This content applies to Scotland only.

Housing laws vary between Scotland and England. Get advice relating to England

This page helps you work out what kind of tenancy you may have if you rent a mobile home from a landlord. You need to know what kind of tenancy you have in order to understand your rights.

What are tenancy rights?

If you rent a mobile home, your tenancy rights come from the law and from the agreement you have with your landlord. This will either be a written agreement or a verbal agreement. If you don't have a written agreement, you still have rights.

Your tenancy rights determine your rights to live in the rented mobile home itself, not on the site it's stationed on. Your rights to live on the site are regulated by different laws, and depend on whether or not you live on a protected site. Read the page on renting a pitch to find out what your rights are.

If you are not sure what kind of tenancy you have or want more information about your rights, get advice from a Shelter advice centre or Citizens Advice. Use the Advice Services Directory to find help near you.

Do I have an assured, short assured or regulated tenancy?

You may be able to show that you have an assured, short assured or regulated tenancy if you rent a mobile home which can be classed as a 'dwelling house'. This may be the case if your mobile home:

• has mains supplies of electricity, water and telephone, and
• is used as a permanent residence, and
• is static and cannot be moved, or
• is so large that it cannot be moved in one piece.

Regulated tenancies

You may have a regulated tenancy if:

• your mobile home can be classed as a dwelling house, and
• your tenancy agreement began before 2 January 1989.

As a regulated tenant, you may be able to apply to the rent officer to have a fair rent determined and you will have more defence against being evicted.

Read more about regulated tenancies.

Assured or short assured tenants

You may be an assured or short assured tenant if:

• your mobile home can be classed as a dwelling house, and
• your tenancy agreement began after 2 January 1989.

Assured tenants in particular have strong tenancy rights. See the sections on assured tenancies and short assured tenancies to find out your rights.

Problems with tenancy status

Chances are your landlord will refuse to accept that you are an assured, short assured or regulated tenant, and therefore have increased rights. If you want to assert these rights (for example, if you want your landlord to make repairs to your mobile home or if you are fighting eviction) you may have to resort to court action. It's best to get advice from a Shelter advice centre or Citizens Advice before taking any action to assert your rights.

Do I have a common law tenancy?

If your mobile home can't be classed as a dwelling house, you will still have some rights under the common law. Find out more by reading the page on common law tenants' rights.