25 Del. C. ch. 70 § 7027

Right of first offer; notice required before sale of manufactured home community

In Force
Verified 10/21/2026 · Next check 10/28/2026
effective 10/21/2026DelawareRelocation Assistance & Buyouts

Operative Text

25 Del. C. ch. 70 § 7027
(a) Upon reaching a decision to sell, transfer, or convey all or part of a manufactured home community, the manufactured home community’s owner shall provide notice of the homeowner association’s right of first offer to purchase all or part of the community to the community’s homeowner association if one exists, to the Delaware Manufactured Home Owners Association (DMHOA) or its successor, and to the Delaware Manufactured Home Relocation Authority (Authority).

(1) The Authority shall send an annual notice under § 7015 of this title, to all registered community owners, stating that the community owner is required to comply with the requirements of this section if the community owner decides to sell, transfer, or convey all or part of the community. In addition, the notice must state that every manufactured home community must be registered with the Delaware Manufactured Home Relocation Authority, and that all fund assessments must be paid to date prior to the sale, transfer, or conveyance of the community.

(2) The Authority shall notify the manufactured home community’s owner if a homeowner association for that community has been registered with the Authority.

(b) (1) If a homeowner association wishes to use its right of first offer under subsection (a) of this section, either directly through a community owner or its designated agent, or indirectly through DMHOA or its successor or through the Authority, that homeowner association must register with the Authority as prescribed by the Authority.

(2) a. There can be only 1 homeowner association per community eligible to participate in the process of this section. That homeowner association must register with the Delaware Manufactured Home Relocation Authority as prescribed by the Authority. The first association to register in compliance with the requirements of this section will be the official homeowner association eligible to participate in the process. In order to be eligible for registration with the Authority, the homeowner association must adopt bylaws.

b. In order to be eligible for registration with the Authority, the homeowner association must comply with all of the following requirements:

1. The homeowner association must be incorporated in the State and under the laws of the State.

2. The homeowner association must have written bylaws that comply with the laws of this State. The bylaws must provide that each homeowner of each home site is automatically entitled to vote as a special member of the association concerning matters related to the purchase of all or part of the community after a notice of right of first offer has been extended to the homeowner association by the community owner. Special members under this paragraph may not be required to meet other preconditions of general membership including the payment of dues.

c. A homeowner who is a community owner, or an employee, agent, or servant of, or who has any business relationship with, the community owner may not directly or indirectly participate in the process, except that the homeowner may vote. Nothing herein prevents a homeowner association, after a vote of the members present, from excluding a community owner, or an employee, agent, or servant of the community owner from a meeting where confidential information relating to the homeowner association’s strategies in connection with the purchase will be discussed.

(c) If a community owner intends to offer more than 1 community for sale in a single transaction, a simple majority of members of the respective homeowner associations in Delaware must vote in the affirmative to support their letter of response to the community owner. If a community owner offers a Delaware community for sale, along with 1 or more communities not located in the State, the community owner must afford the residents of the Delaware community a right of first offer as prescribed by this section for their community, separate and apart from the community or communities not located in the State.

(d) (1) a. If the Authority has informed the community owner that a registered homeowner association exists in the community, the community owner shall send the right of first offer directly to the homeowner association. The right of first offer shall be sent by overnight service with signature receipt.

b. The right of first offer also shall be sent indirectly to the homeowner association through DMHOA, or its successor, through the Consumer Protection Unit of the Department of Justice and through the Authority. The right of first offer shall be sent to the Authority, the Consumer Protection Unit of the Office of the Department of Justice or DMHOA, or its successor, by overnight service with signature receipt.

(2) If the Authority has not informed the community owner that a registered homeowner association exists in the community, the community owner must send the right of first offer directly to the Authority. The right of first offer must be sent by overnight service with signature receipt. The right of first offer to the Authority shall include a list of the known names and mailing addresses of all homeowners in the community.

