9-26-2024 10:25am

New Mexico Mobile Home Act Special Educational Series Introduction

My name is Gary Perry. I am 73, retired, and a resident of Amber Skies Community mobile home park. I spent 8 years in the Army, and 40 years in the commercial insurance industry. I retired in August 2019 and relocated to Alamogordo.

Since buying a home in Amber Skies mobile home park I began researching New Mexico laws and discovered the New Mexico Mobile Home Park Act. The Act applies to mobile home parks where residents own their home and rent the property (usually a single lot) that the home is situated on. Homeowners pay the park management/owner a monthly lot rent fee. Any "park" used for the continuous accommodation of twelve or more occupied mobile homes and operated for the pecuniary benefit ( related to money) of the owner of the parcel of land is subject to the MHPA.

The purpose of my series of articles is to inform and educate park residents of the MHPA and their rights under it. Why? Many New Mexico park residents are not even aware of the MHPA. Even some park owners and managers may not be fully aware of the Act or its provisions. Mobile home parks across New Mexico have become targets for out-of-state investor groups who buy the parks because of the large annual revenue parks generate. Sometimes they draft new rental agreements, make new rules, etc., that may not be in compliance with the MHPA. Thus, the importance for you the resident to know your rights under the MHPA. Understanding the MHPA and knowing your rights can help you avoid potential conflicts with owner/management and provide a better understanding of how park owners and managers must operate your park in compliance with the MHPA.

If you care to research the MHPA yourself, you can google it: New Mexico Mobile Home Park Act, Article 10 Sections 47-10-1 through 47-10-23. It will make for fireside reading if your favorite teams aren't playing on Monday Night Football.

Otherwise, you can read my series of articles that I will be providing on the Act and certain provisions that I believe to be in your best interest to become familiar with.

My next article will touch on the history of the Act, certain information the Act requires to be disclosed in your park's rental agreement and the conditions that must be met before park owners can attempt to terminate your tenancy in a park

Questions on tenancy termination are the most frequent questions I get asked. I want to keep each article fairly short and concise in order to point out the importance of each section of the act and your rights under it.
I hope you will find my future articles informative and helpful in "knowing your rights" as a park resident.

- Gary Perry