Mobile Home Park Insurance in Washington State

Mobile home park ownership in Washington involves a landlord-tenant relationship that exists nowhere else in real estate. Your tenants own their homes but rent the land beneath them, creating a split-responsibility dynamic that generates unique insurance exposures. The Washington Manufactured/Mobile Home Landlord-Tenant Act (RCW 59.20) establishes specific obligations for park owners that differ significantly from standard residential landlord law. You must provide written rental agreements, follow strict procedures for rent increases and rule changes, and cannot terminate tenancies without cause — and the definition of "cause" is narrowly defined by statute. Violations of RCW 59.20 create direct liability including attorney fee exposure and potential damages.

Infrastructure liability is the defining risk for mobile home park operators. Unlike apartment buildings where the landlord owns everything, mobile home park owners are responsible for roads, water systems, sewer connections, electrical pedestals, and common area facilities — while tenants are responsible for their individual homes. When a water main breaks and floods a tenant's manufactured home, when a sewer backup damages personal property, or when an electrical pedestal malfunction causes a fire in a tenant's unit, the liability boundary becomes a contested question. Washington courts look closely at whether the park owner properly maintained the infrastructure, and deferred maintenance is the fastest path to a finding of negligence.

Common area injuries represent a significant exposure. Mobile home parks typically include shared amenities — playgrounds, laundry facilities, clubhouses, and walking paths. Each creates premises liability for the park owner. A child injured on playground equipment, a resident who slips on an icy walkway, or a visitor who falls in a poorly maintained parking area all generate claims. The demographics of many manufactured housing communities — including elderly residents and families with young children — increase both the frequency and dollar value of these claims.

Weather-related risk compounds these exposures. Manufactured homes are more vulnerable to wind damage than site-built structures, and while the homes themselves are the tenant's responsibility, storm damage to park infrastructure falls squarely on the park owner. Trees falling on power lines, flooding of roads and common areas, and damage to community buildings are all park owner claims. Washington's winter storms and atmospheric river events make comprehensive property coverage essential. SmartInsured partners with A-rated carriers experienced in the manufactured housing sector to provide coverage addressing both the property and complex liability exposures unique to mobile home park operations.