Buying a MH in a park to move out, park manager says have to pay $2000 to move it

I bought a FSBO mobile home in a park and i will be moving it out of the park. The park manager says i have to show proof of the mover’s 1 million liability, sign an agreement, and pay them a $2000 cashiers check before i can move the home out of the park. They said if there is no damage to the park, then they will give the check back to me. Has anyone heard of this? Is this legal? Seems like it would not be legal for them to come up with an a number and require anyone moving a home out to pay it. If someone barely had enough money to move their home, they wouldnt be able to come up with another $2000. I have no prior agreement with the park, and they are basically holding my personal property, and not allowing it to leave.

Also, the manager now parked a truck in front of the home, so that it cant be moved. I didnt even tell them no to the $2000, i told them i would check into it first. Im not sure if i should pay it or not.

Cheaper to call your attorney. You would need to see a copy of their lease agreement to see if they are just making it up. I wouldn’t pay it. Those are the kind of people who may make you burn it up in court to get it back.

It does seem excessive to require a copy of the movers insurance and $2000 damage deposit from you, since the manager could just as easily file a claim with the movers insurance.

IF the rent is current and the contract is in its last month between the MHC and the former owner, it seems the MHC manager maybe holding your property illegally, but a lawyer could surely answer better.

A lawyer might advise to place a call to local law enforcement and advise them of potential problems with the manager and seek their help with retrieving your property, Mobiles are consider vehicles by many jurisdictions and it seems logical that IF all charges are current you could get your property just like getting your car from impound.

I paid a park in ohio a $200 deposit before our movers moved a home one time. I thought it was crazy, but I did not want to go to war over $200. I paid the deposit and got it back in the mail a couple weeks later. I do not think I would fork over 2k though. I’d talk to a lawyer on that one.

Many parks require proof of insurance by the mover (show them the Commercial Auto liability coverage every toter driver should have) and some require some sort of cash deposit. I’ve heard of $500, but not $2,000. Ultimately, you’re bound by the lease language of the former owner. And if they violated it in some way, the property / park owner will have some ability to cause headaches.

Wait until some knuckle-dragging “mover” destroys your property and then this won’t seem so crazy. I now charge an $800 move out deposit on top of the security deposit precisely because of problems like what the park owner fears.

Thanks for all the replies.
I have decided to just pay the $2000, and i will take them to court if they keep some of it when they shouldnt. I still dont think its legal, since the lot lease with the mobile home owner doesnt mention it. The other solution i had actually thought of was to not pay it, and not pay the lot rent, and just let them evict me, at which point i would legally be required to move it out. But this will be much quicker to just pay it and get it moved. At some point, a homeowner will want to move their home, and wont have the extra $2000, and the park will probably get sued and will lose.

Good luck, I think it will work out for you.

Ken

It would seem reasonable to require workers comp and general livability naming the park as additionally insured. A $2k deposit seems excessive . I’m most states you need a mechanics lean to hold personal property like a vehicle.