Connecticut Mobile Home Park Lease Law: What Operators Need to Include

What must a mobile home lot lease include in Connecticut?

If you operate a mobile manufactured home park in Connecticut, your lot leases are governed by Chapter 412 of the Connecticut General Statutes (Sections 21-64 et seq.), enforced by the Department of Consumer Protection. This is a highly specific landlord-tenant regime that is separate from ordinary residential rental law, and it dictates both the form of your lease and what it may and may not say.

At a minimum, every lot rental must be a written agreement delivered to the resident before they occupy the lot, must run for at least one year, and must be accompanied by a plain-language disclosure statement of the resident's rights. On top of that, Section 21-83 voids a long list of common lease clauses, so a lease copied from a conventional apartment form will almost certainly contain provisions that are unenforceable in a Connecticut park.

The sections below summarize the written-agreement requirement, the required disclosures and rules process, and the prohibited provisions, each tied to the controlling statute. This is operational guidance, not legal advice, confirm current section text on cga.ct.gov and have your park's lease reviewed by Connecticut counsel.

The one-year written rental agreement (C.G.S. Section 21-70)

Connecticut requires the lot lease to be in writing and in the resident's hands before move-in. Section 21-70(b) states: 'No owner may offer a mobile manufactured home or a mobile manufactured home space or lot for rent without providing the prospective resident with a copy of an initial written rental agreement before the resident occupies such mobile manufactured home or lot.' A handshake or month-to-month verbal arrangement does not satisfy the statute.

The term is not up to you. Section 21-70(b) continues: 'The initial rental agreement and all renewals offered to a resident by the owner shall be in writing. The term of each rental agreement and renewal shall not be less than one year unless the resident requests, in writing, a term for less than one year.' You must offer at least a one-year term on both the initial lease and every renewal; only the resident can opt into something shorter, and only in writing.

Renewals are effectively automatic in the resident's favor. If you fail to offer a written renewal, or you offer one and the resident does not sign it, the prior agreement is deemed extended for one year at the then-prevailing park rent (unless the only dispute is the rent amount). Practically, that means you cannot let a resident lapse into a weaker month-to-month status, plan your renewal cycle so a fresh one-year written offer goes out before each expiration.

Required disclosures, resident rights, and how park rules are adopted (C.G.S. Section 21-70)

Before any lease is signed, you must hand the resident a completed disclosure statement. Section 21-70(a) provides: 'Owners shall provide each prospective resident, before any rental agreement is entered into, and each resident, at the time of the first renewal of his rental agreement which occurs after the effective date of the regulations providing for a disclosure statement, with a completed disclosure statement.' The disclosure statement is a plain-language summary of the resident's rights and obligations under Chapter 412, including rent, term, lot size, the goods and services you provide, and the resident's eviction and resale rights.

Park rules and regulations are enforceable only if they clear the tests in Section 21-70(d). A rule binds a resident only if its purpose is to promote resident convenience, safety, or welfare (or to protect the property from abuse or fairly distribute services), it is reasonably related to that purpose, it applies fairly to all residents, it is explicit enough to tell the resident what to do, and, critically, 'the resident has written notice of such rule or regulation at the time he enters into the rental agreement or when such rule or regulation is adopted.' Unwritten or unevenly enforced rules are not enforceable.

Section 21-82 rounds out the relationship by listing ongoing responsibilities. The owner must keep the park in a fit and habitable condition, maintain common areas, roads, utilities and drainage, respect the resident's privacy, and allow residents freedom to choose their own service providers; the resident must comply with codes, keep their lot clean and safe, follow reasonable rules, and not disturb neighbors.

Prohibited lease provisions (C.G.S. Section 21-83)

Section 21-83 is the section that most often trips up operators, because it voids clauses that are standard in ordinary leases. It is the controlling 'permissible and prohibited provisions' statute for park lot leases, note that it is Section 21-83, not Section 21-71. If a prohibited clause appears in your lease, it is unenforceable even if the resident signed it.

