Mobile home residents can face many challenges, among them: park owners withholding titles after homes are fully paid for. NJP attorney Jason Vilaysanh recently represented three such park residents from a single mobile home park in Elma, Washington.
Ed Gains His Title
One of these tenants, Ed, waited seven years to receive the title to his mobile home despite paying the full $8,000 purchase price in 2017.
“When I bought it, it had been vacant for a while and was pretty trashed,” Ed recalled. “I connected the electricity. It didn’t have a kitchen sink, and the hot water heater needed to be replaced. I got the range and refrigerator. I got it livable.”
But the one thing Ed didn’t get was his proof of ownership. "I was needing my title," Ed explained. He wanted to install new flooring and carpet but only with secure ownership.
Ed had been asking for his title for years when NJP’s Jason Vilaysanh heard about his predicament through another resident. “When we learned that Ed hadn’t received title although he had paid off his mobile home six years back, it set our alarm bells off,” Jason says. It was no longer a one-off case, but potentially a wider issue. Another park resident, Tina, had waited two years for her title.
Tina’s Perseverance Pays Off
My husband, adult daughter, and I moved to Washington from Arkansas. We rented in Aberdeen while I looked for work. When I finally found a job at call center, I wanted to eliminate my daily commute.
I thought buying a mobile home might be the best, most affordable choice—and I'd lived in a beautiful one in Arkansas. Driving through a mobile home park in Elma, I chatted with a man sitting on his porch, and before I knew, I was being shown a great home for sale. It was a double-wide, one of the few in the park, spacious and cleat. For $17,500, with $3,000 down and a five-year loan, it was a no-brainer. Plus, it was only seven miles from my job.
My contract with the mobile park owner clearly stated that I'd receive the title once the loan was paid in full. In 2022, I made my final payment, but when I asked about my title, I got no response. I kept reaching out to the park owners—who operate at least seven mobile home parks—but my questions disappeared into a black hole.
Without my title, I could not prove ownership of my asset. If the park were sold, I couldn't even move my home. And, alone, I had no leverage.
The park owners’ non-responsiveness also meant I missed a rare opportunity. The housing market was booming—my mobile home was worth about $60,000 at one point. I could have sold it and used that money toward a condo to help stabilize my golden years. But without the title, I couldn't sell. In the meantime, the rent for my space kept going up. It started at $395 a month and is now $670.
I found out that several other homeowners had not received their titles, including a woman who had contacted Northwest Justice Project (NJP) for help. Until then, I had no idea such advocacy existed. When I connected with Jason at NJP, the communication was excellent—no beating around the bush. He explained my rights and outlined the steps we'd take. I waited anxiously as he persistently followed up.
Then in October 2024, right when I turned retirement age, my company downsized and I lost my job.
Meanwhile, NJP filed a complaint through the Mobile Home Dispute Resolution Program with the Washington Attorney General's Office. Jason even encouraged investigation of this as a bigger systemic issue with the park owners.
Perseverance paid off and with NJP’s advocacy, I finally received my title in 2024.
Looking back, I realize how important it is to have clarity about your situation and to network. Document everything. Be proactive. The problem you’re facing could be quite rampant, and you could make a difference by speaking up.
Triple Win
All three cases that Jason took to the Attorney General's Manufactured Housing Dispute Resolution Program (MHDRP) were successfully resolved. The Program contacted the park owners. Finally, when faced with the potential of legal action against them, the park owners produced the titles.
As rents for mobile park spaces continue to quickly rise, the work of NJP and of the Attorney General’s office remains crucial for protecting the rights and financial security of Washington's mobile home residents, and homeowners who have concerns about these or other issues can continue to file complaints with the MHDRP.