Many of us associate mobile homes, or mobilehomes, with the American underclass, where these houses are crammed on top of each other. This is not the case here. Mobile homes can offer modern and economical living at affordable prices. In this article, we’ll advise you on what to look out for when buying a mobile home, how mobile homes are regulated by legislation and what to look out for when renting one.
A mobile home, also known as a mobilheim, is a structure built in a factory and then transported to a specific location for use as a permanent or temporary residence. These houses are usually constructed on a chassis with wheels, which allows them to be moved. However, many people leave their mobile homes in one place permanently or long-term as an alternative to a traditional brick house or wooden house.
Mobile homes come in a variety of sizes and configurations. Their floor area is typically between 20 and 60 m2 and the most common layout is a 3 bedroom layout, i.e. a kitchenette combined with living areas, two bedrooms and one bathroom. Due to their design and mobility, they are generally cheaper than traditional houses, making them a popular choice for affordable housing in our country.
Tip: Mobile homes are not the only alternative to traditional housing. Read our article on container homes.
The difference between a holiday home and a year-round mobile home lies primarily in their construction, insulation and equipment:
We provide a complete package of legal services related to real estate sales and purchases, including reservation contracts and escrow services. We will also help you with all tax and land registry issues. Our work is fast and accurate, ensuring a worry-free transaction. You’re also welcome to pay after services are provided.
Many companies nowadays sell new, custom-made mobile homes. But many of them also sell used or refurbished mobile homes. Although used mobile homes are cheaper, they are most often imported from the West and are therefore adapted to a different climate than ours. For this reason, they need even more costly modifications. In addition, these houses may also contain hidden defects.
When you buy a used mobile home, it is important to check to see if you are buying a mold with the mobile home, for example. These are the most common defects that can occur with mobile homes:
Despite the most thorough inspection, it is not possible to discover hidden defects. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean you have to accept the condition. Czech law provides for this possibility and therefore offers buyers protection. In a situation where you are buying a mobile home and it is not firmly attached to a foundation, Czech legislation views mobile homes as leisure vehicles.
If you purchase a used mobile home from a private party, you automatically get a warranty period of 6 months from the date of delivery of the mobile home to your specified location. If directly from a mobile home dealer, then the warranty period lasts 24 months. For the first 12 months, the burden of proof lies with the seller, who must prove that the mobile home was free from defects at the time of sale. For the next 12 months, the burden of proof lies with the buyer.
Tip: Has someone sold you a mobile home that has defects you didn’t know about or doesn’t have the required features? We will assess your case and draft a proposal for legal services within 24 hours , leading to a remedy.
You can use this guarantee for the hidden defects mentioned above. These are defects that the seller has not admitted to you and that cannot be detected during the inspection of the mobilheim. However, you must not repair the defect when making a claim, because if you do, you will no longer be entitled to a claim.
It is not possible to build a mobile home anywhere. Mobile homes are considered to be a product that serves the function of a building if they are used as a dwelling, and therefore they can only be placed on a plot of land where they can be built. Therefore, before buying a plot for a mobile home, it will be necessary to consult the zoning plan.
The access road is also an important feature of a mobile home plot. This is because it must be spacious enough for the mobile home to be transported to its destination. It is also ideal to choose a flat site, otherwise landscaping will be required.
Tip: Are you planning to buy a plot of land for a mobile home? Contact our attorneys. We will provide you with a complete contractual and legal service related to the purchase of the property. We will handle it within 48 hours, flawlessly and professionally.
As already mentioned, a mobile home can only be sited on a plot where the building is permitted by the zoning plan. In addition, you will also need planning consent for the siting. This can be obtained from the building authority where your plot is located. Here you will submit a completed notice of intent in the area, proof of ownership of the land, statements of technical and transport infrastructure and a declaration of compliance with technical standards and technical documentation for the mobile home. These two documents should be provided to you by the manufacturer or seller of the mobile home. The building authority has 30 days to process your application. You do not need a building permit or notification after that.
The mobile home is not licensed and registered in the Land Registry after it has been placed, as it is not firmly connected to the land. This also means that you will not get a description number for it and therefore it is not possible to have a permanent residence in it. Fortunately, permanent residence does not have to be your home, but you can arrange it with your parents or the local authority, for example. There are also companies that will provide you with a virtual permanent residence including a mailbox. Prices range from a few tens to hundreds of crowns per month.
There is also the option of anchoring the mobile home to the ground, which opens up the possibility of obtaining a description number and therefore a permanent residence. On the other hand, you will then have to get a building permit or notification and have the mobile home registered in the Land Registry.
Tip: The application for entry into the Land Registry is not easy for a layman. We can help you write the application so that everything is right the first time and you don’t miss important deadlines or lose money.
You can get a mortgage for a mobile home. However, you need to meet certain conditions. First of all, you must ensure that the mobile home is not already mobile – that is, it must not have wheels and must therefore be on stilts. Most banks also insist that the mobile home is firmly attached to the land and therefore has a description number and a registration number in the land registry.
You can also rent a mobile home, both short-term, for example for a summer holiday by the water, and long-term, just like a traditional apartment or house. Especially in the latter case, there are several things to keep in mind. These include the content of the rental agreement and the handover protocol, the refundable security deposit and its amount, and the conditions for the eventual termination of the rental agreement. We have already discussed all the necessary requirements in our earlier article on What to look out for when renting an apartment from the tenant’s point of view.
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We provide a complete package of legal services related to real estate sales and purchases, including reservation contracts and escrow services. We will also help you with all tax and land registry issues. Our work is fast and accurate, ensuring a worry-free transaction. You’re also welcome to pay after services are provided.
Ondřej is the attorney who came up with the idea of providing legal services online. He's been earning his living through legal services for more than 10 years. He especially likes to help clients who may have given up hope in solving their legal issues at work, for example with real estate transfers or copyright licenses.
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