Short answer: Idaho mobile home park laws, found in the Manufactured Home Residency Act (Idaho Code Title 55, Chapter 20), let a park raise lot rent only after your lease term expires and only with 90 days’ written notice under Idaho Code § 55-2006(1). During a lease, the park can end your tenancy only for the reasons in § 55-2010, and closing a park takes at least 180 days’ written notice.
Idaho’s version also does something many states skip. It forces increases to be uniform, so the park cannot single out one household for a bigger hike than its neighbors in the same rent tier.
Idaho mobile home park laws at a glance
| Rule | Idaho | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Who is covered | Residents renting a lot in a community of 2 or more homes; not home-and-lot rentals or RV sites | §§ 55-2003, 55-2004 |
| Lot rent increase | Only after the lease term ends, with 90 days’ written notice; uniform within each rent tier | § 55-2006(1)-(2) |
| Rule changes | 90 days’ notice; no more than once every 6 months | § 55-2006(3) |
| Eviction for unpaid rent | 3 days to pay after written notice, then a 30-day notice to vacate | § 55-2010(1)(b) |
| Eviction for rule violations | 3 days to comply, then a 20-day notice to vacate | § 55-2010(1)(a) |
| Park closure | At least 180 days’ written notice; no rent increase during the notice period | § 55-2010(1)(d) |
| Nonrenewal | At least 90 days’ written notice | § 55-2010(2) |
Who the Manufactured Home Residency Act covers
The Act applies to any rental agreement between a landlord and a resident for a lot, under § 55-2004. It does not apply when the landlord rents you both the lot and the home, or when the lot is rented for an RV or travel trailer. Park model RVs are the exception and are covered.
The coverage threshold is low. Under § 55-2003, a “community” is any real property rented or held out for rent for the placement of two or more homes, mainly to produce income. A lease term that conflicts with the Act is unenforceable to the extent of the conflict.
The Act also requires paper. Under § 55-2005(1), the park must sign a written rental agreement in duplicate with you and hand over the community rules when you apply, before you sign.
Lot rent increases and rule changes
Three limits work together in § 55-2006:
- Timing. Rent can go up or down only after the lease term expires, and only with 90 days’ written notice sent by first-class mail, certified mail or personal delivery.
- Uniformity. Increases must be uniform throughout the community. If rents are tiered by lot size, home size, amenities or location, the increase must be uniform within each tier.
- Frequency. The park must give 90 days’ written notice before amending the rental agreement and cannot amend the agreement or rules more than once in a 6-month period.
There is no dollar or percentage cap. Section 55-2006(4) points to § 55-306, which bars cities and counties from regulating rent on private residential property, so no local lot-rent ordinance can fill the gap. The one shortcut is an escalation clause: a lease may pass through your share of changes in property taxes, utility assessments or included services, with 30 days’ written notice.
Our guide to Idaho rent increase laws explains the general rules for apartments, which are much looser.
Grounds and notice for eviction
During a lease, § 55-2010(1) lets the park terminate only for:
- Substantial or repeated violations of the rental agreement or written rules. You get written notice to comply. If you do not comply within 3 days, the park may give a 20-day notice to vacate. For a recurring violation, the notice must warn that repeating it will end the tenancy.
- Nonpayment of rent or other charges in the agreement. You get written notice. If you do not pay within 3 days, the park may give a 30-day notice to vacate.
- Closure by government order, with whatever notice the order requires.
- Eminent domain or the end of lot-rental use, with at least 180 days’ written notice.
- Abandonment.
At the end of a lease, § 55-2010(2) requires at least 90 days’ written notice if the park does not intend to renew. You, in turn, must give 30 days’ written notice before your lease expires if you will not renew. You can end the agreement on 30 days’ notice if a job relocation forces a move, and service members with orders may leave on shorter notice. Court procedure is covered in our Idaho eviction process guide.
Selling your home in place, rules and fees
Section 55-2009 bars a park from denying your right to sell your home on a rented lot or making you remove it solely because of the sale. The park cannot take a commission unless it acted as your agent under a written agreement, and only if it holds any license the law requires.
