Before You Sign the Lot Lease

45%

National lot rent increases have averaged 45% over the past decade.

Source: Realtor.com News, May 2026, citing GAO/industry data

$10,000+

Moving a manufactured home can cost more than $10,000.

Source: Manufactured Housing Institute, via press reports

3.2 million

About 3.2 million people aged 60+ live in a mobile home.

Source: CFPB data spotlight, 2022

Vern Tolliver

31 years managing mobile home parks in Polk & Highlands County, Florida

Vern is the fictional narrator of our YouTube channel, voiced by an AI presenter. The guide’s facts are researched from state law and government sources.

Why I wrote this

I Quit the Week They Handed Me the Rent Letters.

Folks,

I started in 1987 as the maintenance man at a 212-lot park outside Lakeland. By '92 I was running the place. For 31 years I managed parks for the same family-owned company — four of them by the end.

I wasn't a saint. I enforced rules I didn't always agree with, and I let folks sign leases I knew they hadn't read. I'll own that.

Then in 2021 the family sold all four parks to an out-of-state investment company. I stayed eight months. Then one Monday they set a stack of rent-increase letters on my desk and told me to deliver them.

"Those weren't tenants. Those were people I'd known for 25 years. Widows. Fellas I'd fixed water heaters for. I handed in my keys that week."

Here's what I learned from sitting on the other side of that desk: the park office knows things you don't. Not because it's a secret — because nobody ever sits you down and explains it.

So I wrote it all down. What to ask before you buy. What to look for in the paperwork. What to do when the letter comes. Where to turn in your state. Plain English, big print, no sales pitch.

I'm not a lawyer and I won't pretend to be. But I can tell you where the trapdoors are, because I watched a lot of good people fall through them.

— Vern

From the other side of the desk

The 5 Things the Park Office Won't Tell You

Not because they're hiding it. Because nobody asks.

The lot rent is the business. Your home is how they keep you.

A park doesn't make its money selling homes. It makes it from the rent on the ground under them — every month, for as long as you stay. That's why investors want parks.
Your home is a lot harder to move than you think.

Moving a manufactured home can cost more than $10,000 — and older homes may not be movable at all. When moving isn't realistic, the owner of the ground has the leverage.
The lease, the rules and the fees are three different things.

Folks read the monthly number and stop. The rent increase rules, "pass-through" fees, utility billing and park rules are where the real cost hides.
A friendly manager's promise doesn't bind the next owner.

"Oh, we never raise it much" means nothing when the park changes hands. If it isn't in writing, plan as if it was never said.
The park can be sold out from under you.

What protections you have depends on your state — and on what you did before the sale. Most residents find out too late.

Show Me What to Do — $27

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Straight talk

Is This Guide for You?

This is for you if…

You're thinking of buying a home in a mobile home park or 55+ community
You already own your home but rent the lot under it
Your park was just sold — or you've heard rumors it might be
A rent increase letter just showed up and you don't know your options
You're on a fixed income and can't afford surprises
You're helping a parent decide whether park living makes sense

This is NOT for you if…

You want legal advice for your specific case — you need a local lawyer or legal aid for that
You're a park investor looking to raise rents (plenty of books for you already)
You want a promise that your rent won't go up — nobody honest can give you that
You live outside the US — this is written for US parks and US rules

What's inside

Nine Chapters. Everything I Wish Residents Had Known.

A 60–80 page large-print PDF, packed with checklists and "Vern's note" boxes.

Chapter 1

How a Park Really Makes Money (and Why That Changed)

Why lot rent is the whole business
Why investors are buying parks
Why "hard to move" is the park's leverage — with sourced numbers

Chapter 2

The Four Ways to Live

Family-owned vs. corporate/investor parks
Resident-owned communities (co-ops)
Owning your own land — honest pros and cons of each

Chapter 3

Before You Buy: The Park

Who owns it, when they bought it, and 5 years of rent history
Lease length, increase rules, pass-through fees, utilities
55+ age rules, pets, guests — and what happens if it's sold
How to check court records and talk to residents

Chapter 4

Before You Buy: The Home

Reading the HUD data plate and certification label
Why homes built before June 15, 1976 are a different animal
Wind zones, tie-downs, soft floors, roof, underbelly, skirting
Title vs. real property, and why age affects resale

