Georgia Mobile Home Park Laws: No Park Act, 60-Day Rent Notice

Short answer: Georgia mobile home park laws are thin: the state has no manufactured home park act, so if you own your home and rent the lot, your rights come mostly from your lease and Georgia’s general landlord-tenant law in Title 44, Chapter 7. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs handbook says a tenant at will must get 60 days’ notice of a rent increase, and since House Bill 404 (2024) a park must give a written three-business-day notice to pay or vacate before filing for eviction over unpaid rent.

That gap matters. Many states give lot renters a long list of park-specific protections. In Georgia, the lease you signed does much of the work those statutes do elsewhere, so read it closely.

Georgia at a glance

Georgia mobile home park laws: what applies to a lot renter

The DCA handbook explains that a mobile home is personal property, not real property, unless it is permanently affixed or bolted to the land. Because of that, the handbook warns that ordinary landlord-tenant rules may not apply to mobile homes in the same ways they apply to apartments.

For you as a home owner renting a lot, the practical result is this: the park is your landlord for the ground, the common areas and any services in the lease. You are your own landlord for the home itself. The handbook says the landowner does not have to repair a mobile home it does not own, but it must keep the lot and the park’s common areas in good repair.

Georgia’s 2024 reforms also reach you. House Bill 404 added a duty of habitability to Chapter 7 and capped security deposits at two months’ rent in new § 44-7-30.1. If the park took a deposit, our Georgia security deposit law guide explains how to get it back.

Lot rent increases in Georgia

No Georgia statute sets a separate notice period or percentage limit for lot rent. The DCA handbook states the general rules instead:

• Rent can rise during a lease only if the lease says it may, and the lease controls how much and how often.
• A new owner of the property generally takes over existing leases and cannot raise rents or change rules mid-lease.
• If you are a tenant at will, which usually means month-to-month with no fixed term, the landlord must give 60 days’ notice of a rent increase. After those 60 days, a new tenancy at will begins at the new rent.

Because the lease decides so much, look for clauses on automatic increases, utility pass-throughs and rule changes before you sign. Our guide to Georgia rent increase laws covers the same 60-day rule for apartments.

Eviction from a Georgia park

A park needs a court order to remove you or your home. Georgia does not list special “just cause” grounds for park evictions, so a park can generally end a month-to-month tenancy with notice, or evict for unpaid rent or a lease violation. The DCA handbook says a landlord can end a tenancy at will with 60 days’ notice.

For unpaid lot rent, HB 404 rewrote § 44-7-50. The park must give you a notice to vacate or pay all past-due rent, late fees, utilities and other charges within three business days. Only if you refuse to pay or leave can it file a dispossessory affidavit in court.

Once you are served, the handbook gives you 7 days to answer. In a nonpayment case, you can also “tender” all rent and fees owed plus court costs within 7 days of service. That is a complete defense, but you can use it with the same landlord only once in a 12-month period. The court steps are laid out in our Georgia eviction process guide.

The handbook also draws a line about who uses which process. If you rent a mobile home from someone who does not own the land, the home’s owner must use a personal property foreclosure to take the home back, not an eviction. The owner of the land, meaning the park, uses the eviction process to regain the lot.

Park rules, fees and selling your home

Georgia has no statute giving lot renters a guaranteed right to sell the home in place, and none barring a park from charging entrance or transfer fees. Those questions turn on your lease and the park’s written rules. The DCA handbook’s mobile home section does not describe any such right, and under its general rules a landlord who waived a rule cannot simply start enforcing it again without notice.

If you plan to sell, ask the park in writing whether a buyer can keep the home on the lot and what approval the buyer needs. Get the answer in writing before you list.

Abandoned homes and park closures

The one park-related law Georgia did pass deals with homes left behind. The Abandoned Mobile Home Act began as House Bill 381 in the 2017-2018 session. As the DCA handbook summarizes it, a home generally counts as abandoned after at least 90 days unattended on private land without rent or fees being paid, after removal of belongings, cancellation of insurance or cut-off utilities, or if it poses a risk to public health, safety or the environment.

The handbook says the landowner can have a government agent inspect the home. If it is intact, the landowner can place a lien for unpaid rent. If it is derelict, the landowner can notify the responsible parties and remove it if no one requests a hearing within 90 days.

Georgia has no statute requiring advance notice of a park closure or change of use, no relocation fund and no residents’ right of first refusal to buy the park. If your park is sold or closing, your lease term and the 60-day tenancy-at-will rule are your main protections.

Worked example: a month-to-month lot in Dougherty County

Terrence owns a single-wide on a rented lot near Albany with no written lease term, so he is a tenant at will paying $410 a month. On April 1, the park hands him a notice raising the rent to $455. Under the 60-day rule in the DCA handbook, the new rent cannot start before May 31.

In August, Terrence falls behind by $455. Before filing, the park must give him written notice to pay everything owed or vacate within three business days under § 44-7-50(c). It files after the deadline passes. Terrence is served on a Monday and, within 7 days, pays the $455, the late fee and the court costs. That tender ends the case, but he cannot use it against this park again for 12 months.

Where to get help in Georgia

The DCA handbook is blunt: no Georgia government agency can step into a landlord-tenant dispute or order either side to act. You enforce your rights in magistrate court, yourself or with a lawyer. For discrimination, you can file with HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity within one year.

Free civil legal help comes from Georgia Legal Services Program outside metro Atlanta and Atlanta Legal Aid Society in Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett and Clayton counties. See how other states compare in our mobile home park laws by state list and our overview of mobile home park rights.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my mobile home real property or personal property in Georgia?

According to the DCA handbook, it is personal property unless it is permanently affixed or bolted to the land. That is why the park can evict you from the lot but cannot simply take your home through an eviction.

Does Georgia cap lot rent increases?

No Georgia statute caps lot rent. During a lease, rent can rise only if the lease allows it. On a month-to-month lot, the DCA handbook says you are entitled to 60 days’ notice before a higher rent takes effect.

Who fixes the roads and water lines in my park?

The park does. The DCA handbook says the landowner must keep the lot and the park’s common areas in good repair, even though it is not responsible for repairing a home it does not own.

What happens to my home if I leave it behind?

Under the Abandoned Mobile Home Act as the DCA describes it, a home left at least 90 days without rent and with other signs of abandonment can be inspected by a local government agent. The park may then place a lien on an intact home or remove a derelict one after notice.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. If you have a notice in hand, call one of the legal aid offices above or use LSC’s get legal help page to find help near you.

Sources

• Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Georgia Landlord-Tenant Handbook
• Georgia General Assembly, HB 404 (2024), as passed House and Senate
• Georgia General Assembly, HB 381 (2018), Abandoned Mobile Home Act, committee substitute
• HUD, file a fair housing complaint
• Georgia Legal Services Program
• Atlanta Legal Aid Society
• Legal Services Corporation, Get Legal Help