A. Upon granting judgment for possession by the landlord in a forcible entry and detainer action, the court shall issue the writ of restitution as provided in Section 47-8-46 NMSA 1978.

B. The notice of judgment shall state that at a specified time, not less than forty-eight hours from the entry of judgment, the sheriff will return to serve a writ of restitution and superintend the peaceful and orderly removal of the mobile home under that order of court. The notice of judgment shall also advise the mobile home owner to prepare the mobile home for removal from the premises by removing the skirting, disconnecting utilities, attaching tires and otherwise making the mobile home safe and ready for highway travel.

C. Should the mobile home owner fail to have the mobile home safe and ready for physical removal from the premises or should inclement weather or other unforeseen problems occur at the time specified in the notice of judgment, the landlord and the sheriff may by written agreement extend the time for the execution of the writ of restitution to allow time for the landlord to arrange to have the necessary work done or to permit the sheriff's execution of the writ of restitution at a time when weather or other conditions will make removal less hazardous to the mobile home.

D. If the mobile home is not removed from the landlord's land on behalf of the mobile home owner within the time permitted by the writ of restitution, the landlord and the sheriff shall have the right to take possession of the mobile home for the purposes of removal and storage. The liability of the landlord and the sheriff in that event shall be limited to gross negligence or willful and wanton disregard of the property rights of the mobile home owner. The responsibility to prevent freezing and to prevent wind and weather damage to the mobile home lies exclusively with those persons who have a property interest in the mobile home.

E. Utility charges, other charges incurred by the landlord for which the resident is liable to the landlord pursuant to the provisions of a rental agreement, including amounts awarded to the landlord in an action brought pursuant to this section, rents and reasonable removal and storage charges may be paid by any party in interest. Those charges constitute a lien that will run with the mobile home. The lien may be foreclosed in the same manner as a landlord's lien created pursuant to Section 48-3-5 NSMA [sic] 1978.

F. Prior to the issuance of the writ of restitution, the court shall make a finding of fact that the mobile home is or is not subject to the security interest of a first lienholder. A written statement on the mobile home resident's owner's application for tenancy identifying a lienholder by name and address shall be prima facie evidence of the existence of the interest of the lienholder. If the application for tenancy contains no information or states that no liens exist, the landlord shall obtain a written title search statement from the motor vehicle division of the taxation and revenue department and the matter contained in that document shall be conclusive evidence of the existence or nonexistence of security interests in the mobile home.

G. If the court finds there is a security interest in favor of a first lienholder on the mobile home subject to the writ of restitution or if the mobile home has been abandoned by the resident or possession of the mobile home has been surrendered to the landlord by the resident, then, upon receipt of the writ of restitution, the landlord shall notify the first lienholder in writing that the landlord has obtained a writ of restitution for the mobile home park space where the mobile home is located or that the mobile home has been abandoned or surrendered by the resident. The notice shall be provided in accordance with the provisions of Subsection J of this section and shall:

(1) state that an action for restitution has been filed against the resident and the effective date of a writ of restitution, if issued, or the date the mobile home was abandoned or voluntarily surrendered by the resident;

(2) disclose the amount of the utility charges, other charges incurred by the landlord as provided in the rental agreement, rents and reasonable removal and storage charges, accruing daily rent calculated pursuant to this section, and the date upon which the resident is required to make regular payments to the landlord; and

(3) attach a copy of the lease and the landlord's rules and regulations that apply to the resident.

H. Notwithstanding the provisions of the [sic] Subsection E of this section, the landlord shall be entitled to collect from the first lienholder only the utility charges, other charges incurred by the landlord as provided in the rental agreement and rents and reasonable removal and storage charges accruing from and after the date the landlord provides the first lienholder the written notice prescribed under Subsection G of this section. The first lienholder shall notify the landlord within thirty days of receipt of the notice whether it intends to pay the rents and charges collectible under this subsection or remove the mobile home. The rents and charges due under this subsection shall be prorated to the date the mobile home is removed or the date a new lease with a new resident becomes effective, and the first lienholder shall not be liable for any rents and charges thereafter. The maximum rent payable to the landlord under this subsection is a daily rate equal to one-thirtieth of the then-current lot rental amount that would have been payable by the resident under the lease. The maximum daily rent may be increased over time in accordance with the notice requirements under the applicable provisions of the Mobile Home Park Act. The first lienholder shall have thirty days from the date notice is provided by the landlord to pay the rent and charges accruing to the notice date. Thereafter, the first lienholder shall pay the rent and charges in accordance with the resident's lease. If the first lienholder desires to remove the mobile home prior to a payment due date, the first lienholder shall pay the rent and charges accrued to the date of removal prior to removing the mobile home.

I. If the first lienholder fails to pay the rent and charges due as provided in Subsection H of this section, the landlord may give the first lienholder notice of the nonpayment in accordance with Section 47-10-6 NMSA 1978. If the first lienholder fails to make payment within the time period specified in the notice, the landlord may proceed against the first lienholder by exercising the remedies granted it under the Mobile Home Park Act. The landlord may also seek any other remedies to which it is entitled by law. The prevailing party in any action brought in an event to seek relief under this section, including an action for damages, is entitled to an award for reasonable attorney fees and costs incurred in the suit. Notwithstanding anything in this section to the contrary, the judgment obtained in such an action, if in favor of the landlord, constitutes a lien against the mobile home having priority over the lien of the first lienholder. The lien may be foreclosed pursuant to the procedures pertaining to a landlord's lien created in Section 48-3-5 NMSA 1978.

J. Any notice required by this section between the first lienholder and landlord shall be in writing and either hand delivered or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested. The notice shall be effective the date of delivery or mailing. If hand delivered, the notice shall be delivered at the principal office or place of business of the addressee during regular business hours to the person in charge of the office or place of business.

K. If the mobile home is sold to third parties who intend to remain in the park, they will not be allowed to reside in the mobile home unless the parties have been qualified by the landlord as residents. Until the purchasers and the landlord enter into a written lease agreement, the landlord may refuse to recognize the sale and treat any persons living in the mobile home as trespassers.

L. If the first lienholder has paid in full all money due under Subsection H of this section, it shall be unlawful for the landlord to refuse to allow the first lienholder to remove the mobile home. If the landlord refuses to allow the first lienholder to remove the mobile home, the landlord is liable to the first lienholder for each day the landlord unlawfully maintains possession of the mobile home, at a daily rate equal to one-thirtieth of the monthly payment required by a contract between the first lienholder and resident. In all disputes between the landlord and the first lienholder, the court shall award reasonable attorney fees and costs to the prevailing party. In the event the mobile home has not been resold within six months of the landlord providing notice pursuant to Subsection G of this section, the landlord may request the first lienholder to remove the mobile home within thirty days of the request. Notice of the request shall be given to the first lienholder in accordance with Subsection J of this section.

History: Laws 1983, ch. 122, § 9; 1997, ch. 39, § 3.

Bracketed material. — The bracketed material was inserted by the compiler and is not part of the law.

The 1997 amendment, effective June 20, 1997, in Subsection E, inserted the language beginning "other charges" and ending "this section" in the first sentence, deleted "shall" following "charges" and deleted "and whoever ultimately claims the mobile home will owe that sum to the person who paid it" following "home" in the second sentence and added the third sentence; rewrote Subsection F; rewrote Subsection G; and added Subsections H through L.