25 Del. C. ch. 70 § 7016

Termination or nonrenewal of rental agreement by landlord; due cause: noncompliance

In Force
Verified 10/21/2026 · Next check 10/28/2026
effective 10/21/2026DelawareEviction & Just Cause

Operative Text

25 Del. C. ch. 70 § 7016
(a) A landlord may terminate a rental agreement with a tenant immediately upon written notice if the tenant does not comply with the terms of the rental agreement or the requirements of this subchapter and the noncompliance is the result of any of the following:

(1) Clear and convincing evidence that conduct of the tenant or of a resident of the tenant’s manufactured home caused, is causing, or threatens to cause, immediate and irreparable harm to any person or property in the manufactured home community.

(2) Conviction of a crime or adjudication of delinquency committed by a tenant or by a resident of the tenant’s manufactured home, the nature of which at the time of the crime or act of delinquency caused immediate and irreparable harm to any person or property in the manufactured home community.

(3) Clear and convincing evidence of a material misrepresentation on the tenant’s application to rent a lot in the manufactured home community which, if the truth were known, would have resulted in the denial of the application.

(4) [Repealed.]

(5) The failure of a tenant to bring such tenant’s manufactured home into compliance with written standards under § 7007(b) or [former] § 7013(e) [repealed] of this title.

(b) A landlord may terminate a rental agreement with a tenant by providing prior written notice as follows:

(1) If the tenant’s noncompliance with the terms of the rental agreement or the requirements of this subchapter involves conduct of the tenant, of a resident of the tenant’s manufactured home, or of a guest or visitor of the tenant or resident which results in the disruption of the rights of others entitled to the quiet enjoyment of the premises, the landlord shall notify the tenant in writing to immediately cause the conduct to cease and not allow its repetition. The notice must specify the conduct which formed the basis for the notice and notify the tenant that if substantially the same conduct recurs within 6 months, whether or not the 6-month period falls within 1 lease period or overlaps 2 lease periods, the landlord may immediately terminate the rental agreement and bring an action for summary possession.

(2) If the noncompliance is based upon a condition on or of the premises of the manufactured home community, the landlord shall notify the tenant in writing, specifying the condition constituting the noncompliance and allowing the tenant 12 days from the date of mailing or personal service to remedy the noncompliance. If the tenant remains in noncompliance at the expiration of the 12-day period, whether or not the 12-day period falls within 1 lease period or overlaps 2 lease periods, the landlord may immediately terminate the rental agreement and bring an action for summary possession.

(3) If rent, which includes late fees for rent, other fees and charges, including utility charges, and the Trust Funds assessment, is not received by the landlord by the 5th day after the due date or during the grace period stated in the rental agreement, whichever is longer, the landlord shall notify the tenant in writing, demanding payment and stating that unless the required payment is made within 7 days from the date of mailing or personal service, the landlord may file a court action to terminate the rental agreement. If the tenant remains in default after the 7-day period, whether or not the 7-day period falls within 1 lease period or overlaps 2 lease periods, the landlord may bring an action to terminate the rental agreement, recover the rent due, and for summary possession.

a. If a tenant, or another person or entity on behalf of a tenant, pays all rent due, including all rent due under the terms of the lease, before the landlord has initiated an action against the tenant, the landlord may not then initiate an action for summary possession relating to failure to pay rent. The landlord may not refuse to accept rental payments by or on behalf of a tenant. The landlord may restrict the method of any payments to those accepted under the terms of the lease.

b. If a tenant, or another person or entity on behalf of a tenant, pays all rent due, including all rent due under the terms of the lease, after the landlord has initiated an action for nonpayment or late payment of rent against the tenant, then the landlord may not maintain that action for past due rent. The landlord may not refuse to accept rental payments by or on behalf of a tenant. The landlord may restrict the method of payment as follows:

1. Prior to a judgment being entered against the tenant, the landlord may restrict the method of any payments to those accepted under the terms of the lease.

2. Once a judgment has been entered against the tenant, the landlord may require payment be made by either certified check or money order.

(c) Whether or not repeated instances of noncompliance fall within 1 lease period or overlap 2 or more lease periods, if there are repeated instances of noncompliance by the tenant with a provision of the rental agreement, with any rule or regulation material to the rental agreement, or with a provision of subchapters I through V of this chapter, even when corrected by the tenant, a landlord may immediately terminate the rental agreement and bring an action for summary possession and any moneys due, or may refuse to renew the agreement under § 7009 of this title. “Repeated instances of noncompliance” include any of the following:

(1) Failure of the tenant on 4 separate occasions within 12 consecutive payment periods, to make a rent payment by the fifth day after the due date or during the grace period stated in the rental agreement, whichever is longer, resulting in notice being sent to the tenant under paragraph (b)(3) of this section.

(2) Failure of the tenant on 2 separate occasions within 12 consecutive payment periods to reimburse a landlord within 7 days of notice from the landlord to the tenant that the landlord paid the tenant’s utility charge.

(3) Tender by the tenant on 2 separate occasions within 12 consecutive payment periods of a bank draft or check which is dishonored by a financial institution for any reason, except for a mistake by the financial institution.

(4) Four separate incidents of noncompliance as described in paragraph (b)(1) or (b)(2) of this section within a 12-month period.

(5) Any combination of 4 separate incidents of noncompliance as described in any subdivision of this subsection within a 12-month period.

