Home & Money / Home records
Start with the home type and the land. Those two answers organize everything else.
A Florida file can include HUD labels, several titles, a deed or lot agreement, decals, park papers, installer records, local permits, taxes, insurance, and storm checks. They make more sense once each one has a job.
Four first checks
Find the build date, manufacturer, model, vehicle identification number for each section, HUD certification label, and data plate. A modular home follows a different building-code and permit path. Do not let a listing word settle the classification.
Check the deed, property-appraiser record, and any lot agreement. Owning the home and owning the land are separate facts. They change the tax, decal, title-retirement, park, financing, and closing file.
A multi-section home can have more than one title. An RP decal and a retired title are not the same record. Match every title or retirement document, lien release, VIN, decal, and land record before money moves.
Find the licensed installer, installation decal, foundation and tie-down records, local permits, inspections, utility approvals, and any park or association approval. The factory label does not replace the local site file.
Choose the right path
Florida Revenue says a permanently affixed mobile home on land owned by the same owner is assessed as real property and uses an RP decal. The title may still be active unless the separate retirement process was completed. Check the property appraiser, tax collector, clerk, FLHSMV title record, and deed together.
The home title and lot agreement stay separate. An MH decal generally carries the annual license-tax trail. If the lot is in a mobile home park, Chapter 723 can add a prospectus, a separate flood disclosure, rules, rent, notices, and a park-dispute lane. Read the home sale papers and the lot papers before treating the monthly cost as one number.
That is not automatically the same Chapter 723 relationship as a homeowner who owns the home and rents only the lot. Start with the actual lease, the legal owner, the park setup, and the law named in the notice. Keep rent, repairs, utilities, deposits, and park rules in separate files.
Stop before using the manufactured-home checklist. A Florida modular building usually points to state building approval and the local permit file. A park model or recreational vehicle can have another title, use, zoning, and occupancy path. Confirm the classification with the agency and local office that own the record.
The complete file
Buying one
FAQ
People often use the words together. HUD says homes built to the federal manufactured-home standards after June 15, 1976 carry a certification label on each transportable section. Florida forms still use mobile home in many title and registration records. Use the build date, labels, and records, not the nickname.
No. A modular home generally follows Florida Building Code approval and the local permit file. A manufactured home follows the HUD-label, title, decal, installer, and site path. The two can look similar, so confirm the record before using either checklist.
No. The RP decal is part of the real-property tax classification. Title retirement is a separate FLHSMV and clerk-record process with its own eligibility and documents. Check both records.
Count the sections. Match the HUD label, VIN or serial number, title or retirement record, lien release, and decal information for every section. One clean title does not settle a missing second or third section.
It is a Chapter 723 disclosure document about the park's operations and the lot relationship. In a park with 26 or more lots, the park owner generally must file a prospectus and deliver an approved copy before an enforceable lot rental agreement. Separately, a mobile home park owner must provide a flood disclosure before the lot agreement is signed or at occupancy, whichever comes first. Read both with the rules, fees, and agreement.
FLHSMV says mobile and manufactured home installations must be performed by a licensed mobile home installer. The local building office still handles the site permit and inspections that apply at the address.
Start with the county tax collector or license plate office for active title and decal questions, the property appraiser for tax classification, the clerk for recorded retirement or land papers, and the local building office for permits and setup. A title or real-estate professional may be needed before a sale.
Next steps
These paths handle the address, sale, local records, and storm side of the home.
Purchase
Use the broader address, contract, inspection, insurance, title, and closing route around this home-specific file.
Open buying guide ->Sale
Gather the ownership, condition, disclosure, payoff, association, and closing records before the buyer asks for them.
Open selling guide ->Local file
Find the city or county office for setup, additions, utilities, inspections, zoning, and open record questions.
Open local records ->Storm file
Separate insurance coverage, flood maps, county evacuation instructions, tie-downs, and current storm notices.
Open risk guide ->Official checks
HUD owns the federal construction-label lane. FLHSMV handles titles, decals, installers, and installation standards. Florida Revenue, DBPR, the clerk, property appraiser, tax collector, and local building office each own another part of the file.
Last reviewed: July 14, 2026
Use this carefully: Use the label, title, deed or lot agreement, current agency record, local permit file, and qualified Florida title, legal, tax, insurance, or inspection help before buying, selling, moving, installing, financing, or retiring a title. Park law depends on who owns the home and what is being rented.
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