Manufactured / Mobile Homes

Purchasing a Manufactured / Mobile Home with a Title

Sometimes lending institutions require that a manufactured / mobile home be real property before a loan can be granted. By State Statute, if a manufactured / mobile home owner wishes to have the manufactured / mobile home considered as real property for taxation purposes, the home has to be affixed to a permanent foundation and the title or MSO (Manufacturer's Statement of Origin) surrendered to the County Clerk's Office. An Affidavit for Surrendering Title (PDF) must be signed and notarized stating that the home is affixed to a permanent foundation.

It is important that the manufactured / mobile home owner realize that once a title or MSO is surrendered, the home can never be titled again. If the owner of the home should ever decide in the future to sell the home and have it removed from the property, a title can be issued to the new owner. If you do not have to change your home to real property for loan reasons, it is recommended that you keep the home titled in your name as a manufactured / mobile home. This retains the greatest flexibility for the future.

If you received only the MSO when you purchased the home and you are not surrendering it, you should have a title issued in your name from the County Clerk's Office. Then, there is a permanent record in the County Clerk's Office of your ownership of the home in case the title or MSO should be lost. If the manufactured / mobile home was previously titled (i.e., the previous owner has signed off on the title), take that title to the County Clerk's Office and have a title made in your name.

Selling a Manufactured / Mobile Home

If you are selling a manufactured / mobile home, please contact our office. We need to know who the new owners are and their mailing address and phone number. If you don't make sure we have the correct information, the tax notices may still come to you. This will be remedied if you complete the Affidavit for Seller's Manufactured Housing (PDF) with or without a title and return it to the Assessor's Office. If you do not have a title for the manufactured / mobile home, you will need to provide a copy of the bill of sale given to the buyer. You will also need to make sure the taxes are current with the Treasurer in order to transfer the title.