Build Your File
Record lot rent, dates, notice periods, the prospectus, title, letters, fees, receipts, and photographs of property conditions.
Field Manual No. 6
The Ground Underneath You
What to do when somebody else owns the land under your home.
Inside the Manual
Put the facts, notices, and neighbors on one page
The Ground Underneath You is a checklist for residents who own a home on land owned by someone else. It starts with the basic imbalance described in the manual: the house cannot leave, so the land, the paperwork, and the timing of notices matter.
The manual asks residents to build a file, count the signals of a changing community, compare fees with the prospectus, investigate a possible right to buy, and act with neighbors before an eviction or sale makes the window smaller.
This manual is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by state. The PDF advises contacting the relevant state agency, legal aid, elected representatives, and resident resources early.
The core approach
Document early. Ask in writing. Do not stand alone.
Know the Play
Review the six tells, the five moves, notice rules, a possible right to buy, fee pass-throughs, and the terms of any new agreement before signing.
Knock on Four Doors
Ask four neighbors whether they received the same letter. The manual treats shared facts, meeting records, and early agency contact as practical leverage.
The resident's file
What You'll Find Inside
- Your file: community, lot, rent history, last letter, effective date, notice days, and prospectus request.
- Six tells: new observers, staff changes, new ownership names, payment portals, lost community features, and longer forms tied to an increase.
- Five moves: the manual's description of buying the park, the post-closing letter, new fees, property deterioration, and home inventory risk.
- Notice rule: record when the letter and envelope arrived, the required notice period, and the meeting request.
- Right to buy and fee audit: ask the state agency about first refusal or purchase opportunities and compare every bill line with the prospectus.
- Before signing: take a new agreement home and look for pass-throughs, arbitration, rule changes, automatic escalators, and resale restrictions.
- Who to call: state agency, representatives, legal aid, homeowners association, and Silent Seniors No More.
Use it as a printable field guide
Take the file to the table
Print the manual and fill in the resident file before a new notice arrives. Keep envelopes, prospectus copies, dated photos, rent records, and fee questions together. Use the four-door page to find out whether neighbors received the same document.
Bring the completed pages when contacting an agency, legal-aid service, representative, or resident organization. The manual's marching orders are to ask for documents in writing, avoid signing alone, find out whether a right to buy exists, and act early.
Free printable resource
Get the Printable Field Manual
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