The Maine Mobile Home Coop Program

Beginning in 2006 the Genesis Fund joined states like New Hampshire, Florida, and Minnesota, in assisting residents of some of our 552 mobile home parks form nonprofit cooperatives that purchase and manage their mobile home park communities.  With a grant from the Corporation for Enterprise Development, the program is well underway.  Learn more...

Factsheet about Mobile Home Parks in Maine

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can my landlord evict me for organizing a cooperative?
A. No! It is illegal to evict someone for organizing fellow residents.

Q. How can we afford to buy our park?
A. The Cooperative borrows the money to purchase the park from financial institutions such as banks and the Genesis Fund. Your combined rents pay the costs to operate the park, and make the mortgage payments on the park. An operating budget is prepared and engineering studies of the park are used to determine what you can afford. If you think the cost is too high, you don’t have to buy it.

Q. Who would collect the lot rent and pay the bills?
A. The elected Board of Directors will be responsible for collecting lot rents and paying the co-bills. To accomplish this, they may decide to hire a property management company or employ someone. Unusually large expenditures have to be approved by the entire membership.

Q. What does it cost to get things started?
A. Incorporating with the state costs $145. Resident groups usually set a “joining fee” to cover these expenses. If the cooperative does not buy the park, only the joining fee is at risk. By having many members pay a small amount, the group spreads and minimizes the risk. However, if the cooperative is successful in buying the park, the joining fee becomes the initial payment each new member makes toward his or her membership fee.

Q. What is my personal risk to me after the co-op purchases the park?
A. Members of a cooperative are not personally liable for the cooperatives’ mortgages or other debts. The cooperative will also carry liability insurance.

Q. I do not plan on living here forever. Can I move?
A. Yes. You can sell your house as you otherwise would. When you sell your home your membership certificate is bought back by the cooperative. _ If the buyer of your home stays in the park they must _ become a member of the cooperative and purchase a membership certificate from the cooperative.


Q. What charges are there if we own the park as a cooperative?
A. Each member household pays two charges. The first is the lot rent that is collected monthly to pay for operating expenses like taxes, insurance, trash collection, and the co-op’s mortgage payments. The second charge is the one-time membership fee, and the amount is decided upon by the cooperative. When the membership fee is fully paid, the member only pays lot rent.

Q. How can I become a member if I can’t afford to pay the membership fee?
A. Residents who choose to become members before the park is purchased can pay a minimum amount toward their membership fee each month (usually something like $10, $20 or $30). As a member paying over time, you have full voting rights.

Q. What if you decide you do not want to become a member?
A. You may remain a tenant and pay rent to the cooperative. Since members pay the membership fee and participate in the work of the cooperative, non-member tenants pay a somewhat higher rent (generally 10 to 25% higher) than members do.

Q. How is the cooperative different from a tenants’ association?
A. A tenants association is organized in a landlord-owned park to negotiate in response to rent increases, park maintenance issues, injustices, or to buy the park. A cooperative is a corporation organized for the purpose of owning and managing the park.

Q. I do not plan on living here forever. Can I move?
A. Yes. You can sell your house as you otherwise would. When you sell your home your membership certificate is bought back by the cooperative. The buyer of your home must become a member of the cooperative and purchase a membership certificate from the cooperative.

Q. How does the cooperative manage the park?
A. Management may be done on a voluntary basis using member time, with no cash expense to the cooperative. Members participate on either the Board of Directors or on one of the committees (Maintenance, Finance, Social, Membership, or Mediation) to manage the park. All members participate at membership meetings to make major decisions that affect the park. Some cooperatives hire a bookkeeping service to collect the lot rents and make payments. Most cooperatives contract for trash and snow removal. The larger ones hire office and maintenance staff.