation of park lots No statute addresses local regulation of lot rents No Virginia statute says whether a locality may regulate the rent charged for a manufactured home lot. The act's one grant of local power is narrow: the governing body of a locality may adopt ordinances to enforce the obligations the act imposes on landlords, and nothing in the chapter mentions rent regulation in either direction. Virginia localities hold only the powers the General Assembly grants them, so a lot-rent ordinance would need an enabling statute that the act does not supply. The general landlord-tenant act carries its own clause superseding local ordinances on landlord and tenant relations, but this act does not apply that clause to lot tenancies. Va. Code § 55.1-1312; Va. Code § 55.1-1311; Va. Code § 55.1-1201 A, E

B. Lot rent, fees and utilities

Rule Virginia law Source
Notice before a lot-rent increase 60 days A lot-rent increase takes 60 days' written notice before the agreement's expiration date, and it can only take effect when the agreement renews. Virginia does this through the renewal rule rather than through a free-standing notice rule: an agreement of one year or more renews automatically for the same term on the same terms unless the resident gives written notice at least 60 days before expiration that they will not renew, or the landlord gives written notice of a change in the terms at least 60 days before expiration. A resident who objects in writing within 30 days of that notice may choose not to renew unless the landlord agrees to keep the current terms. Va. Code § 55.1-1302 C
How often rent may be raised Rent may change only when the agreement renews, so once a year under the one-year term the landlord must offer. An agreement of one year or more renews automatically for a term of the same duration on the same terms, and the only route to different terms is the landlord's written notice at least 60 days before the expiration date. A landlord must offer every current and prospective year-round resident an agreement of at least one year, so the practical rhythm is one possible increase a year. Separately, no increase may take effect at renewal while the community has an unresolved notice of violation from the locality. Va. Code § 55.1-1302 A, C; Va. Code § 55.1-1320 A
Statewide limit on lot-rent increases No state rule Virginia sets no ceiling on how much lot rent may rise. The act controls the timing of an increase rather than its size: rent changes only at renewal, on 60 days' written notice, and the resident may decline to renew. Since July 1, 2026 one conditional bar exists, and it is a compliance rule rather than a cap: an owner or operator may not raise the annual lot rent at renewal while the community has an unresolved notice of violation of the zoning, building or fire code, or an inspection report listing habitability violations. Violations relating to home structures and additions that are not under the owner's proprietorship are carved out, and the bar lifts when the locality confirms the violation is cured or that adequate progress toward remediation has been made. Va. Code § 55.1-1320 A, B; Va. Code § 55.1-1302 C
How a resident can challenge an increase A resident who receives a change-of-terms notice has 30 days to object in writing and may then decline to renew, and a resident billed an increase while a code violation is unresolved may sue for the money back plus attorney fees. There is no rent board, mediation panel or petition process. The written objection route sits inside the renewal rule: object within 30 days of the notice and the resident may choose not to renew unless the landlord agrees to keep the current terms. The compliance route is a court claim: where the community had an unresolved notice of violation, the resident is entitled to the return of all increased rent paid while it stayed unresolved, and may recover reasonable attorney fees as part of the judgment. Va. Code § 55.1-1302 C; Va. Code § 55.1-1320 C
