Recently bought my first MHP in Texas. To make a long story short, a large tree limb fell on one of the owner-occupied homes and smashed in the roof and kitchen. Home is probably a late 70s or early 80s model and not worth repairing based on an estimate I got as the damage is extensive. Owners of home have vacated.
I would like to remove the home and bring in a newer home. The owners are cooperative and willing to help me do that. they know that the home is more or less worthless, but the issue is that they can’t produce a title. What are my options here? Will someone remove or tear down the home without a title to prove ownership (even with the owner’s authorization)? Thanks for any input, guidance, or suggestions you might have.
In Texas the physical title is not important. What is important is the registration with the TDHCA. If you have the Label or Serial #, you can get the records from this site -
If the registered owner is the same as the tenant, a little paperwork and a $55 fee can make the home yours, or the current owner can just sign it over.
The risk here is that the “real” owner of the home comes out of the woodwork to claim it after the home has been demolished, and will sue for some unspecified amount in damages because you did this without their consent. Depending how long your tenants have been in the home this is probably unlikely anyone else would come claim it, but you never know.
The options I would consider are:
Have the tenants demolish the home on their own accord since they own it - you can work with them to have a new home put in, and you can help them with quotes to demolish the old home and throw in a couple dumpsters for $2,000. Maybe the other tenants can pitch in to help do this. But the short answer is yes you can find people to do this without asking about titles.
Ask the City to condemn the home - I need to go back and check, but I suspect as part of that process the City sends the “owners” a notice to take care of it (along with you), in which case you are compelled to act. This is probably not a fast process, just another alternative.