Manufactured Housing Law

Florida Manufactured Housing and Mobile Home Law

A key component of Lutz, Bobo & Telfair, P.A.’s practice involves the representation of the manufactured housing industry.  This practice area includes six lawyers in both Sarasota and Tallahassee who devote their time specifically to this practice specialty.  We are the only major law firm in the state of Florida that provides a comprehensive practice in the area of manufactured housing and mobile home law.

The manufactured housing industry is comprised of businesses that build and sell manufactured housing, lenders that finance homes and land, various service industries from individual contractors to installation and setup firms that work with dealers and manufacturers, and the manufactured home communities that both rent and sell homes and land to consumers.

The Manufactured Housing/Mobile Home Law section of our firm in engaged in all aspects of the manufactured housing industry.  We provide legal representation to the Florida Legislature during the development and passage of statutes regulating the industry.  We work daily with federal, state and local government agencies that regulate different aspects of the manufactured housing industry.  We are involved in litigation in Florida State county, circuit and appellate courts, as well as the federal district and circuit courts with jurisdiction in Florida on issues ranging from federal Fair Housing and Fair Lending to landlord tenant, development and sales of real estate, to taxation and land use.

Florida Manufactured Housing Association

Our firm is General Counsel to the Florida Manufactured Housing Association, the statewide trade association that is involved in all aspects of manufactured housing on the federal, state and local levels in Florida.  As General Counsel, our firm has developed an intimate knowledge of the regulations that affect the industry.  In dealing with legislative and government regulation of this industry for over 27 years, the firm has developed a substantial history of the development of the law, and an understanding of its application.

Florida Manufactured Housing Litigation

The litigation section of our firm has been at the forefront of all major litigation in Florida over the past 27 years.  We have appeared and advocated, either for the community owner or the state trade association, for issues in every major appellate decision affecting this industry since 1984.  Our appellate practice has helped define the state of law in this area of practice.  Our litigation team has extensive experience in every facet of trial litigation involving manufactured home communities, from class action litigation involving rents, maintenance of communities, taxation, Fair Housing and the Americans with Disabilities Act claims, to individual actions involving evictions, collections and foreclosures.  We have also represented dealers, manufacturers, contractors, lenders and suppliers in litigation involving the industry in both trial and appellate practice on a variety of issues in Florida.

Although our firm has been exceptionally effective in litigation, we view our goal as preventing and protecting our clients from litigation.  To that end we provide a substantial body of information on the law to our clients in seminars, individual communications, email and trade newsletters.  We are involved in the nationwide association of manufactured housing attorneys in order to share information on litigation trends and to identify problems that have yet to arise in Florida.  A significant part of our practice involves advice to businesses and individual on these matters in order to avoid litigation and resolving disputes through alternative dispute resolution procedures before the cost of litigation adversely impacts the business.

Florida Manufactured Housing and Mobile Home Real Estate

The firm’s manufactured housing real estate practice is involved in all aspects of development and sales of communities.  Our firm has negotiated and closed the sale of scores of manufactured housing communities.  We have represented both buyers and sellers and are available as Florida counsel for multi-park or portfolio purchases, sales and refinancing of communities.  We serve as agent for several national and state title insurance companies such as Chicago Title, First American Title, Commonwealth/Land American and Attorneys Title.

Florida Manufactured Housing Lawyers

Our manufactured housing legal group follows a team concept.  Because most consultations involve multiple issues, we take advantage of each lawyer’s particular experience and special knowledge.  We represent hundreds of communities, from large real estate investment trusts, like Hometown America, Sun Communities and American Land Lease, to major investors in manufactured housing in Florida, like American Retirement Communities, Lautrec, Uniprop Corp., and Clayton Homes and many other individual and portfolio investors.

If you are thinking of investing in manufactured housing in Florida, or are the owner or operator of a manufactured home community or business in Florida, Lutz, Bobo & Telfair, P.A. stands ready to serve your legal needs.