Entrance fee prohibited Yes A landlord may not demand or receive an entrance fee for the privilege of leasing or occupying a manufactured home lot. The written agreement may also not require any recurring charge beyond fixed rent, utility charges and reasonable incidental charges for services or facilities the landlord supplies. Va. Code § 55.1-1306 A; Va. Code § 55.1-1301 A
Exit or removal fee prohibited Yes A landlord may not demand or receive an exit fee for moving a manufactured home out of the park. The same section bars a commission on the sale of a home located in the park and a fee for improvements or installations inside a home. Va. Code § 55.1-1306 A
Undisclosed fees uncollectible Yes A charge left off the first page of the lot rental agreement cannot be collected. Since July 1, 2026 the agreement must open with an itemization of the security deposit, the rent due each payment period, and any one-time charge due before the agreement starts or included in the first payment, followed by a statement that no additional security deposit or rent may be charged unless it is listed there or added by a separate signed addendum. If the landlord tries to collect a charge, fee or deposit that is neither itemized nor in a separate valid written contract signed by both, the resident may recover actual damages, $500 for each occurrence, and reasonable attorney fees. Va. Code § 55.1-1302 B
Utility billing rules A landlord that buys utility service and resells it or passes it through to residents may charge no more than the general landlord-tenant act allows, which is the service itself plus the actual administrative and billing costs. The act's own utility section sets the ceiling by reference: a landlord that purchases from a utility for resale or pass-through may not charge more than § 55.1-1212 permits. That section lets an owner using energy submetering, energy allocation equipment, water and sewer submetering or a ratio utility billing system add service charges such as monthly billing fees and account set-up or move-out fees, but only to cover the actual administrative and billing costs. The landlord must also give at least 48 hours' written notice before a planned interruption of electric, water or sewage disposal service, and must provide reasonable access to those connections for each lot. Va. Code § 55.1-1307; Va. Code § 55.1-1212 C, D; Va. Code § 55.1-1303 5
Submetering required or regulated Yes Meters are not required, but the general provision the act applies regulates how a submetered or ratio-billed utility may be charged. Nothing requires a park to meter each lot individually. The act's utility section limits what may be charged for a utility bought and resold, and the general provision it points to sets the rules for parks that choose to use energy submetering, energy allocation equipment, water and sewer submetering or a ratio utility billing system. Neither requires any of them, and neither says how a utility must be measured. That is left to the rental agreement and the utility's own arrangements. Va. Code § 55.1-1307; Va. Code § 55.1-1212 C, D, I
Lot security deposit rules A lot security deposit may not exceed two months' rent, must be itemized on the first page of the agreement, may not be raised when a year-round resident's agreement renews, and must be returned with an itemized statement within 45 days after the tenancy ends. The act sets the deposit terms by applying the general landlord-tenant deposit section and then adding two rules of its own. The general section caps the deposit at two months' periodic rent and requires the landlord to give the resident an itemized written notice of the deposit and every deduction, damage and charge, with any balance due, within 45 days after the tenancy ends or the resident leaves, whichever is later. The act adds that the deposit must appear in the first-page itemization, and that on an automatic renewal for a year-round resident the deposit already furnished may not be increased and no additional deposit may be required. When the park is sold the deposits and any accrued interest pass to the new owner, and each resident must be told in writing that theirs was transferred. Va. Code § 55.1-1302 B, C, E; Va. Code § 55.1-1226; Va. Code § 55.1-1317

