Can I Put A Mobile Home In My Backyard To Live In Or Rent Out?
You’re weighing your options for putting another dwelling on your property. And perhaps the question has crossed your mind, “can I put a mobile home in my backyard?”
Maybe you’ve already got a home of your own, but you need a place for family to live so they can be near you. Alternatively, you think you’d like to downsize, but you don’t want to move off your current property. Or maybe you’re trying to build a nest egg for the future, and you’d like an investment property. Your land is big enough, so you’d like to see about putting a manufactured home on it.
Can I put a mobile home in my backyard?
It would be great if our next sentence here could lay out a clear “yes” or “no” for you. But actually, that’s not the way it works. Questions like these are a little more complicated than a quick nod or shake of the head.
It’s easy to assume that because you own your property, you can do anything you want on it. And although it may seem like you could just pop a manufactured home on a piece of land that you own, you really can’t take the ability for granted. If you proceed without doing your research, you may find yourself removing the home at your own expense and paying city or HOA fines. Don’t assume until you check it out.
Zoning
One thing that may prevent you from doing what you want when you want with your property is zoning regulations. Like it or not, simply owning property doesn’t give you the legal ability to do whatever strikes your fancy.
While we’ve talked more about zoning here, the long and short of it is that your locality has certain laws that regulate what you can and can’t do on your property. As one example, when it comes to mobile homes, zoning regulations often require that your home having proper skirting
The key thing to know about zoning is that it is location-specific. So, things you may be required to do in one area may not be required in others. Likewise, something that’s prohibited in a given location may be perfectly acceptable in another location.
Side note – remember your permit
While this may seem out of place here, we want to add a quick note about a requirement you don’t want to overlook. If you discover you can indeed place a mobile home in your backyard, be sure to check what permits you need for moving, etc. And of course, make sure you secure those permits.
Deed restrictions
One place to check is the deed to your property. You may find the answer to: “Can I put a mobile home in my backyard?” among the restrictions listed there. According to USLegal.com, “Deed restrictions are private agreements that restrict the use of the real estate in some way, and are listed in the deed….Often, developers restrict the parcels of property in a development to maintain a certain amount of uniformity.”
Neighborhoods, homeowner associations, and developers will place restrictions in the deed in order to maintain the property value. Often, they restrict what can and can’t be placed on the property.
These might include:
- Manufactured homes
- Storage units
- RVs and trailers
- Work trucks
- Vehicles that aren’t in working order
So, you may want to check whether there is a deed restriction in your situation that could prevent you from placing a mobile home.
More resources
Now that you’ve asked, “can I put a mobile home in my backyard,” and you know that there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, you may have another question. Who can help me figure out if I can put a mobile home in my backyard?
Here are three places to look for answers to questions that you have about whether you can place and/or rent a mobile home in your backyard.
- First off, head over to your locality’s administration building to ask about zoning regulations. Or, simply give your local zoning officials a call. Get their input on whether there are zoning regulations that would prevent you from placing a mobile home in your backyard.
- Check out How to Find Deed Restrictions for My Subdivision.
- Your homeowners’ association (if applicable) may be able to help you discover some do’s and don’ts for your neighborhood.
What’s next?
So, as you can see, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the question, “Can I put a mobile home in my backyard?” For some, it may be a no-go based on restrictions in their area. If, after further research, you find that it will actually be an option for you, be sure to stop by this helpful article: I Want To Put A Mobile Home On My Property – Where Do I Start?