MHP Glossary of Terms and Definitions
Mobile Home Park glossary of terms, abbreviations, acronyms, initialisms and definitions of each.
A
- ADU
- Accessory Dwelling Unit (Granny Flat, 400 Square Feet or Less)
- AIN
- Assessor’s Identification Number
- APAC
- All Parks Alliance for Change
- APN
- Assessor’s Parcel Number
B
- Bylaws
- Rules for the conduct of the internal affairs of corporations and other organizations such as Home Owners Associations (HOAs).
C
- CAR
- California Association of Realtors
- CARA
- California Alliance for Retired Americans
- Cash Cow
- Business jargon for mobile/manufactured homes that provide positive cash flows and a return on assets (ROA) that exceeds the market growth rate – Cash Cows generate unusually high profit margins.
- CC&Rs
- Covenants, Conventions and Restrictions
- CCM
- Cascade Corporate Management
- Chattel Mortgage
- Under a typical Chattel Mortgage, the purchaser borrows funds for the purchase of movable personal property, the chattel (mobile home), from the lender. The lender then secures the loan with a mortgage over the chattel. Legal ownership of the chattel is transferred to the purchaser at the time of purchase, and the mortgage is removed once the loan has been repaid.
- Civil Elder Abuse
- Civil law defines civil elder abuse to mean physical abuse, neglect, financial abuse, abandonment, isolation, abduction, or other treatment resulting in physical harm, pain, or mental suffering. It also means the deprivation by a care custodian of goods or services that are necessary to avoid physical harm or mental suffering.
Welfare and Institutions Code Section 15610.07 - CMHI
- California Manufactured Housing Institute
- Coercion
- Compulsion; force; duress. It may be either actual, (direct or positive) where physical force is put upon a person to compel them to do an act against their will, or implied, (legal or constructive) where the relation of the parties is such that one is under subjection to the other, and is thereby constrained to do what their free will would refuse.
- Compel
- Compel means to constrain, oblige and/or coerce someone, in some way, to yield or to do what one wishes e.g. to compel a recalcitrant debtor to pay.
- Compulsion
- Compulsion refers to the forcible inducement to an act. It also means the act of compelling; the state of being compelled; an uncontrollable inclination to do something; duress. Compulsion can take forms other than physical force. The courts have been indisposed to admit it as a defence for any crime committed through yielding to it. It can best be considered under the heads of obedience to orders, martial coercion, duress per minas, and necessity.
- Criminal Elder Abuse
- Civil law defines civil elder abuse to mean physical abuse, neglect, financial abuse, abandonment, isolation, abduction, or other treatment resulting in physical harm, pain, or mental suffering. It also means the deprivation by a care custodian of goods or services that are necessary to avoid physical harm or mental suffering.
Penal Code Section 368
D
- Degentrification
- The reverse process of Gentrification, such that a residential area (mobile home park) previously only affordable to affluent people becomes affordable to those who are poorer.
- Demurrer
- A legal response that a tenant (mobile home owner) can file in an Unlawful Detainer Lawsuit to test the legal sufficiency of the charges made in the mobile home owner's complaint.
- DL
- HCD Dealers License (Mobile/Manufactured Home Dealer)
- Double Net Lease (NN Lease)
- A Commercial Real Estate Lease where the tenant is responsible for base rent plus a pro-rata share of property taxes and property insurance. The landlord covers expenses for structural repairs and common area maintenance. The tenant is responsible for their own janitorial and utility expenses.
- Double Wide
- Two separate sections assembled on site. Standard widths range from 20 to 32 feet. Standard lengths range from 42 to 80 feet.
- Duress
- Duress exists where a person is coerced by the wrongful conduct or threat of another to enter into a contract under circumstances that deprive the individual of his or her volition.
E
- EDMOC
- El Dorado Mobilehome Owners Coalition
- Eviction
- A court administered proceeding for removing a tenant from a mobile home space because the tenant has violated the rental agreement or lease, or did not comply with a 60-day termination of tenancy notice.
- Eviction Notice (aka three-day written notice)
- A three-day written notice that the mobile home park owner and/or management serves on the tenant (mobile home owner) when the tenant has violated the lease or rental agreement. The three-day written notice usually instructs the tenant to either leave the mobile home space or comply with the lease or rental agreement e.g. by paying past-due rent within the three-day written notice period.
- Expert Witness
- An expert witness is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as an expert. The judge may consider the witness's specialized (scientific, technical or other) opinion about evidence or about facts before the court within the expert's area of expertise, referred to as an expert opinion. Expert witnesses may also deliver expert evidence within the area of their expertise.