Among the provisions a lot lease may not contain: any clause by which the resident waives or forgoes rights or remedies under Chapter 412; any entrance fee charged to a resident; any authorization for the owner to confess judgment; any clause exculpating the owner from, or limiting, liability for the owner's own negligence; and any clause letting the owner dispossess the resident without a court order (no self-help eviction or lockouts). Money terms are capped too: a security deposit may not exceed one month's rent (and the resident's interest cannot be waived), a late-payment penalty may not exceed five per cent of the overdue rent and cannot be imposed until at least nine days after the due date, and any attorney's-fee provision is capped at fifteen per cent of a judgment against the resident.

Two related protections sit just outside Section 21-83. Section 21-79 prohibits the owner from unreasonably restricting the resident's right to sell the mobile manufactured home in place, you cannot force residents to sell only through you or to remove the home on sale. And Section 21-82(a) requires you to let residents choose their own service providers, so a lease clause requiring residents to buy fuel, utilities, or other services exclusively from you is problematic. Scrub any 'buy from the park' or 'sell only through the park' language.

Lease requirements at a glance in Connecticut

• Written lease before move-in
  Section 21-70(b) requires a written rental agreement provided to the resident before they occupy the lot; no verbal or undocumented tenancies.
• One-year minimum term
  Section 21-70(b): initial lease and every renewal must run at least one year unless the resident asks for shorter in writing.
• Automatic one-year extension
  If no written renewal is offered or signed, the prior lease is deemed extended one year at prevailing rent (absent a rent-amount dispute).
• Disclosure statement
  Section 21-70(a) requires a completed plain-language disclosure statement of Chapter 412 rights before the lease is signed.
• Rules must be written and reasonable
  Section 21-70(d): park rules bind a resident only if reasonable, related to a legitimate purpose, applied fairly, explicit, and provided in writing.
• No entrance fees
  Section 21-83 prohibits charging an entrance fee to a resident.
• No rights waivers or confession of judgment
  Section 21-83 voids clauses waiving Chapter 412 rights/remedies or authorizing confession of judgment against the resident.
• No liability exculpation
  Section 21-83 bars clauses exculpating or limiting the owner's liability for the owner's own negligence.
• No self-help eviction
  Section 21-83 prohibits any clause letting the owner dispossess a resident without a court order.
• Capped deposits, late fees, and attorney's fees
  Section 21-83: security deposit max one month's rent; late fee max five per cent and only after nine days; attorney's fees max fifteen per cent of a judgment.
• Protect the right to sell in place
  Section 21-79 bars unreasonably restricting a resident's right to sell the home in place; Section 21-82(a) requires freedom to choose service providers.

Operator best practices in Connecticut

• Use a Chapter 412-specific lease form
  Do not adapt a standard apartment lease; start from a form built for Sections 21-70 and 21-83 so entrance fees, confession-of-judgment, exculpation, and self-help clauses are never present.
• Standardize a one-year renewal cycle
  Send every resident a written one-year renewal offer before expiration so no one lapses, and document delivery to control the automatic one-year extension rule.
• Deliver and log the disclosure statement
  Provide the completed disclosure statement before signing and keep a signed acknowledgment in each resident file to prove Section 21-70(a) compliance.
• Put every park rule in writing with notice
  Maintain a written, dated rulebook, give residents written notice at lease signing or on adoption, and enforce rules uniformly so they remain enforceable under Section 21-70(d).
• Audit money terms against the caps
  Confirm security deposits stay at or below one month's rent with interest preserved, late fees stay at five per cent and only after nine days, and any attorney's-fee clause stays at fifteen per cent of a judgment.
• Respect resale and service-choice rights
  Remove any language forcing residents to sell through the park or buy services exclusively from you, consistent with Section 21-79 and Section 21-82(a).
• Verify current text before drafting
  Section lettering and dollar/percentage details can change between codification years; confirm the live text on cga.ct.gov (Chapter 412) before finalizing any lease template.
• Build a relationship with a Connecticut MHP attorney
  Chapter 412 is a specialized regime; have Connecticut counsel who handles mobile manufactured home parks review your standard lease, disclosure statement, and rules, and keep them on call for terminations and rent disputes.