Chapter 5

The Real Monthly Number

Chattel loans vs. mortgages, in plain English
Lot rent + taxes + insurance + utilities, all in one place
Stress-test your budget against a 5% or 10% rent increase

Chapter 6

When the Rent Increase Letter Arrives

How to read the notice and check it against your lease
Asking for the justification in writing
Organizing neighbors, mediation and complaint routes, legal aid
The one thing you must NOT do

Chapter 7

When the Park Is Sold

Notice and opportunity-to-purchase laws in some states
How residents have bought their parks (ROC USA and similar)
The documents to gather and keep

Chapter 8

Selling Your Home While It Sits in the Park

Park approval of buyers and selling in place
Dealers vs. private sale
The records that make your home easier to sell

Chapter 9

Staying Safe, Insured and in Good Standing

Insurance basics, including named-storm deductibles in Florida
Anchors, rule violations, and how park evictions generally work
Why you keep everything in writing — plus a state resources table and a plain-English glossary

Bonus at the back of the book

8 Printable Tools, Ready to Use

Print them, take them to the park office, fill them in at the kitchen table.

Park Visit Scorecard

Rate every park you visit on the things that matter.

25 Questions to Ask the Park Office

Bring it with you. Write down the answers.

Home Walk-Around Checklist

What to look at, inside and underneath.

Real Monthly Number Worksheet

Every cost, one page, one honest total.

Lot Rent History Tracker

Keep a record of every increase and notice.

Letter: Requesting the Reason for a Rent Increase

A fill-in-the-blanks letter, ready to send.

Letter: Request for Copies of Lease, Rules & Prospectus

Get the paperwork in your hands.

Neighbor Meeting Sign-Up Sheet

For when it's time to get organized.

All 8 tools included — no extra charge

Put it in perspective

Put $27 Next to the Numbers That Matter

Moving a manufactured homeCan cost more than $10,000 — Manufactured Housing Institute, via press reports

$10,000+

Just a $50/month lot rent increase, over one yearExample arithmetic ($50 × 12), not a prediction — your park's numbers will differ

$600

Signing a lease you didn't fully understandYou'll live with it for as long as you live there

Before You Sign the Lot Lease + 8 printable toolsLaunch price — regularly $27Instant PDF download

~~$27~~$27

One good question asked before you sign can be worth more than the whole book.

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Everything you get

Get Before You Sign the Lot Lease

The complete guide — 9 chapters, large print PDF✓
8 printable checklists, worksheets & letters✓
State resources table & plain-English glossary✓
Instant download — read on any device✓

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Yes, Send Me the Guide — $27

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Questions

Common Questions

How do I get the book?

Right after checkout you'll be able to download the PDF instantly. Nothing is mailed — it's a digital book, so there's no waiting and no shipping.

Will it work on my phone, tablet or computer?

Yes. It's a standard PDF, so it opens on an iPhone, Android phone, iPad or other tablet, Windows computer or Mac. On a tablet you can pinch to make the text even bigger.

Can I print it?

Yes. It's laid out on US Letter pages, so it prints on a regular home printer. The 8 tools at the back are designed to be printed and filled in by hand.

Is the print big enough to read comfortably?

It's designed to be large-print friendly, with body text at 13pt or larger, plenty of white space, and clear headings and checklists.

Does it cover my state?

It's written for US mobile home parks and 55+ manufactured home communities. The rules that protect residents vary a lot from state to state, and they change. The book explains what to look for and the kinds of protections some states have, uses Florida as a worked example in places, and includes a state resources table. Always check your own state's current rules.

Is this legal or financial advice?

No. It's general information from a retired park manager's point of view. Vern isn't a lawyer or a licensed professional. For your specific situation, talk to a local attorney, legal aid office or your state's housing agency — the book shows you how to find them.

I already live in a park. Is it too late?

Not at all. Chapters 5 through 9 are for current residents: budgeting for increases, what to do when the rent letter comes, what to do if the park is sold, selling your home in place, and staying in good standing.

How long does the launch price last?

The launch price of $17 ends on the date shown. After that, the price goes back to the regular $27.

The next letter is coming either way

Read This Before You Sign. Or Before You Pay That Increase.

Thirty-one years of what the park office knows, in plain English, big print, no sales pitch.

$27 $27