Mobile home lot rentin Minnesota.

What is lot rent?

Lot rent is the monthly rent for the land under a home you own. In a land-lease community, which most people search for as a mobile home park, you buy the home and lease the home site it sits on. Shafer Terrace and Redfield Court in Shafer work this way: the homes belong to the people who live in them, and each home site is rented under a lot lease.

Do you have to pay lot rent?

Yes. In a land-lease community, lot rent is due every month, whether the home is paid off, financed or bought with cash. Paying off the home ends a home loan; it doesn't end the lease on the land.

How much is lot rent here?

Lot rent is $400 a month at Redfield Court and $500 a month at Shafer Terrace, the two communities side by side in Shafer. There's no single Minnesota figure to compare against, because each community sets its own rent, and we didn't find a statewide average from a public agency. A local comparison is more useful anyway:

• Redfield Court lot rent $400
• Shafer Terrace lot rent $500
• North Branch 3-bedroom apartment average $1,277
• Forest Lake 2-bedroom apartment average $1,602

Apartment sources: RentCafe, North Branch, MN average rent (updated June 2, 2026); RentCafe, Forest Lake, MN average rent (updated June 2, 2026). All sources

Lot rent isn't the whole cost. The home is bought separately, and you pay its insurance, utilities and property tax too, so compare full monthly costs, not just these lines. North Branch is about 25 minutes from Shafer and Forest Lake about 21; see how Shafer sits next to each Chisago County town.

What does lot rent include?

It depends on the community, and the lot lease is what decides it. Parks differ on whether things like water, sewer, trash pickup, snow plowing on park streets and mowing of common areas are part of rent or billed on their own.

Minnesota limits what a park can pass along for utilities it bills you for: the Attorney General's handbook says the charge can't be more than you'd pay the utility directly in that market, and can't be more than the amount the utility actually billed.

Before you sign anywhere, ask for what rent covers in writing. Here, Glenn will walk you through exactly what Shafer Terrace and Redfield Court rent covers before you apply.

Source: Minnesota Attorney General, Manufactured Home Parks handbook: Fees. All sources

What Minnesota law says about lot rent and fees

Minnesota's manufactured home park law sets the same rules for every park in the state. These are the ones that touch lot rent and move-in costs most directly.

• None

  Entrance fee

  Minnesota bars entrance fees. Apart from rent, the law lists the few charges a park may add, such as a security deposit and a pet fee.

  Sources: Minnesota Statutes 2025, section 327C.03 (fees, deposits, pet fees); Minnesota Attorney General, Manufactured Home Parks handbook: Fees. All sources

• 2months' rent

  Security deposit, at most

  A park can ask for a security deposit, but it can’t be more than two months’ rent.

  Source: Minnesota Statutes 2025, section 327C.03 (fees, deposits, pet fees). All sources

• $4per pet a month

  Pet fee, at most

  If a park charges extra for pets, the fee can’t be more than $4 per pet per month.

  Source: Minnesota Statutes 2025, section 327C.03 (fees, deposits, pet fees). All sources

• 0per-person fees

  Charges by household

  A park can’t charge more based on how many people live in the home, the number or age of children, the number of guests, or the size of the home.

  Source: Minnesota Statutes 2025, section 327C.03 (fees, deposits, pet fees). All sources

• 60days

  Notice before a rent increase

  A rent increase isn’t valid unless the park gives 60 days’ written notice.

  Source: Minnesota Statutes, section 327C.06 (rent increases). All sources

• 2in 12 months

  Rent increases, at most

  A park may impose only two rent increases on a resident in any 12-month period.

  Source: Minnesota Statutes, section 327C.06 (rent increases). All sources

This is a summary, not legal advice. The Minnesota Attorney General publishes a free handbook on manufactured home park rights; the statutes linked above are the final word.

The other monthly costs

Lot rent is one line. You also pay for the home itself and what it takes to keep it:

• The home. Cash, or a loan from a lender that finances homes in land-lease communities. That's a separate approval from the community's. How buying a home here works, with a calculator that uses only the numbers you enter.
• Property tax on the home. Two homes that sold in Shafer Terrace listed property tax of $556 and $782 a year.
• Insurance and utilities. These depend on the home, so get your own quotes.

Sources: Coldwell Banker listing, a home in Shafer Terrace (sold 2026-02-20); MLS listing 6765064, a home in Shafer Terrace (sold 2025-09-15). All sources

Minnesota's Homestead Credit Refund

If you own and live in the home, you may qualify for Minnesota's Homestead Credit Refund. Minnesota Revenue says the refund qualifications for mobile home owners are the same as for homeowners, and owners who pay lot rent file Form M1PR. Lot rent alone doesn't qualify for the Renter's Credit. Check your own situation with Minnesota Revenue.

Sources: Minnesota Department of Revenue, Homeowner's Homestead Credit Refund; Minnesota Department of Revenue, Renter's Credit FAQs. All sources

Questions