Distribution of the Mobilehome Residency Law (MRL)

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Under current law, owners of mobilehome communities are required to distribute to all homeowners a copy of the Mobilehome Residency Law (“MRL”) on or before February 1 of each year when there has been a significant change to the MRL.

Now beginning January 1, 2011, community owners have a choice.  They can either distribute a copy of the MRL to all homeowners, as they did before, OR they can notify all homeowners in writing by February 1 of each year that there has been a significant change in the MRL and notifying the homeowner that he/she can request a copy of the updated MRL from the community management at no charge. Upon a request by a homeowner, Community owners and management are required to provide a copy of the MRL to the homeowner within 7 days of the request.  The request by the homeowner may be verbal or written.

This new change in the law could save community owners time and money. The current MRL is about 20 pages long and copying and distributing the MRL to all homeowners by February 1 can be expensive and time consuming.  With this new law change, community owners only have to provide copies of the updated MRL to a homeowner that requests a copy.

Please remember that this new “written notice of the change in the MRL” and opportunity to request a copy must go out to each homeowner on or before February 1 of each year where there has been a significant change in the MRL from the prior year.  Since there is no definition as to what constitutes a “significant change in the MRL,” it is advised that community owners send this notice out every February 1, regardless, allowing homeowners to request and obtain a copy of the new MRL each year.

As a word of caution, if you decide to send out a written notice to the homeowners of the MRL change instead of the actual MRL, please make sure your management office has an adequate supply of the updated MRL copies on hand to give out to requesting homeowners within 7 days of the request.

For an explanation regarding what this new written notice about the MRL change and request should include, please contact our offices for a free sample notice.  A link to the 2011 Mobilehome Residency Law can be found on the resources page of The Cross Law Firm’s website. For other questions regarding this law change, the MRL or a mobilehome legal question, please contact Tamara Cross at The Cross Law Firm, APC for assistance: (800) 859-2064 or locally in San Diego at (619) 296-0567.

+TamaraCross