- Extortion
- A criminal offense of obtaining money, property, or services from a person, entity, individual or institution, through coercion. Extortion does not require a threat of a criminal act, such as violence, merely a threat used to elicit actions, money, or property from the object of the extortion.
F
- FEMA
- Federal Emergency Management Agency
- FHA
- Federal Housing Administration
- Financial Abuse
- Civil Elder Abuse: The illegal or unethical exploitation and/or use of an elder’s funds, property, or other assets.
Welfare and Institutions Code Section 15610.07 - FMRs
- Fair Market Rents – The amount of money that a given property would command, if it were open for leasing at that moment.
- FTM
- Failure to Maintain – California MRL §798.84
G
- Gentrification
- Gentrification is the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents.
- Granny Flat
- See Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)
- Ground Lease
- The mobile home park owner owns the dirt only. Residents may own trailers, mobile homes, manufactured homes and/or recreational vehicles (RVs) on the dirt and pay the holder of the Ground Lease, the mobile home park owner, monthly space rent.
- GSMOL
- Golden State Manufactured-Home Owners League
H
- HBMHRC
- Huntington Beach Mobile Home Resident Coalition
- HCD
- California Department of Housing and Community Development
- HOA
- Home Owners Allegiance
- Home Owners Alliance
- Home Owners Association
- HOA Fee
- The HOA Fee that a mobile/manufactured homeowner pays to own the land/lot that their home is installed on.
- Homeowner
- Homeowner is a person who has a tenancy in a mobilehome park under a rental agreement.
California MRL §798.9 - HUD
- US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Federal agency that funds housing development projects.
I
- In Park Financing
- The financing of a manufactured or mobile home located in a rental/lease park, this is a Chattel Mortgage.
K
- KS
- Kort & Scott
- KSFG
- Kort & Scott Financial Group
L
- Land Lease
- The Land Lease amount that a mobile/manufactured homeowner pays to lease the land/lot that their home is installed on.
- Land Lease Community
- Private land developed as home sites for mobile and/or manufactured homes. In most areas, most home sites are leased to the mobile home owner for a monthly fee referred to as space rent or lot rent.
- Leased Land Mobile Home Loan
- A loan on a manufactured or mobile home on leased land, typically a mobile home park. This loan finances the home only and is referred to as a Chattel Mortgage.
- Leasehold
- A Leasehold is created when a Ground Lease owner enters into an agreement or contract with a Lessee for a given length of time typically with stipulations for what is to occur at the end of the contract period. A Lessee buys the Leasehold Rights and pays ground rent to the holder of the Ground Lease, usually a percentage of the monthly total space rents. The holder of the Leasehold does not own the land.
- Example 1: Lincoln Center Mobile Home Park
KSFG Purchased Leasehold Rights in Mar 2005 for $19,795,000. - Example 2: Tustin Village Mobile Home Park
KSFG Purchased Leasehold Rights in Jan 2005 for $4,500,000. - Lessee
- One who contracts to rent, occupy, and use a mobile home space under a lease agreement. The Lessee is also referred to as a Tenant.
- Lessor
- A mobile home park owner who enters into a lease agreement with a tenant. The Lessor is also referred to as a Landlord.
- Lien
- The method by which a lender, referred to as the Lien Holder, secures repayment of the loan. When a borrower takes out a loan on a mobile home, a lien in favor of the lender is placed on the title of the home. This lien ensures that the lender will be paid before title of the mobile home can be transferred to any other buyer. If a mobile home loan is defaulted on, the lien allows the lender to legally take possession of the collateral, in this instance the mobile home.
- Lot Rent
- The Lot Rent that a mobile/manufactured homeowner pays to lease the land/lot that their home is installed on.
M
- Manufactured Home
- Refers to homes built on or after June 15, 1976 when the HUD code governing building standards for factory built homes was instituted. According to Fannie Mae, a Manufactured Home is a housing unit of not less than 12 feet in width and 400 square feet in area. All Manufactured Homes typically have traditional pitched roofs.
- Mental Suffering
- Civil Elder Abuse: The infliction of fear, agitation, confusion through threats, harassment or other forms of intimidating behavior.
Welfare and Institutions Code Section 15610.07 - MH
- Manufactured Housing
- Mobile Home
- MHC
- Manufactured Home Community
- MHE
- Mobile Home Estates
- MHET
- Manufactured Housing Educational Trust
- MHI
- Manufactured Housing Institute
- MHP
- Manufactured Home Park
- Mobile Home Park
- MHU
- Mobile Home University
- Mobile Home
- Mobile Home is often used interchangeably with the term Manufactured Home, they are technically different. Mobile Home refers to homes built prior to June 1976. All Mobile Homes typically have flat roofs.