C. Lease, rules and disclosure

Rule Virginia law Source
Written lease Required A written lot rental agreement is mandatory. Before the tenancy begins all parties must sign and date a written agreement covering all the terms that govern the rental and occupancy of the lot, and within seven days after the resident signs, the landlord must hand over a copy of the signed agreement together with a copy of the act or a clear and simple description of what it requires of landlords and residents. The agreement may not contain a provision prohibiting the resident from selling their manufactured home, and may not require any recurring charge except fixed rent, utility charges and reasonable incidental charges. It must also carry a statement that lot rent does not include homeowner's insurance and that flood coverage may be needed in a special flood hazard area, and must disclose any security interest in the home. Va. Code § 55.1-1301 A, B, C
Minimum lease term that must be offered 12 months A landlord must offer every current and prospective year-round resident an agreement with a rental period of not less than one year. The terms of that agreement must be the same as those in any shorter lease the landlord offers, though a discount may be given for a longer commitment. An agreement of one year or more then renews automatically for a term of the same duration. Va. Code § 55.1-1302 A, C
Notice to end a tenancy without cause No state rule There is no notice period for ending a lot tenancy without cause, because there is no route to do so. Agreements under the act must be renewed except for reasons that would justify terminating the agreement or evicting the resident, and where the landlord does refuse to renew on such a reason it must give written notice at least 90 days before the renewal date stating the reason. A resident, by contrast, may simply give written notice at least 60 days before the expiration date that they will not renew. Va. Code § 55.1-1302 C, D
Notice before park rules change 60 days A change in the terms of the lot rental agreement takes 60 days' written notice before the expiration date and takes effect only on renewal. Because the written agreement must set out all the terms governing the rental and occupancy of the lot, park rules written into it change on that route, and a resident who objects in writing within 30 days may decline to renew. The act sets no separate procedure or notice period for a rule the landlord imposes outside the written agreement; a resident's duty reaches only reasonable rules and regulations. Va. Code § 55.1-1302 C; Va. Code § 55.1-1301 A; Va. Code § 55.1-1304 6
Disclosure document A disclosure document with state-prescribed contents Virginia prescribes the documents by statute and the state agency writes them. Within 10 business days of the effective date of the written agreement the landlord must give the resident a copy of it and the statement of tenant rights and responsibilities, and both parties must sign the form the Department of Housing and Community Development develops and posts on its website. The department's duty to write a plain-language statement of rights and responsibilities specific to this act sits in the same code as its statement for ordinary residential tenancies. On top of that, the landlord must give a copy of the act or a clear and simple description of it within seven days of signing, the agreement's first page must itemize every charge, and the agreement must carry the flood-insurance statement in bold and disclose any security interest in the home. Va. Code § 55.1-1303 6; Va. Code § 36-139 27; Va. Code § 55.1-1301 A, B, C; Va. Code § 55.1-1302 B
Residents' right to meet and organize Yes Organizing is protected, through the retaliation bar rather than through an affirmative right. A landlord may not retaliate against a resident who has organized, become a member of, or taken part in a residents' organization, and the remedies for a willful violation of that section run to the greater of one month's rent or actual damages plus attorney fees. The act does not go further and grant a right to hold meetings in common areas or to distribute information in the park, so use of common areas turns on the reasonable rules the landlord sets. Va. Code § 55.1-1314; Va. Code § 55.1-1318; Va. Code § 55.1-1304 6
Owner entry onto the lot or into the home No state rule The act gives the park owner no stated right of entry onto the lot or into the home, and sets no notice period for entry. The section listing which parts of the general landlord-tenant act apply to lot tenancies does not include that act's access section, so the borrowed 24-hour notice rule for entering a dwelling unit does not reach a lot tenancy. What governs instead is the written rental agreement, together with the landlord's own duty to keep the park fit and habitable and to give 48 hours' written notice before a planned interruption of electric, water or sewage disposal service. Va. Code § 55.1-1311; Va. Code § 55.1-1229; Va. Code § 55.1-1303 2, 5
Retaliation prohibited Yes A landlord may not retaliate by selectively raising rent, cutting services, or bringing or threatening an action for possession. The protected acts are complaining to a government agency responsible for enforcing a building or housing code, making a complaint or bringing an action against the landlord over a violation of the act, organizing or joining a residents' organization, and testifying against the landlord in court. The landlord may still act where the code violation was caused by the resident's own negligence, where rent is in default, or where the resident has breached a term materially affecting health and safety. From January 1, 2027 the section is broadened: it will also protect a complaint to a media outlet about noncompliance and testimony in an administrative proceeding, and will name harassment, coercion, selective rule enforcement, terminating the agreement and refusing to renew for a voucher holder as prohibited responses. Va. Code § 55.1-1314; Va. Code § 55.1-1318

