Can a Park Stop You From Selling Your Mobile Home? Oregon Law (ORS 90.680)
No. Under Oregon law — ORS 90.680 — a park cannot stop you from selling your manufactured or mobile home on its rented space, and it cannot make you move the home off the lot just because you sold it. That is the short answer. But there is a second half to the story: your buyer still needs the park's approval to keep the home on the lot. This page explains both halves in plain language. It covers homes in parks and on leased land in Oregon. It does not cover selling land.
What the park cannot do
Oregon law draws a clear line. A park cannot:
- Deny your right to sell. The park cannot refuse to let you sell your home while it sits on its rented space.
- Force removal because of the sale. The park cannot require you to move the home off the lot solely because you sold it.
- Force you to use the park as your seller. The park cannot require, as a condition of your tenancy, that you let the park sell the home for you (called "consignment"). If you do agree to a consignment sale, it must be in a written contract, and the park must be licensed to sell manufactured dwellings.
- Take a commission or fee from your sale. Without a written consignment contract under which the park acted as your representative, the park cannot take a commission, a fee, or a share of your sale proceeds — no matter what it calls the charge.
- Reject your buyer because of the home itself. The park cannot reject a buyer's tenancy application, or require the home to be removed, because of the home's age, size, style, or construction material — including a home built before the 1974 federal construction standards.
- Ban your "for sale" sign. The park cannot deny you the right to put a "for sale" sign on or in your home, although reasonable rules about the sign's size, placement, and character may apply.
- Mislead your buyer about your home. The park cannot knowingly make false statements to a prospective buyer about the quality of your home.
What the park can require: buyer approval
Here is where sellers get confused. The park cannot stop you from selling — but if your buyer wants to leave the home on its lot and become a tenant, the park may require the buyer to apply and be accepted first. Under ORS 90.680, the park may require, in the rental agreement:
- A complete written application from your buyer before the sale, and the buyer may not move in until the park accepts them as a tenant.
- Up to 10 days' written notice from you before the sale of the home on a rented space.
- Back rent and charges paid in full by the buyer before the park accepts them — all rents, fees, deposits, or charges you owe under the rental agreement must be settled first (unless the sale is by a lienholder).
- Notice to the people involved — you must tell any lienholder, prospective buyer, or licensed seller about the application requirement, the location of working smoke alarms, and the park's rules.
When the park requires an application, it must give the buyer a copy of the application on request, along with the park's statement of policy, the rental agreement, the park rules, any outstanding notices about the home's condition, and a list of any disrepair or failures to maintain the space. Our park approval guide walks through this screening step from the practical side — what to ask the park before you list, and how to avoid delays.
The park's deadline — and what happens if it misses it
The law gives the park a short clock, and that clock protects you:
- 7 days to accept or reject a complete, accurate written application — or 10 days if you did not give the park the 10 days' notice before the sale.
- A rejection must be reasonable. The park must apply screening standards substantially similar to the ones it applies to buyers of its own homes, and it cannot reject a buyer unreasonably. Except where a consumer report is involved, the park must give you and the buyer a written statement of the reasons for the rejection.
- If the park misses the deadline, it loses its say. If the park never requires an application, or does not accept or reject the buyer within the required time, the park waives its right to object — and your buyer, once the sale completes, may occupy the home as a tenant under the same conditions and terms you had.
One caution: even after acceptance, the park may require the new tenant to complete repairs, maintenance, and improvements listed in the notices given during the application — and if those are not completed within six months after the tenancy begins, the park may move to terminate the tenancy. Make sure your buyer sees those lists before closing.
What to do if the park pushes back
- Put everything in writing. If the park tells you that you cannot sell, or that your buyer cannot stay, ask for the reason in writing. A verbal "no" is easy to give and hard to challenge.
- Check the reason against the list above. Is the park objecting to the sale itself, or to the buyer as a tenant? Only the second is something the park may weigh in on — and only through its written application process.
- Start the buyer application early. Get the application in as soon as you have a serious buyer, and keep proof of the date it was submitted complete. The 7-day (or 10-day) clock runs from a complete application.
- Keep rent and charges current. Back rent owed by you must be paid before the park accepts your buyer, so a balance you forgot about can stall an otherwise clean sale.
- Get help before you give in. If the park demands a commission without a written consignment contract, demands removal solely because of the sale, or rejects a buyer because of the home's age, that is exactly what ORS 90.680 forbids. Talk to an attorney before agreeing to any of it — this page explains the law in plain language, but it is not legal advice.
How this fits with selling through GoOnMLS
GoOnMLS lists your home; it does not buy homes, and it cannot guarantee a sale or a timeline. The $299 tier lists your home on MyStateMLS with up to 20 photos and syndication. The $1,999 tier adds transaction coordination, which helps keep steps like the park application and the DCBS ownership transfer on track. The three tiers are cumulative — each includes everything in the tiers below it. The $5,999 full-service tier is limited to Portland metro area. See all three tiers in detail, and read our guide to selling a mobile home in an Oregon park for the full process from pricing to closing. If you have questions about your park's rules, check the FAQ or call us — the number below reaches a person, not a phone tree.
Note: this page summarizes ORS 90.680 in plain language based on the statute text as published. It is general information, not legal advice. If your park is threatening removal, demanding a fee, or rejecting a buyer, talk to an Oregon attorney before you act.