- Modular Home
- Refers to a manufactured home built in a production facility in two or more sections then transported and assembled on location. The assembly process typically uses a traditional permanent concrete foundation. See Site-Built Home
- Moral Turpitude
- A phrase used in criminal law to describe conduct that is considered contrary to community standards of justice, honesty, or good morals. Turpitude means a corrupt, depraved, degenerate act or practice that shocks the public conscience.
- MRL
- Mobilehome Residency Law
- Multi-Section Home
- A manufactured home delivered to the home site in two or more sections. The average square footage is 1,715 square feet but may be as large as 2,500+ square feet. The most common multi-section manufactured home consists of two sections and are referred to as a double-wide. Three section manufactured homes are referred to as a triple-wide. Four section homes are referred to as a quad.
- MVMHA
- Mountain View Mobile Home Alliance
N
- NAA
- National Apartment Association
- NAR
- National Association of Realtors
- Net Lease
- A Commercial Real Estate Lease where the landlord charges a lower base rent for the commercial space, plus some or all of "usual costs," which are expenses associated with operations, maintenance, and use that the landlord pays. These can include real estate taxes; property insurance; and common area maintenance items (CAMS), which include janitorial services, property management fees, sewer, water, trash collection, landscaping, parking lots, fire sprinklers, and any commonly shared area or service.
- NMHOA
- National Manufactured Home Owners Association
- NN Lease
- See Double Net Lease
- NNN Lease
- See Triple Net Lease
- NOI
- Net Operating Income (NOI) is a calculation used to analyze real estate investments that generate income. Net operating income equals all revenue from the property minus all reasonably necessary operating expenses.
O
- OL
- HCD Occupational License (Mobile/Manufactured Home Salesperson)
- OMHA
- Oceanside Manufactured Homeowners Alliance
P
- Park Model
- 14x40 feet or less and less than 400 square feet.
- Park Trailer
- A Park Trailer (classified as a Recreational Vehicle) is a trailer designed for human habitation for recreational or seasonal use only, that contains 400 square feet or less of gross floor area, excluding loft area space if that space meets the requirements of H&SC §§18009.3(b) and 18033 (may not exceed a width of 14 feet at the maximum horizontal projections), is built upon a single chassis, and may only be transported upon the public highways with a permit issued pursuant to CVC §35780 (a California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) permit).
- Personal Property
- Property that is movable e.g. autos, boats, and mobile/manufactured homes are examples of personal property. Loans on personal property are referred to as Chattel Loans.
- Pocket Listing
- A Pocket Listing is when a broker sells a property through private connections rather than entering it into a multiple listing system (MLS) or otherwise publicly advertising it.
- Preponderance of the Evidence
- The greater weight of the evidence required in a civil (non-criminal) lawsuit for the trier of fact (jury or judge without a jury) to decide in favor of one side or the other. This preponderance is based on the more convincing evidence and its probable truth or accuracy, and not on the amount of evidence.
- PT
- See Park Trailer
- PTO
- Permit to Operate
Q
- Quadruple Wide
- Four separate sections assembled on site.
R
- R&R
- Rules and Regulations – Similar to rules of a condominium or other privately owned residential developments. The R&Rs list the minimum contractual requirements for resident and landlord behavior as a condition of living at the location. Rules and Regulations cover a broad array of requirements such as parking restrictions, amenity hours of usage, colors of house exterior paint allowable, appearance and maintenance of the home, rented lot maintenance, and so forth. These Rules and Regulations documents are in addition to the lot lease contract.
- Racketeering Activity
- Any act or threat involving murder, kidnapping, gambling, arson, robbery, bribery, extortion, dealing in obscene matter, or dealing in a controlled substance or listed chemical (as defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act), which is chargeable under State law and punishable by imprisonment for more than one year;
Title 18 United States Code Chapter 96 - Real Property
- Property that is not movable e.g. land, homes fixed to land (Site-Built Homes), and buildings fixed to land are all examples of Real Property.
- Resident
- Resident is a homeowner or other person who lawfully occupies a mobilehome.
California MRL §798.11 - RICO
- RACKETEER INFLUENCED AND CORRUPT ORGANIZATIONS – What is the RICO Act? A federal law, passed in 1970, that allows prosecution and civil penalties for certain acts (including illegal gambling, bribery, kidnapping, murder, and money laundering) performed as part of an ongoing criminal enterprise. RICO has been used to prosecute members of the mafia, the Hells Angels motorcycle gang, and Operation Rescue, an anti-abortion group, among others.
