710.15 Manufactured and mobile home community regulations.

(1) Definitions. In this section:

(ad) “Community" means a tract of land containing 3 or more plots of ground upon which mobile homes or manufactured homes are located in exchange for the payment of rent or any other fee pursuant to a lease.

(ag) “Lease" means a written agreement between an operator and a resident establishing the terms upon which the mobile home or manufactured home may be located in the community or the resident may occupy a mobile home or manufactured home in the community.

(am) “Manufactured home" has the meaning given in s. 101.91 (2).

(b) “Mobile home" has the meaning given under s. 101.91 (10), but does not include a recreational vehicle, as defined in s. 340.01 (48r).

(c) “Occupant" means a person who rents a mobile home or manufactured home in a community from an operator or who occupies a mobile home or manufactured home located on a plot of ground that is rented in a community from an operator.

(d) “Operator" means a person engaged in the business of renting plots of ground or mobile homes or manufactured homes in a community to mobile home or manufactured home owners or occupants.

(f) “Resident" means a person who rents a mobile home or manufactured home site in a community from an operator and who occupies the mobile home or site as his or her residence.

(1m) Requirement and term of lease. Every agreement for the rental of a mobile home site or manufactured home site shall be by lease. Every lease shall be for a term of at least one year unless the resident or occupant requests a shorter term and the operator agrees to the shorter term.

(2) Rules included in lease. All community rules that substantially affect the rights or duties of residents or occupants or of operators, including community rules under sub. (2m) (b), shall be made a part of every lease between them.

(2m) Emergency shelter disclosure.

(a) Every lease shall state whether the community contains an emergency shelter.

(b) If a community contains an emergency shelter under par. (a), the community rules shall state the location of the emergency shelter and procedures for its use.

(3) Prohibited consideration of age of mobile home or manufactured home.

(a) An operator may not deny a resident the opportunity to enter into or renew, and may not include, exclude or alter any terms of, a lease to continue to locate a mobile home or manufactured home in the community solely or in any part on the basis of the age of the mobile home or manufactured home.

(b) An operator may not require the removal of a mobile home or manufactured home from a community solely or in any part on the basis of the age of the mobile home or manufactured home, regardless of whether the ownership or occupancy of the mobile home or manufactured home has changed or will change.

(4) Prohibited consideration of change in ownership or occupancy of mobile home or manufactured home. An operator may not require the removal of a mobile home or manufactured home from a community solely or in any part because the ownership or occupancy of the mobile home or manufactured home has changed or will change. An operator may refuse to enter into an initial lease with a prospective resident or occupant for any other lawful reason.

(4m) No interest in real estate; screening permitted. Neither sub. (3) (b) nor sub. (4) creates or extends any interest in real estate or prohibits the lawful screening of prospective residents and occupants by an operator.

(5m) Termination of tenancy or nonrenewal of lease. Notwithstanding ss. 704.17 and 704.19, the tenancy of a resident or occupant in a community may not be terminated, nor may the renewal of the lease be denied by the community operator, except upon any of the following grounds:

(a) Failure to pay rent due, or failure to pay taxes or any other charges due for which the community owner or operator may be liable.

(b) Disorderly conduct that results in a disruption to the rights of others to the peaceful enjoyment and use of the premises.

(c) Vandalism or commission of waste of the property.

(d) A breach of any term of the lease.

(e) Violation of community rules that endangers the health or safety of others or disrupts the right to the peaceful enjoyment and use of the premises by others, after written notice to cease the violation has been delivered to the resident or occupant.

(em) Violation of federal, state or local laws, rules or ordinances relating to mobile homes or manufactured homes after written notice to cease the violation has been delivered to the resident or occupant.

(f) The community owner or operator seeks to retire the community permanently from the rental housing market.

(g) The community owner or operator is required to discontinue use of the community for the purpose rented as a result of action taken against the community owner or operator by local or state building or health authorities and it is necessary for the premises to be vacated to satisfy the relief sought by the action.

(h) The physical condition of the mobile home or manufactured home presents a threat to the health or safety of its occupants or others in the community or, by its physical appearance, disrupts the right to the enjoyment and use of the community by others.

(i) Refusal to sign a lease.

(j) Material misrepresentation in the application for tenancy.

(k) Other good cause.

(5r) Notice requirements apply. The notice requirements of s. 704.17 (1p) (a), (2) (a) and (3) apply to a termination of tenancy under sub. (5m) (a) and the notice requirements of s. 704.17 (1p) (b), (2) (b) and (3) apply to a termination of tenancy under sub. (5m) (b) to (k).

(5t) Termination of tenancy for threat of serious harm. Notwithstanding sub. (5m), nothing in this section prevents termination of a tenancy because of an imminent threat of serious physical harm, as provided in s. 704.16.

History: 1985 a. 235; 1999 a. 150 s. 672; 2007 a. 11; 2013 a. 76; 2017 a. 317, s. 54.

Claims of improper termination of a mobile home tenancy are governed exclusively by sub. (5m). Where a government order requires a park owner to either abandon a failing septic system or replace it, the owner may elect to abandon the system and terminate the tenancy of the attached mobile home under sub. (5m) (g) or (k). Logterman v. Dawson, 190 Wis. 2d 90, 526 N.W.2d 768 (Ct. App. 1994).