Rhode Island park sale — resident rights
Rhode Island gives residents a true right of first refusal when a manufactured home park is sold. This page is the resident side of that law: what triggers it, who must be told, the exact clocks, and how a purchase actually gets organized — computed from the national survey of state purchase laws and the statute it cites.
Trigger: Owner receives a bona fide offer the owner intends to accept, to sell the community for any purpose or to lease it for a use that would discontinue the community; or owner offers the community for sale or lease for a use that would discontinue the community (notice to the association within 14 days of any advertisement or public notice)
Who must be told: An incorporated homeowners' association representing at least 51% of homeowners (precondition: the association must first send the owner a certified letter showing it has the required membership and authority in its articles of incorporation to negotiate for, acquire and operate the community)
Who can act: Incorporated homeowners' association representing at least 51% of homeowners
Households needed: about 51% — see who can act, below, for the exact form it takes.
| Step | Clock | What the statute says |
|---|---|---|
| sign a purchase and sale agreement matching the offer's price and terms | 45 days from the owner’s notice | Within 45 days of receiving the notice. |
| get financing | 180 days from the owner’s notice | An additional 135 days after signing to obtain financing (cumulative day 180 from notice). Missing the timeline ends the right; periods may be extended for owner delay, litigation, or by agreement. The deposit must be returned if the association made a reasonable effort but could not find financing. |
Total window on the main track: 180 days.
Date these deadlines from your notice →
Assigning the right: Whether the right can be assigned was not stated in the national survey summary — confirm with a local attorney or the state housing agency before counting on it.
Total window is 180 days: 45 days to sign, plus 135 additional days to obtain financing (the 135 is an additional period, not a cumulative checkpoint). The owner must negotiate in good faith and may not unreasonably refuse or delay a matching bona fide offer. Notice is preconditioned on the certified-letter step in whoNotified. A qualifying sale to a resident-owned organization is exempt from the real estate conveyance tax.
Park sold or closing anywhere else? The Park-Sold Deadline Checker covers all 22 purchase-law states, and the guides hub links every state's park-law and title pages.
See the $39 Manufactured Home Playbook
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Rule: R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-44-3.1. Source: National Consumer Law Center, Summary of State Manufactured Home Community Purchase Laws (September 2026).
Verified October 2026. State data verified October 2026 — re-checked quarterly.
General information about how the process works in your state — not legal advice. For a contested eviction, a park-sale fight, or a title dispute with a lienholder, a local attorney or legal-aid office is the next step.