D. Termination and eviction

Rule Virginia law Source
Just cause required to end a tenancy Yes A lot tenancy may be ended only for a reason the law recognizes. Agreements under the act must be renewed except for reasons that would justify terminating the agreement or evicting the resident, and where the landlord refuses to renew on such a reason it must give 90 days' written notice stating that reason. During the term, termination runs through the general landlord-tenant act's noncompliance section, which this act applies, through the act's own code-violation ground, and through the change-of-use ground with its 180-day notice. There is no route to end a lot tenancy for no reason. Va. Code § 55.1-1302 D; Va. Code § 55.1-1311; Va. Code § 55.1-1315; Va. Code § 55.1-1308 B
Grounds for termination
  • Nonpayment of lot rent, after a written notice giving the resident 14 days to pay.
  • Material noncompliance with the rental agreement or with the resident duties the act sets out, after a notice allowing 21 days to remedy and ending the agreement in not less than 30 days.
  • A breach that cannot be remedied by repairs, the payment of damages or otherwise, on a notice ending the agreement in not less than 30 days.
  • A criminal or willful act that cannot be remedied and poses a threat to health or safety, which ends the agreement immediately.
  • An intentional later breach of a like nature during the same lease term, after an earlier breach of that kind was remedied.
  • Violation of the applicable building and housing code caused by a lack of reasonable care by the resident, a member of the household, or a guest or invitee.
  • A change in the use of all or any part of the park as allowed by local zoning ordinances, on 180 days' notice.
The grounds sit in three places, and the notice period differs by ground. The act applies the general landlord-tenant act's noncompliance section, which supplies the first five grounds; the act's own eviction section adds the code-violation ground; and the termination section carries the change of use. A landlord that accepts rent knowing of a material breach waives the right to terminate for it unless it accepts with reservation and says so in writing within five business days. 		Va. Code § 55.1-1245 A, B, C, E, F; Va. Code § 55.1-1315; Va. Code § 55.1-1308 B; Va. Code § 55.1-1309
Notice for nonpayment of lot rent 14 days Nonpayment of lot rent takes 14 days' written notice before the agreement may be ended. The rule comes from the general landlord-tenant act, which this act applies to lot tenancies: if rent is unpaid when due and the resident does not pay within 14 days after written notice of the nonpayment and of the landlord's intention to end the agreement, the landlord may terminate and sue for possession. Paying within the 14 days stops the termination. From July 1, 2027 that notice must also carry a written statement of the charges and payments over the tenancy or the past 12 months, whichever is shorter, along with late charges, attorney fees, costs and other contracted charges or damages, and the debits and credits for utility or energy bills where the park uses submetering, energy allocation or a ratio utility billing system. Va. Code § 55.1-1245 F; Va. Code § 55.1-1311; Va. Code § 55.1-1202 E (effective July 1, 2027)
Notice for a rule or lease violation 30 days A violation of the agreement or of the park rules takes a written notice ending the tenancy in not less than 30 days, with 21 days to put it right. The notice must specify the acts and omissions that make up the breach and state that the agreement will end unless the breach is remedied within 21 days. Remedying it within the time the notice allows stops the termination. Where the breach cannot be remedied by repairs, payment of damages or otherwise, the 30-day notice stands without a cure period, and a criminal or willful act that cannot be remedied and threatens health or safety ends the agreement at once. Va. Code § 55.1-1245 A, B, C; Va. Code § 55.1-1311
Repeat-violation rule A resident who remedies a breach and then intentionally commits a later breach of a like nature during the same lease term may be given a notice ending the agreement in not less than 30 days, with no further chance to cure. The act states the rule twice over. Its own section applying the general landlord-tenant act says in terms that a lot lease may be terminated where a resident commits a remediable breach and, after remedying it, intentionally commits a subsequent breach of a like nature during the same lease term. The general section it points to sets out the mechanics: the notice must specify the acts and omissions making up the later breach, refer back to the earlier one, and state the termination date. Va. Code § 55.1-1311; Va. Code § 55.1-1245 E
Time to sell or remove the home after termination 90 days A resident who has been evicted has 90 days after judgment is entered to sell the home or rent it to a subtenant. The right is conditioned on paying all rent that accrued before the judgment and the monthly rent as it falls due, and on keeping up regular maintenance of the lot. A subtenant must apply to the park owner within the same 90 days and be approved. The park owner has a lien on the home for any rent that goes unpaid during the period. Va. Code § 55.1-1316
Abandoned-home procedure Yes The act has its own abandoned-home procedure built around the lender. A home is abandoned where the resident has defaulted in rent or the landlord has the right to end the agreement. The landlord must give a notice of abandonment to the home owner, the secured party and the dealer, stating the rent owed and the amount and nature of any reasonable charges. A secured party has no liability for rent except as the section provides: its liability starts 15 days after it receives the notice and runs until the home is removed or disposed of, and it must pay before the home leaves the park. The agreement converts to a month-to-month tenancy that either side may end on 30 days' notice. Va. Code § 55.1-1305; Va. Code § 55.1-1300 definition of "abandoned manufactured home"
Mediation or dispute-resolution requirement No state rule Nothing in the act requires mediation or any other step before an eviction or a rent dispute goes to court. The section that applies parts of the general landlord-tenant act to lot tenancies does not pick up that act's provision allowing a locality to set up a reconciliatory commission, so there is no state or local panel a resident or an owner may be sent to. Disputes go to the general district court; the attorney for a locality may also file for injunctive relief for a violation of the act. Va. Code § 55.1-1311; Va. Code § 55.1-1201 E; Va. Code § 55.1-1319