The buyer must sign a new rental agreement before the sale if the home will stay. The park must approve or reject the buyer on the same basis it uses for any new resident, and it must answer in writing within 5 working days of a written application.
Under § 55-2007, a rental agreement may not charge an “entrance fee” or “exit fee,” and it may not make you waive your rights under the Act. Repairs the park requires as a condition of approving an application do not count as an entrance or exit fee.
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Park closure and the residents’ purchase notice
When a park stops renting lots, the 180-day notice in § 55-2010(1)(d) is the main protection. The park must also give a copy of the termination notice to any prospective resident or buyer if the home is to stay, and it cannot raise rent during the notice period. Idaho has no state relocation fund or required relocation payment.
Residents can organize. Section 55-2013A protects the right to form a resident or homeowners’ association and to use community facilities for meetings, subject to reasonable notice and rules. An association formed to buy the community can tell the landlord in writing that it is interested. It must give the landlord the names and addresses of three designated members each year. If it asks in writing, the landlord must notify those three members 15 days before signing a purchase agreement.
That is a notice right, not a right of first refusal. The association gets a head start, but the owner does not have to sell to it or match its offer.
Worked example: a lease renewal in Canyon County
Rosa owns a manufactured home in a Nampa community, on a one-year lot lease that ends December 31 at $640 a month. On September 15, the park mails her a notice raising the rent to $690. Because § 55-2006(1) allows increases only after the lease term expires, the new rent can start January 1, more than 90 days after the notice. Every other home in her rent tier must get the same increase.
The following year, the owner decides to end lot rentals. Rosa gets written notice on March 1, so the termination date must be at least 180 days later, no earlier than August 28. Under § 55-2010(1)(d), her rent cannot go up between March 1 and that date.
Where to get help in Idaho
No Idaho agency enforces the Act. The Attorney General’s Landlord and Tenant Manual says the office does not enforce landlord-tenant laws and that tenants and landlords enforce them through private actions. The Act lets the parties agree in writing to mediation or binding arbitration of any dispute, under § 55-2016.
The Idaho courts publish a plain-language handout on manufactured home residents’ rights, form H-5. Also see our Idaho tenant rights overview, the national mobile home park laws by state list and our Idaho security deposit law guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an Idaho park raise my lot rent in the middle of my lease?
No, unless your lease has an escalation clause for taxes, utility assessments or included services. Section 55-2006(1) allows rent changes only after the lease term expires, with 90 days’ written notice.
Can the park charge my neighbor less of an increase than me?
Not if you are in the same rent tier. Section 55-2006(2) requires increases to be uniform throughout the community, or uniform within each tier where rents are tiered by size, amenities or location.
Does the Act cover me if I rent my home from the park?
No. Section 55-2004 excludes arrangements where the landlord rents you both the lot and the home. Idaho’s general landlord-tenant law applies instead.
Does our resident association get first chance to buy the park?
Not exactly. Under § 55-2013A, a registered association that asks in writing gets 15 days’ notice before the owner signs a purchase agreement. The owner is not required to sell to the association.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. If you receive a termination notice, contact a legal aid office or use LSC’s get legal help page before the deadline in the notice passes.
Sources
- Idaho Code § 55-2003, Definitions
- Idaho Code § 55-2004, Chapter governs
- Idaho Code § 55-2005, Rental agreement
- Idaho Code § 55-2006, Adjustments to rent, services, utilities or rules
- Idaho Code § 55-2007, Required provisions and exclusions
- Idaho Code § 55-2009, Sales of homes
- Idaho Code § 55-2010, Terminations
- Idaho Code § 55-2013A, Community resident associations
- Idaho Code § 55-2016, Arbitration and mediation
- Idaho Attorney General, Landlord and Tenant Manual
- Idaho Court Assistance Office, manufactured home residents handout H-5
- Legal Services Corporation, Get Legal Help