Q: Is the park required to provide a lease agreement in the language of the resident if the resident is non-English speaking?
A: Not in most cases. Civil Code Sec. 1632 provides that a person engaged in a trade or business, who negotiates a contract or lease — including a rental agreement covering a dwelling, apartment, or mobile home — in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or Korean, she provide the other party, if they request it, with a written copy of the contract or agreement in that language prior to execution of the document. However, this provisions does not apply to contracts or agreements negotiated with the use of an interpreter, or to month-to-month rental agreements. Additionally, mobile home parks do not “negotiate” their leases with home owners, but rather offer the lease on a “take it or leave it” basis.
Recap:
- Most mobile home lease contracts are not negotiated and therefore they do not have to be offered in languages other than in English
Source: California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD)