E. Closure and change of use

Rule Virginia law Source
Notice before closure or change of use 6 months Closing a park or changing its use takes 180 days' written notice by certified mail to every resident. The statute states the period in days, and six months is the equivalent recorded here; 180 days can fall a few days short of six calendar months depending on the months it spans. The ground is a change in the use of all or any part of the park as allowed by local zoning ordinances. The notice must state the date the agreement will end and the reason, must tell residents about a resident entity's opportunity to purchase and the owner's duties, and must also go by certified mail to the locality. It may be sent at the same time as the notice of intent to sell. Va. Code § 55.1-1308 B
Variants (by trigger or park size)
  • The resident asks for a shorter period: Less than 180 days, by written agreement (The 180-day requirement may not be waived, but at the resident's request the landlord and that resident may agree on a shorter period in a written agreement separate from the rental agreement and signed after the notice has been given).
This is the only variation the act allows, and it can be reached only one resident at a time and only after the 180-day notice has gone out. There is no shorter period for a small park, a condemnation or a sale to a preservation buyer. 		Va. Code § 55.1-1308 B
Relocation payment required Yes Relocation money is required, but only on one trigger: the park is sold to a buyer that will redevelop it and change its use. In that case the landlord must pay each manufactured home owner in the park $5,000 in relocation expenses within the 180-day notice period. A change of use by the existing owner, without a sale to a redeveloper, carries the 180-day notice but no payment, and Virginia has no state relocation fund for park closures. Va. Code § 55.1-1308.1; Va. Code § 55.1-1308 B
Relocation amounts
  • Park sold to a buyer that will redevelop it and change its use: $5,000 — Paid by the landlord to each manufactured home owner in the park, within the 180-day notice period that runs before the agreements end.
One flat figure, not indexed and not varied by the size of the home. The amount has not been changed since the payment was created in 2020, and there is no second tier for a multisection home and no state fund behind it. 		Va. Code § 55.1-1308.1
Who pays relocation The park owner The landlord pays, and no state money is involved. The duty falls on the landlord that ends the agreements because the park has been sold to a buyer that will redevelop it, and the money goes directly to each manufactured home owner in the park. Virginia has no relocation fund and no assessment on parks to finance one. Va. Code § 55.1-1308.1
Notice to a government body on closure Yes The closure notice must also go to the local government. The same 180-day termination notice the landlord sends each resident must be sent by certified mail to the locality in which the park is located. Where the closure follows a sale, the locality is already in the loop: it is one of the recipients of the notice the owner must give within five business days of signing a contract to sell the park, and it holds a secondary right of first refusal behind the residents. Va. Code § 55.1-1308 B; Va. Code § 55.1-1308.3 B, E

