Mobile Home Tenant Law
If I purchase a mobile home in a mobile home park in California, and I am accepted by park’s back ground check, etc., does the park have the legal right to dictate who I have as a roomate? I have a friend who has a sex offender status who would like to share my home. He is on the Natl Registry, but not considered high-risk.
Re: Mobile Home Tenant Law
You will find that most mobile home parks have adopted the standards which State law sets forth regarding who is a “guest” and therefore not subject to registration, and a “roommmate” who is subject to registration and approval by the park management. If his intention is to stay more than 30 days in a given year, he is going to be required to register.
You should also know that the park does not have to allow you to sublet a room in your home to a roommate – check Civil Code §798.23.5 for information about subletting roommates and the requirement that they be qualified to live in the home just like you.
That being said, they generally do not, and I would argue under the mobile home residency law, cannot turn him down on the basis of the registry. The sole criteria under Civil Code §798.74 for a park to determine eligibility for anyone to live in the park are (1) ability to pay the rent, and (2) ability to comply with the park rules. Anything they ask about beyond that – except in age-restricted parks – is illegal and not a valid criteria for determining someone’s eligibility. Your neighbor’s won’t particularly like you when they find out about his registry, but the park probably cannot keep him out based solely on that.
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David Gibbs
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