Manufactured Homes in BC: Buying in a Park or on Your Own Land

Manufactured homes, in a park or on your own lot, are bought and sold under different rules from other homes in BC. Here is how the standards, the Manufactured Home Registry, park tenancies, financing and taxes work, and what to check before you commit.

The short version

What counts as a manufactured home

BC's laws treat a manufactured home as a structure designed to be moved and lived in, with or without wheels. Factory-built homes carry a CSA label, usually outside near the front door or on the electrical panel: A277 marks a modular home and Z240 a mobile home. A manufacturer's nameplate, often inside a kitchen cupboard, gives the serial number.

• An approval label to sell. A used manufactured home can be offered for sale in BC only if it has an approval label: the original certification label or a provincial silver label. If it's missing, Technical Safety BC applies a silver label only after an inspection, and with no record of the original approval, a licensed electrical contractor must first survey the wiring.
• A written disclosure. If a used home was built after May 15, 1992, the seller must tell you in writing whether it complies with the provincial standards.
• Exempt from the Manufactured Home Act. Park model trailers built to CSA Z241, travel trailers and campers.

In a park or on your own land

• In a park. You own the home and rent the site. Under the Manufactured Home Act, a home in a park isn't part of the park's land unless a filed written agreement says otherwise, and BC Assessment assesses the park owner for the land and you for the home.
• On your own land. The land and home are usually assessed together. If the home is attached to the land, a lawyer or notary can apply to exempt it from the registry, as long as an owner of the home is registered at the land title office as the land's owner, or as a tenant under a lease of at least three years, and any lender with a registered claim on the home consents. BCFSA notes that homes sold with land often aren't on the registry.
• Zoning and permits. Check both with the local government first. In the Fraser Valley Regional District's rural areas, for example, you need a building permit, a home certified to CSA Z240 or A277 and a foundation design sealed by a professional engineer.
• The rescission period. BC's three-business-day home buyer rescission period covers a manufactured home affixed to land, but not property on leased land, so a home on a rented park site generally won't have one.

Pad rent and rent increases

In a park, the Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act covers your site tenancy, and the rent is often called pad rent. A park landlord can't charge a security or damage deposit.

• Once a year. Rent can go up only once every 12 months, with three full months' notice on the approved form.
• The 2026 limit. For 2026, the most a park landlord can add is 2.3% plus a proportional amount, which passes on increases in local government levies and regulated utility fees for the park, divided among the sites.
• Larger increases. A landlord who wants more needs your written agreement or must apply to the Residential Tenancy Branch, for example after significant increases in operating costs or major repairs.

At an example pad rent of $900 a month, a 2.3% increase adds $20.70, for $920.70, before any proportional amount.

Park rules, 55-plus parks and selling

• Park rules. Rules must be reasonable and serve a set purpose, such as tenants' safety or convenience, protecting the park, sharing a service fairly or regulating pets in common areas. A change needs three months' written notice, and a landlord without a park committee can change the rules only once a year.
• 55-plus parks. A park can be reserved for people 55 and older, with at least one tenant of each site 55 or older. If you're buying in one, the request to take over the tenancy must include proof of age.
• Selling the home. The seller gives the buyer the tenancy agreement and park rules, then asks the landlord in writing to assign the tenancy. The landlord has 10 days to respond or is deemed to consent, can refuse only for reasons the regulation lists, such as a buyer unlikely to pay the rent, and can't charge a fee.
• Why assignment matters. With an assignment, your buyer steps into your tenancy. Without one, the buyer needs a new tenancy agreement, and BCFSA notes there is then no limit on how much the rent can change.

If the park closes

A park owner can end tenancies to convert all or a significant part of the park to another use only with the permits and approvals in place and at least 12 months' notice, which you can dispute within 15 days.

• Compensation. The landlord must pay each tenant $20,000 by the notice's effective date.
• A home that can't be moved. If you can't get the permits to move it or a site within a reasonable distance, and you owe no tax on it, you can apply for an order for its assessed value less the $20,000.
• No follow-through. A landlord who doesn't take steps toward the stated purpose within a reasonable time may owe an extra $5,000 or 12 months' rent, whichever is more.
• Leaving early. You can move out sooner with at least 10 days' written notice and keep the compensation.

If your home is assessed at an example $85,000 and can't be moved, you would receive $20,000 and could apply for up to $65,000 more.

The registry: buying, selling and moving

BC Registries runs the Manufactured Home Registry, which records each registered home's owner, location and description. A sale is effective only once it's registered.

• Search first. A combined search, $15 when staff do it, also shows claims registered against the home in the Personal Property Registry, such as a lender's.
• Transfer. The seller signs a bill of sale, and the transfer is filed with a $50 fee through a lawyer, notary or other qualified supplier.
• Moving. Every move needs a transport permit, which costs $25 and lasts 30 days. You also need a tax certificate showing the property taxes are paid, unless you're moving to another pad in the same park. Moving without a permit can bring a fine of up to $2,000.

Financing, insurance and property tax

• Mortgage or chattel loan. CMHC insures a regular mortgage on a factory-built home permanently affixed to the land on a permanent foundation. A home designed to be movable falls under its chattel financing rules instead, secured by a chattel mortgage. Talk to a mortgage professional early.
• New factory-built homes. CMHC's Prefab Plus insures financing for new factory-built homes, including modular and manufactured homes on a permanent foundation, with as little as 5% down and funds released in up to four draws.
• Insurance. Get a quote before you remove subjects. The Insurance Bureau of Canada notes that some insurers offer limited "no frills" policies for properties that don't meet their normal standards.
• Property tax. You're assessed and taxed like other residential owners. A home that's your principal residence can qualify for the home owner grant if you meet the usual rules.

Before you buy: what to check

• Labels and registry. The CSA or silver label, the nameplate, the registration decal and a combined registry search.
• The tenancy. The tenancy agreement, the park rules, the current rent, the date of the last increase and any age rules.
• Additions and wiring. Unpermitted electrical work in additions or outbuildings has to be surveyed by an electrical contractor under a permit.
• An inspection. A licensed home inspector, plus specialists where needed. I explain what inspectors check in Home Inspections in BC.

Questions buyers often ask me

Do I own the land when I buy a home in a manufactured home park?

No. You own the home and rent the site from the park owner, and the Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act covers that tenancy. The home isn't part of the park's land unless a filed written agreement says otherwise.

How much can my pad rent go up in 2026?

Up to 2.3% plus a proportional amount for increases in local government levies and regulated utility fees, once every 12 months and with three full months' notice. Anything more needs your written agreement or the Residential Tenancy Branch's approval.

What happens if my park is closed or redeveloped?

The landlord needs the permits and approvals first, must give at least 12 months' notice and must pay you $20,000. If your home can't be moved, you can apply for its assessed value less the $20,000.

Can I get a mortgage on a manufactured home?

It depends on how the home is set up. CMHC insures a regular mortgage on a factory-built home permanently affixed to land on a permanent foundation, while a home designed to be movable falls under its chattel financing rules.

Do I need a permit to move a manufactured home?

Yes, for every move. A transport permit from the Manufactured Home Registry costs $25 and is valid for 30 days. You also need a tax certificate showing the property taxes are paid, unless you're moving to another pad in the same park.

Planning a move to something smaller? Read Downsizing in the Tri-Cities and the home owner grant and property tax deferment.

This article is general information, not legal advice. The details come from BC's manufactured home laws, BC Registries, the Residential Tenancy Branch, Technical Safety BC and CMHC, and were current at the time of writing; ask a lawyer or notary about the home you're buying. For the Province's guide, see manufactured or mobile homes.