F. Sale of the park

Rule Virginia law Source
Residents must be told the park is for sale Yes Residents must be told when the park is under contract to be sold. Within five business days of entering into a sales contract the owner must give each resident notice of the contract and information about a resident entity's and the locality's right to purchase, describing the terms of the contract including the price and the material terms and conditions. Delivery is prescribed: by certified mail to each resident holding a valid lot rental agreement, by personal delivery to each home, and to the locality through its attorney, the presiding officer of the governing body or the attorney for the Commonwealth. The owner must also send the notice to the Department of Housing and Community Development, which posts the information on its website within three business days. Separately, the owner must give every resident notice of these rights once a year. Va. Code § 55.1-1308.3 A, B; Va. Code § 55.1-1308.4 C
What triggers the notice Entering into a contract to sell the park to a third party, which starts a five-business-day notice; the owner must also tell residents about their purchase rights once a year. The contract itself is the trigger, and the owner may not sign one with anyone other than a resident entity unless the agreement is contingent on giving the notice and the purchase opportunity the act requires. A separate annual notice of rights must go by mail to each resident and by personal delivery to each home, and be posted in prominent places around the park. Where the price changes by more than five percent, or a later offer carries a different price or materially different terms, the notice duties run again, and anyone who has already given notice of intent to exercise the right must be told of the change. Va. Code § 55.1-1308.3 A, B, G, H, I; Va. Code § 55.1-1308.4 C
Residents' purchase right Right of first refusal (match the offer) Virginia gives residents a true right of first refusal, with the locality standing behind them. Since July 1, 2026 a resident entity may buy the park at the same price and on substantially equivalent terms and conditions as the third-party purchase agreement; the resident entity holds first priority and the locality second. The entity must give written notice of intent within 15 days of the sale notice, and the locality gets a further 15 days if the residents do not act. A contract term penalizing the owner for accepting the residents' or the locality's offer instead is void and unenforceable. The buyer must commit to keeping the property as a manufactured home park for at least 15 years after the sale. Alongside this, the owner must consider any offer a resident entity makes at any time and negotiate in good faith, and must give written reasons if it turns the offer down. Va. Code § 55.1-1308.3 C, D, E, K; Va. Code § 55.1-1308.4 A
Time for residents to respond 15 days Residents have 15 days from the sale notice to say they intend to buy. If they do not, the locality has an additional 15 days to step in. An entity or locality that gives that notice then has up to 60 days from delivering it to submit a proposed purchase agreement, and, unless the parties agree otherwise, 60 days after the date of the agreement to obtain financing and close. Va. Code § 55.1-1308.3 C
Resident-association threshold 50% A resident entity must represent more than half of the households in the park, so the operative threshold is above 50 percent. The statute defines a resident entity as a formal or informal entity that provides documentation showing it represents more than 50 percent of the tenant households holding a valid lot rental agreement at the time an offer to purchase is made. Nothing requires a particular corporate form, which is what lets an informal group qualify. Va. Code § 55.1-1300 definition of "resident entity"
Transfers exempt from the sale rules
  • Sale of the park to a member of the owner's family by blood or marriage.
  • Sale to a person or entity that already owns a portion of the park at the time of the offer or listing.
The list is short by design: two family and co-ownership transfers, and nothing else. There is no carve-out for a transfer by gift, will or operation of law, for a transfer between affiliated companies, for a foreclosure, or for a tax-deferred exchange. A separate provision makes the section secondary to a right of first refusal a locality has already established by putting local funds into the property. 		Va. Code § 55.1-1308.3 F, N
Residents may assign the right to a nonprofit or municipality Yes Both holders of the purchase right may hand it on. A resident entity may assign its rights and responsibilities under the section to the locality or to an organization exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and a locality may assign its rights and responsibilities to such an organization. The 15-year commitment to keep the property as a manufactured home park follows the purchase, and residents may sue over a breach of it. Va. Code § 55.1-1308.3 K, M
Penalty for violating the sale rules A resident may recover actual damages and statutory damages equal to 12 times their monthly lot rent, plus reasonable attorney fees, where the sale rules are broken; the locality may sue in circuit court. The sale sections carry their own remedies and they are the heaviest in the act. Any person holding a valid lot rental agreement may sue for injunctive relief, damages or both where the owner does not give the required notice or will not negotiate in good faith with a resident entity, and where a purchaser breaks the 15-year preservation commitment. The prevailing party is entitled to attorney fees. A locality may bring an action in circuit court against an owner that does not comply. A seller may record an affidavit of compliance with the notice requirements together with copies of the notices: recording it is presumptive evidence of compliance for good title in the hands of a bona fide purchaser, and failing to record it is presumptive evidence of noncompliance. Elsewhere in the act, a willful violation of the landlord's obligations, the prohibited-charges section, the sale-of-the-home section or the retaliation section lets the resident recover the greater of one month's rent or actual damages, plus attorney fees. Va. Code § 55.1-1308.3 J, K, L; Va. Code § 55.1-1308.4 B; Va. Code § 55.1-1308.5; Va. Code § 55.1-1318