(d) A landlord may not terminate a rental agreement or refuse to renew a rental agreement under paragraph (c)(1) of this section unless the landlord notifies the tenant after the third separate occasion within 12 consecutive payment periods that a subsequent incident of noncompliance under paragraph (c)(1) of this section may result in either the immediate termination of the rental agreement or the nonrenewal of the rental agreement at its expiration.

(e) In an action for summary possession based on nonpayment of rent, the tenant is entitled to raise by defense or counterclaim any claim against the landlord that is related to the rental of the lot.

(f) A notice sent to a tenant advising the tenant that the rental agreement is terminated or will be terminated or will not be renewed must specify the reasons for such action in sufficient detail so that the dates, places, and circumstances concerning the termination are clear. Mere reference to or recital of the language of this section is not sufficient.

(g) A landlord’s right to terminate a rental agreement prior to the expiration of the agreement or right to refuse to renew at the expiration of the agreement does not arise until the landlord has complied with the applicable notice provision upon which the landlord is relying for the termination or non-renewal of the agreement.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Section 7016 of Delaware's manufactured home community law (25 Del. C. ch. 70 § 7016) establishes the specific grounds and procedures a landlord must follow to terminate or decline to renew a rental agreement based on a tenant's noncompliance. Depending on the nature of the noncompliance—such as immediate harm, quiet-enjoyment disruptions, physical conditions on the lot, or nonpayment of rent—different notice timelines and requirements apply before a landlord may pursue court action. The law also defines 'repeated instances of noncompliance,' which can trigger immediate termination even when individual violations were previously corrected, and it preserves a tenant's right to raise related claims as a defense or counterclaim in a nonpayment action.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on October 22, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Operators of manufactured home communities in Delaware must carefully match their termination or nonrenewal process to the specific type of noncompliance identified under 25 Del. C. ch. 70 § 7016. Compliant operators generally document the nature of the violation, issue written notices that specify dates, places, and circumstances in sufficient detail—not merely reciting statutory language—and observe the applicable waiting periods (7 days for nonpayment, 12 days for physical conditions, or immediate notice for serious harm) before initiating any court action. Landlords tracking repeated noncompliance patterns should be aware that after a third late-payment incident within 12 consecutive payment periods, § 7016(d) requires a written warning before a fourth incident can support termination or nonrenewal on that basis.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

Under 25 Del. C. ch. 70 § 7016, tenants in Delaware manufactured home communities have procedural protections that must be satisfied before a landlord can lawfully terminate or refuse to renew a rental agreement. Tenants facing a nonpayment action have the right to raise any related claim against the landlord as a defense or counterclaim, and full payment of all rent due—even after a court action has been filed—can stop the landlord from pursuing that action for past-due rent. Tenants who receive a termination or nonrenewal notice may want to review whether the notice meets the law's specificity requirements and whether the landlord followed the correct notice procedure for the type of noncompliance alleged; tenant-rights organizations or legal aid services can help evaluate those questions.

General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.

Generated October 22, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.

Effective Timeline

Current
Oct 21, 2026
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References Out

Rules and statutes cited by this regulation

References In

Rules and statutes that cite this regulation

25 Del. C. ch. 70
25 Del. C. § 7013
25 Del. C. § 7003
25 Del. C. § 7020
25 Del. C. § 7018
25 Del. C. § 7007
25 Del. C. § 7015
25 Del. C. § 7013
25 Del. C. § 7024
25 Del. C. § 7007
25 Del. C. § 7014
25 Del. C. § 7020
25 Del. C. § 7009
25 Del. C. § 7021
25 Del. C. § 7016
25 Del. C. § 7008
25 Del. C. § 7013
25 Del. C. § 7022B
25 Del. C. § 7051
25 Del. C. § 7015
25 Del. C. § 7022
25 Del. C. § 7013
25 Del. C. § 7024
25 Del. C. § 7016
25 Del. C. § 7015
25 Del. C. § 7051A
25 Del. C. § 7052B
25 Del. C. § 7052A
25 Del. C. § 7051
25 Del. C. § 7053
25 Del. C. § 7066
25 Del. C. § 7061
25 Del. C. § 7065
25 Del. C. § 7014
25 Del. C. § 7032
25 Del. C. § 7036
25 Del. C. § 7030
25 Del. C. § 7027
25 Del. C. § 7030
25 Del. C. § 7033
25 Del. C. § 7033
25 Del. C. § 7029
25 Del. C. § 7030
25 Del. C. § 7033
25 Del. C. § 7015
25 Del. C. § 7033
25 Del. C. § 7026
25 Del. C. § 7042
25 Del. C. § 7053
25 Del. C. § 7046
25 Del. C. § 7024
25 Del. C. § 7016
25 Del. C. § 7015
25 Del. C. § 7024
25 Del. C. § 7044
25 Del. C. § 7042
25 Del. C. § 7042
25 Del. C. § 7052
25 Del. C. § 7043
25 Del. C. § 7051
25 Del. C. § 7052B
25 Del. C. § 7022
25 Del. C. § 7003

Related Rules

§ 151.20
TEMPORARY EVICTION CONTROLS AND RENT REDUCTIONS FOR MOBILE HOMES DAMAGED IN THE JANUARY, 1994 EARTHQUAKE
§ 1
Definitions
§ 2
Eviction of tenants prohibited; exceptions

Source Information

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