(3) The Authority shall then, within 5 business days of receipt of the community owner’s right of first offer, send a summary notice to all homeowners on the list.

a. The summary notice shall inform the homeowners that the community is for sale and they should contact their homeowners association to secure further information. If no homeowners association exists then the homeowner will need to organize a homeowners association meeting the requirements of subsection (b) of this section in order to pursue the right of first offer.

b. The right of first offer shall be extended indirectly to the homeowners through DMHOA or its successor and the Consumer Protection Unit of the Department of Justice. The right of first offer shall be sent to DMHOA and the Consumer Protection Unit of the Department of Justice by the community owner by overnight service with signature receipt.

(4) The right of first offer must include all of the following:

a. A statement that the community owner has decided to sell, transfer, or convey all or part of the community. The statement must indicate the real property and fixtures to be included in the sale of the community.

b. The price and any special conditions material to the transaction for the sale, transfer, or conveyance of the community.

c. A form confidentiality statement indicating that all significant and material information, including operating expenses and other relevant operating and capital expenditure costs related to the community, shall remain confidential and cannot be released to any individual not a signer to the confidentiality statement. The statement may include reasonable penalties for breach of confidentiality.

d. A statement that the confidentiality statement must be signed by any individual of the homeowners association seeking to utilize the confidential information and sent by overnight service with signature receipt to the community owner.

e. A statement that once the confidentiality statement is received by the community owner, the community owner will send by overnight service with signature receipt the price and any special conditions material to the transaction for the sale, transfer, or conveyance of the community and all significant and material information, including operating expenses and other relevant operating and capital expenditure costs related to the community.

f. A statement that the homeowner association has 30 calendar days from the date of mailing of the right of first offer to respond to the offer.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Under 25 Del. C. ch. 70 § 7027, when a manufactured home community owner decides to sell, transfer, or convey all or part of their community, they must formally notify the community's registered homeowner association, the Delaware Manufactured Home Owners Association (DMHOA), and the Delaware Manufactured Home Relocation Authority (Authority) of the homeowner association's right of first offer. The notice must include the sale price, material conditions, and a confidentiality framework, and the homeowner association has 30 calendar days from the mailing date to respond. If no registered homeowner association exists, the Authority receives the notice directly and must send a summary to all known homeowners within 5 business days, giving residents an opportunity to organize a qualifying association.

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

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Community owners subject to 25 Del. C. ch. 70 § 7027 generally ensure that before any sale, transfer, or conveyance is finalized, they have sent the right of first offer by overnight service with signature receipt to all required parties — the registered homeowner association (if one exists), DMHOA or its successor, the Authority, and the Consumer Protection Unit of the Department of Justice. Compliant operators confirm with the Authority whether a registered homeowner association exists in their community before determining the correct notice pathway. They also verify that all fund assessments owed to the Authority are current prior to completing any sale or transfer, as the Authority's annual notice under § 7015 reminds registered community owners of this requirement.

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 § 7027, residents of a manufactured home community have a collective right of first offer when their community is put up for sale, giving a properly registered homeowner association the opportunity to respond to the owner's offer within 30 calendar days. If no homeowner association is currently registered with the Delaware Manufactured Home Relocation Authority, residents can look into forming one that meets the statutory requirements — including incorporation in Delaware and adoption of written bylaws — in order to participate in the process. Residents who believe a community owner has not followed the notice requirements of § 7027 may consider reaching out to the Authority, DMHOA, or the Consumer Protection Unit of the Delaware Department of Justice, or consulting a tenant-rights organization for general guidance on available options.

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

§ 574.630
§ 574.630 Displacement, relocation and real property acquisition.
§ 2
Notice requirements for termination of affordability restriction
§ 290
Tenant protections in inhabited basement dwelling units and inhabited cellar dwelling units

Source Information

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Fetched:Oct 21, 2026, 05:25 PM UTC