G. The resident's home

Rule Virginia law Source
Right to sell the home in place Yes A resident may sell the home where it stands. A landlord may not unreasonably refuse or restrict the sale or rental of a manufactured home located in the park by a resident, and the burden of proving that a refusal or restriction was reasonable falls on the landlord. The written rental agreement may not contain a provision prohibiting the resident from selling the home, and a resident who has been evicted still has 90 days after judgment to sell it in place. Va. Code § 55.1-1310; Va. Code § 55.1-1301 A; Va. Code § 55.1-1316
Park may not take a commission on the sale Yes A landlord may not demand or receive a commission on the sale of a manufactured home located in the park. The same section also bars an entrance fee, an exit fee for moving a home out, a fee for improvements or installations inside a home, and a payment from a cable television provider merely for access to the park. A willful violation lets the resident recover the greater of one month's rent or actual damages, plus attorney fees. Va. Code § 55.1-1306 A; Va. Code § 55.1-1318
Park may screen the buyer Yes The park may screen a buyer who will live in the home, but only within limits. The resident must give the landlord notice of the sale or rental, including the name of the prospective buyer or renter if that person intends to occupy the home. The landlord may then refuse or restrict the sale only where doing so is reasonable, and it carries the burden of proving that it was. Va. Code § 55.1-1310
Buyer-approval standard and deadline The landlord may refuse or restrict a sale or rental only where the refusal is reasonable, and it bears the burden of proving that it was; the act sets no deadline for an answer. Reasonableness is the whole of the standard, and the act does not spell out what counts. It does not require the answer to be in writing, does not set a number of days, and does not say the landlord must accept a buyer who meets the park's ordinary criteria. The landlord may also prescribe reasonable requirements about the style, size or quality of the home and other structures as a condition of occupancy. A buyer who will occupy the home enters a new written rental agreement, since no home may be placed on a lot until one is signed. Va. Code § 55.1-1310; Va. Code § 55.1-1306 C; Va. Code § 55.1-1301 A
Home may not be rejected for age, size or style alone Yes A park may not refuse or restrict the sale of a home because of its age, but it may set reasonable style, size and quality requirements. The sale section says a refusal or restriction based exclusively or predominantly on the age of the home is unreasonable, and the landlord carries the burden of proving any refusal reasonable. Separately, nothing in the act stops a landlord from prescribing reasonable requirements governing the style, size or quality of a manufactured home or other structures placed on the lot as a condition of occupancy, except in connection with the initial leasing of a newly constructed lot. Va. Code § 55.1-1310 B; Va. Code § 55.1-1306 C
Park may require repairs before sale No state rule The act does not say whether a park may require repairs or upgrades to a home before a sale. Neither the section on selling or renting the home nor the section on prohibited demands and conditions of occupancy addresses pre-sale work. What governs instead is the general reasonableness limit: a refusal or restriction on a sale must be reasonable, with the landlord proving it was, and any condition of occupancy about the style, size or quality of the home must itself be reasonable. Va. Code § 55.1-1310; Va. Code § 55.1-1306 C
Right to post a For Sale sign Yes A landlord may not stop a home owner from putting a for-sale sign on or in the home. The protection is qualified: the size, placement and character of all signs remain subject to the park's rules and regulations. A willful violation of this section lets the resident recover the greater of one month's rent or actual damages, plus attorney fees. Va. Code § 55.1-1310; Va. Code § 55.1-1318

H. The eight federal lender protections — which ones Virginia law already requires

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac require eight tenant site lease protections in every manufactured housing community loan they buy. Where state law already requires a protection of every park, a resident has it whether or not the park has agency financing. Virginia law requires 5 of 8. All 50 states are compared in our research study, including the 2018 federal survey baseline.

