Pennsylvania Mobile Home Park Adding Water & Sewer Charges? 2026 Lease, Meter & Lot-Rent Rules
A Pennsylvania manufactured-home park can trigger specific disclosure and notice rules when water, sewer or other service charges change. Learn the once-per-12-month ground-rent rule, 30- and 60-day timing, utility disclosures, pass-through charges, and what to check before signing a new lease.
The short answer
Pennsylvania's Manufactured Home Community Rights Act contains specific rules for lot rent, service charges and utilities. If a park changes from water or sewer being included in lot rent to separately billed charges, residents should not evaluate the change only as a utility question. The written lease, required disclosures, notice timing and whether the charge is payable to the community owner all matter.
A current public renter discussion illustrates the issue: a long-time resident reported a park sale, a $100 lot-rent increase and a proposed new lease that would install water meters and move water and sewer out of the lot rent. The legal analysis turns on the Act's actual disclosure and timing rules, not on whether separate metering is common in the industry.
Pennsylvania limits how often ground rent can change
Section 4.1 of the Manufactured Home Community Rights Act says rents for a mobile-home site, commonly called ground rents, shall not change more than once in a 12-month period. That frequency rule is separate from a new utility or service charge and should be checked first when the park has already increased lot rent recently.
Do not automatically label every new water or sewer bill a second ground-rent increase. The Act separately defines service charges and contains disclosure rules for utilities, so the exact structure of the new charge matters.
Longer lease renewals generally require 60 days' notice of changes
For a lease period over 60 days, section 4.1 says the community owner must offer a renewal for the same term and provisions unless the owner notifies the resident in writing of changes at least 60 days before the lease expires.
For new leases, extensions and renewals longer than 60 days, section 6 also requires disclosure of how utility and other services will be provided, who provides them, what user fees the owner charges, how the lot rent may increase, and the manner in which pass-through charges will be assessed.
Water, sewer and other utility obligations must be disclosed
Section 6 requires written disclosure of rent, fees, service charges and assessments payable to the community owner, plus utility charges for water, sewer, trash, Internet, cable, electricity and fuel payable to the owner and notice of other utility charges for which the resident may be responsible.
For current residents entering a mandatory lease, the Act also requires written disclosure before the lease is executed. A park changing who bills water or sewer should therefore put the financial arrangement in the required written materials rather than relying on a voicemail or informal announcement.
Undisclosed charges can be unenforceable
The Act says failure to disclose covered rent, fees, service charges and assessments renders them void and unenforceable in Pennsylvania courts. It also says increases in covered amounts payable to the owner are unenforceable until 30 days after notice has both been posted in a conspicuous community location and mailed to the resident.
That 30-day rule does not erase a separate 60-day lease-renewal requirement when it applies. A resident should identify whether the issue is a midstream increase, a new or renewed lease term, or both before calculating the earliest possible effective date.
A park cannot raise rent during the lease term
Section 6 states that rent shall not be increased during the term of the lease. For a park owner preparing a new rate, the correct sequence is therefore tied to the lease term and the notice/disclosure framework rather than simply changing the monthly ledger whenever the owner chooses.
A utility charge can require a different analysis from base ground rent, but a lease provision and the Act's disclosure rules still matter. Residents should request the written basis for the charge, the entity providing the service, the meter or allocation method and any pass-through formula.
What a water-meter change should explain
For leases longer than 60 days, the Act specifically calls for disclosure of how water, sewage, waste disposal and other services will be provided and the entity providing them. It also calls for disclosure of owner-charged user fees and the manner in which pass-through charges will be assessed.
Before signing, ask whether each home has a direct utility account, a submeter, a park-owned meter allocation or another billing method; who reads the meter; what rate or formula is used; whether there is an administrative component; and how disputes or leaks are handled. Compare those answers with the written disclosure rather than relying on oral descriptions.
A park sale does not erase the statutory process
A change in community ownership can lead to new management, lease forms and utility practices, but the Manufactured Home Community Rights Act still supplies the baseline protections for covered Pennsylvania communities. A new owner should review existing leases and the statutory notice/disclosure process before implementing new charges.
Residents should preserve the old lease, new lease, prior fee disclosure, rent history, sale or management notices, mailed notices, posted notices, utility bills and any meter records. Those documents make it easier to distinguish a lawful renewal change from an undisclosed or mistimed charge.
Where to get help and what Max Rental Tools can organize
Pennsylvania's Act states that enforcement is available through the Attorney General or local district attorney and also provides for a private cause of action. Pennsylvania's Department of Community and Economic Development directs complaints about community owners to the Office of Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Max Rental Tools can help organize a lease amendment, utility-charge allocation notice, meter-reading record and rent ledger, but the park's current lease and Pennsylvania's Manufactured Home Community Rights Act control. If the issue is recurring water outages rather than a change in billing, use the separate Max guide on Pennsylvania manufactured-home park water shutoffs and utility rights.
Common questions
How often can a Pennsylvania mobile-home park raise ground rent?
The Manufactured Home Community Rights Act says ground rent for a mobile-home site shall not change more than once in a 12-month period.
Can a Pennsylvania manufactured-home park start charging water and sewer separately?
The answer depends on the lease and the Act's disclosure and notice rules. Water and sewer obligations, provider information, user fees and pass-through methods are among the items the statute requires to be disclosed in specified lease situations.
How much notice is required for changes to a Pennsylvania manufactured-home lease?
For lease periods over 60 days, the owner generally must give written notice of changes at least 60 days before expiration if the renewal will not use the same terms and provisions. Separate notice rules also apply to increases in covered charges payable to the owner.
What happens if a Pennsylvania mobile-home park never disclosed a fee?
Section 6 states that failure to disclose covered rent, fees, service charges and assessments renders them void and unenforceable in Pennsylvania courts. Apply the rule to the specific charge and current lease documents.
Can Pennsylvania manufactured-home park rent increase during the lease term?
Section 6 of the Manufactured Home Community Rights Act states that rent shall not be increased during the term of the lease.
Official sources
Pennsylvania General Assembly — Manufactured Home Community Rights ActPennsylvania DCED — Manufactured Housing / Community Rights InformationContinue your check
Use the state directory for current jurisdiction-specific rules, calculate the proposed increase, then prepare the appropriate rental document only after the legal-rule checks are complete.