Manufactured Home Parks

Park Closing

A park owner must follow certain steps before closing a park. The park owner must provide a “closure statement” to the commissioners of health and the housing finance agency, the local planning agency, and each resident at least nine months before the planned closing.¹²⁴ The “closure statement” says the park is closing, lists replacement housing within 25 miles of the park, and gives cost estimates for moving homes from the park.¹²⁵ The “closure statement” must include the following language in a font not smaller than 14 point: “YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION FROM THE MINNESOTA MANUFACTURED HOME RELOCATION TRUST FUND ADMINISTERED BY THE MINNESOTA HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY.”¹²⁶

Within 90 days after receiving notice of a closure statement, the governing body of the affected local government authority will hold a public hearing to review the closure statement and determine the impact of the park closing.¹²⁷ The municipality must mail residents a notice, at least ten days before the hearing, stating the time, place, and purpose of the hearing.¹²⁸ Residents may not be required to move until 90 days after the conclusion of the public hearing.¹²⁹ At the time of the public hearing, displaced residents must be informed that they may be eligible for payment from the Minnesota Manufactured Home Relocation Trust Fund as compensation for reasonable relocation costs.¹³⁰ In some instances, the municipality may have other parties, including the municipality, pay relocation costs for the displaced residents.¹³¹ A “displaced resident” includes residents and members of the resident’s household as of the date the closure statement is submitted.¹³²

If a person purchasing a manufactured home park intends to close or change it within one year of the purchase agreement, the person must notify the park owner in writing. The park owner must then give each resident a 45-day notice of the purchaser’s intent to close or convert the park. The 45-day written notice must:¹³³

1. State the park owner will provide information on the price, terms, and conditions of the buyer’s offer.
2. Be sent by first class mail to all residents, and be made available in alternative formats or translations if requested by a resident as a reasonable accommodation due to a disability or if there is not an adult resident who speaks the language the notice is provided in.
3. Indicate that the notice to residents begins on the postmark date and runs for 45 days.

During the notice period, 51 percent of the residents in the park may work together to meet the buyer’s cash price and purchase the park themselves to keep it as a manufactured housing community. The park owner must accept the counteroffer from the residents if it meets the cash price of the first offer, and if the counteroffer agrees to the material terms and conditions set forth in the purchaser’s offer.¹³⁴

Notice of Sale

If a park owner is selling a manufactured home park and advertising it for sale through a publication, newspaper, or realtor, the park owner must, at the same time, give a written notice to all residents of the park.¹³⁵ If time is required to sell the park, the owner is only required to provide residents with written notice once each year.

If a park owner receives an unsolicited offer to buy the park, and they are considering accepting or negotiating the offer, the park owner must immediately send a notice to every household in the park.  This notice must tell residents about the offer, and must share the price range and important terms that the owner would consider selling the park to the park's residents instead.  (However, the owner is not required to accept an offer from the residents.)¹³⁶