ProtectionVirginia lawBasis
One-year renewable lease term unless there is good cause for non-renewal Required A landlord must offer every current and prospective year-round resident an agreement of not less than one year, the agreement renews automatically for the same duration, and it must be renewed except for reasons that would justify termination or eviction, with 90 days' written notice stating the reason. (Va. Code § 55.1-1302)
30-day written notice of rent increases Required A lot-rent increase can only come through a written notice of a change in the terms of the agreement given at least 60 days before the expiration date, which exceeds the 30 days the protection calls for and applies statewide. (Va. Code § 55.1-1302)
5-day grace period for rent payments and the right to cure defaults on rent payments Partly The cure limb is met and the grace limb is not. A resident always has 14 days after the written notice to pay the rent and stop the termination, but no statute bars a late fee for a set number of days after the due date; the act only requires the late charge to be in the written agreement and caps it at the lesser of 10 percent of the periodic rent or 10 percent of the balance owed. (Va. Code § 55.1-1245; Va. Code § 55.1-1302)
Right to sell the manufactured home without having to first relocate it out of the community Required A landlord may not unreasonably refuse or restrict the sale of a manufactured home located in the park, and bears the burden of proving any refusal or restriction was reasonable; the written agreement may not contain a provision prohibiting the resident from selling the home. Requiring removal on a sale would be a restriction the landlord would have to justify. (Va. Code § 55.1-1310; Va. Code § 55.1-1301)
Right to sell the manufactured home in place within 30 days after eviction by the community owner Required A resident who has been evicted has 90 days after judgment is entered to sell the home in place, three times the 30 days the protection calls for, conditioned on paying the rent that accrued before judgment and the monthly rent as it falls due and on maintaining the lot. (Va. Code § 55.1-1316)
Right to sublease or assign the pad site lease for the unexpired term to the new buyer of the home without unreasonable restraint Partly The unreasonable-restraint limb is met and the assignment limb is missing. A landlord may not unreasonably refuse or restrict a sale or rental of the home to a person who will occupy it, and carries the burden of proving reasonableness, but no provision lets the buyer take over the unexpired lot lease: a new written agreement must be signed before that tenancy begins. (Va. Code § 55.1-1310; Va. Code § 55.1-1301)
Right to post "For Sale" signs that comply with the community's rules Required A landlord may not prohibit a home owner from placing a for-sale sign on or in the home, subject only to the park's rules on the size, placement and character of signs. (Va. Code § 55.1-1310)
Right to receive at least 60 days' notice of a planned sale or closure of the community Partly The closure limb is met and the sale limb falls short. Closing a park or changing its use takes 180 days' certified-mail notice to every resident, but on a sale the residents' window is 15 days from the notice to give written notice of intent to exercise the right of first refusal, with a further 15 days for the locality, so fewer than 60 days may pass between the sale notice and a completed third-party sale. An entity that does give notice then has up to 60 days to submit a purchase agreement and 60 more to close. (Va. Code § 55.1-1308; Va. Code § 55.1-1308.3)

Notes and caveats

Common questions: Virginia mobile home park law

Each answer is the verified value from the tables above, restated as a direct answer. Free to quote with a link to this page.

How much notice must a Virginia park give before raising lot rent?
60 days. A lot-rent increase takes 60 days' written notice before the agreement's expiration date, and it can only take effect when the agreement renews.
Is there a limit on how much lot rent can go up in Virginia?
Virginia sets no state rule on this. Virginia sets no ceiling on how much lot rent may rise.
Can a Virginia park owner end a lot tenancy without cause?
No — a Virginia park may end a lot tenancy only for a listed cause. A lot tenancy may be ended only for a reason the law recognizes.
How much notice must a Virginia park give before closing or changing use?
6 months. Closing a park or changing its use takes 180 days' written notice by certified mail to every resident.
Does a Virginia park have to pay residents' relocation costs when it closes?
Yes — Virginia law requires a relocation payment when a park closes or changes use. Relocation money is required, but only on one trigger: the park is sold to a buyer that will redevelop it and change its use.
Do Virginia residents get a chance to buy the park when it is sold?
Yes — a right of first refusal (match the offer). Virginia gives residents a true right of first refusal, with the locality standing behind them.
Can a Virginia resident sell the home in place without moving it out of the park?
Yes — a Virginia resident may sell the home in place. A resident may sell the home where it stands.

Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, Virginia Mobile Home Park Laws (verified August 18, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/mobile-home-parks/virginia/" — free to cite and quote with a link (how these records are verified).

Citations

Every row above links the section it rests on. This topic covers all 50 states; the topic hub compares them side by side.