Title 18 United States Code Chapter 96 - RIR
- Relocation Impact Report
- ROC
- Resident Owned Community
- ROI
- Return on Investment
- ROP
- Resident Owned Park
- RSO
- Rent Stabilization Ordinance. Regulations related to rent controlled mobile home parks that park owners must comply with to avoid fines and other penalties.
- RV
- Recreational Vehicle – A Recreational Vehicle is a motorhome, housecar, travel trailer, truck camper, or camp trailer; with or without motive power; designed for human habitation or other occupancy.
S
- SAC
- The Sacramento Area Coalition of Mobilehomeowner Associations, Inc.
- SBMRA
- South Bay Mobilehome Resident’s Alliance
- SCM
- Sierra Corporate Management
- SCMOA
- Sonoma County Mobilehome Owners Association
- Santee Mobilehome Owners Action Committee
- Single-Section Home
- A manufactured home delivered to the home site in one section. The width of section can be 10-18 feet. The length of the single section home can be from 30-80 feet. The average square footage of a single section home is 1,120 square feet.
- Site-Built Home
- Any home that is built on the home site with a permanent foundation which represents the majority of homes today.
- Slumlord
- A slumlord (or slum landlord) is a derogatory term for a landlord, generally an absentee landlord with more than one mobile home park, who attempts to maximize profit by minimizing spending on property maintenance, often in already deteriorating mobile home parks.
- SMHPA
- Sunnyvale Mobile Home Park Alliance
- SMMRA
- San Marcos Mobilehome Residents Association
- SMOAC
- Space Rent
- The Space Rent that a mobile/manufactured homeowner pays to lease the land/lot that their home is installed on.
- SRSO
- Space Rent Stabilization Ordinance. Regulations related to rent controlled mobile home parks that park owners must comply with to avoid fines and other penalties.
- Stick-Built Home
- Same as a site-built home but the term is inaccurate. Factory built homes are also stick-built homes. The sticks (lumber) are simply assembled inside a factory.
- Sublease
- A lease from a lessee to another lessee. The new lessee is a sublessee or subtenant.
T
- Tag
- A multi-section home where one of the sections is considerably less in length than the other sections is called a tag. The tag, as in tag-a-long, is built on its own frame and chassis and is used to expand the floor space in a portion of the mobile home.
- Tenancy
- Tenancy is the right of a homeowner to the use of a site within a mobilehome park on which to locate, maintain, and occupy a mobilehome, site improvements, and accessory structures for human habitation, including the use of the services and facilities of the park.
California MRL §798.12 - THOW
- Tiny House on Wheels
- Title
- Documentary evidence of ownership. Health and Safety Code §18080.4(a) – Every registered owner, upon receipt of a registration card, shall maintain the card or a copy thereof with the manufactured home, mobilehome, commercial coach, truck camper, or floating home for which it is issued.
Health and Safety Code Section §18080.4 - Trailer
- Refers to homes that are 8 feet wide (or less) by 40 feet long (or less) and are classified as Recreational Vehicles (RVs) by HCD.
- Triple Net Lease
- A triple net (NNN) lease is defined as a lease structure where the tenant is responsible for paying all operating expenses associated with a property; Property Taxes, Insurance, Maintenance Costs. These three additional costs represent the nets to which the name of the lease refers. The triple net or NNN lease is considered a turnkey investment since the landlord is not responsible for paying any operating expenses.
- Triple Wide
- Three separate sections assembled on site.
- Truth in Lending
- A federal regulation, referred to as Regulation Z, requiring creditors to provide full disclosure of the terms of a loan.
U
- UD
- Unlawful Detainer
- Unlawful Detainer Lawsuit
- A lawsuit that a mobile home park owner must file, and win, before the owner can evict a tenant (mobile home owner). This is also referred to as an Eviction Lawsuit.
V
- Vacancy Rate
- The percentage of mobile homes in a mobile home park that are vacant as of a certain date. For example, Knolls Lodge Mobile Home Park in Torrance, California has 257 spaces. As of December 2015, 53 of those spaces are available in some form. 53/257 = 21% Vacancy Rate.
- Volition
- Volition or will is the cognitive process by which an individual decides on and commits to a particular course of action. It is defined as purposive striving and is one of the primary human psychological functions.
W
- WCLP
- The Western Center on Law and Poverty
- WMA
- Western Manufactured Housing Communities Association
Y
- YMRA
- Yucaipa Mobilehome Residents Association