Converting a mobile home to real property
A manufactured home starts out titled like a vehicle. Once it sits on a permanent foundation on land the owner holds, most states let the owner end that title so the home passes with the land, and a mover then needs the title restored before the home can leave.
Personal property or real property
Texas: a manufactured home is personal property unless the owner elects real property on the application and records it with the county clerk.
Pennsylvania: a mobile or manufactured home that is permanently attached to land, or hooked up to water, gas, electric or sewer service, is taxed as real estate by local governments.
Iowa: a manufactured home placed outside a community or park is titled and then assessed and taxed as real estate.
Illinois: Will County's treasurer says that since January 1, 2011, homes on privately owned lots there are assessed by the township assessor and taxed as real estate.
Kansas: for property tax, a home can be treated as real property without eliminating its title.
Sources: Personal property by default; Taxed as real estate when attached; Outside a park is real estate; Private lots taxed as real estate; Taxed as real property without eliminating title
How each state ends the title
In these states the home stops being titled like a vehicle once the owner files the state's paperwork, and it then passes with the land. Each state name links to that state's full title page; each row cites the agency page it comes from.
| State | Making the home real property | Before it moves again | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | Owners or lienholders apply to DFA on Form 10-318 to cancel the title or certificate of origin; every owner and lienholder signs. | Ask DFA before the move. | dfa.arkansas.gov |
| Florida | Retire the title by recording the documents with the county clerk of court. The home needs an RP decal first, and retiring costs no fee. | The landowner applies to FLHSMV for a new title, with the landowner's and lienholders' consent. | flsenate.gov |
| Illinois | Homes on privately owned lots are assessed by the township assessor and taxed as real estate (since January 1, 2011). | Ask the Secretary of State. | willcounty.gov |
| Iowa | Outside a park, a home on a permanent foundation is real estate; with no lien on the title, the owner surrenders it to the assessor and the county treasurer cancels it. | Reconverted and retitled through the county treasurer, with written consent of every secured party. | legis.iowa.gov |
| Kansas | Form TR-63 to the Department of Revenue ($10) with a county foundation sign off and tax receipts, then recorded at the register of deeds. | Ask the county treasurer and the Department of Revenue. | kslegislature.gov |
| Missouri | Record an affixation (Form 5312) with the Recorder of Deeds and file it with DOR within 60 days ($8.50 plus $9.00). | Record a severance (Form 5313) with an attorney or title agent certification, then file Form 108-M for a title. | dor.mo.gov |
| Pennsylvania | PennDOT may cancel the title of a home affixed to real property; ownership and liens move to the real property. | A title application with an attorney or title company certificate of no liens, or a lien release. | palegis.us |
| Texas | Elect real property on the Statement of Ownership application and record it with the county clerk; only on land the owner owns or holds under a qualifying long-term lease. | Ask TDHCA before the move. | tdhca.texas.gov |
Moving a home that is real property
Missouri: to move an affixed home, the owner records a severance (Form 5313) in the county where it was affixed, with a certification by an attorney or title insurance agent, then files it with Form 108-M to get a title.
Missouri: once DOR records a home as affixed, it issues no title and accepts no lien on that record.
Florida: if a home with a retired title is to be moved off the land, the landowner must apply to FLHSMV for a new title.
Florida: the new title application needs an affidavit from the landowners and all lienholders consenting to the removal of the home.
Florida: It also needs a title insurance company certification of owners and lienholders dated within 10 days of the application.
Pennsylvania: to title a home again after its title was cancelled, the owner files a title application with a certificate from an attorney or title company showing no mortgages, judgments or other liens of record against the home.
Iowa: a converted home can be reconverted and retitled through the county treasurer when it moves to a park or retailer inventory, but only with written consent of every secured party.
Sources: Severance before a move; New title before a move; Consent of landowners and lienholders; Getting a title back; Reconversion before a move
Why lenders ask
For an FHA loan, the home must be classified as real estate, though it need not be taxed as real estate.
FHA requires a floor area of at least 400 square feet and a home built on or after June 15, 1976, shown by its HUD label.
The towing hitch and running gear must be removed.
Source: Real estate
Common questions
How do I convert a mobile home to real property?
In Texas a manufactured home is personal property unless the owner elects real property on the application and records it with the county clerk. Other states use a recorded affixation, a canceled or retired title, or both; the table lists each state's step.
Can a mobile home that is real property be moved?
In Missouri, to move an affixed home, the owner records a severance (Form 5313) in the county where it was affixed, with a certification by an attorney or title insurance agent, then files it with Form 108-M to get a title.