Mobile home park or RV park: which should a buyer choose?

Both businesses rent out land with services, so they can look alike from the road. Day to day they are not. One is closer to managing a community of neighbours, the other closer to running a seasonal hospitality operation. This page sets out what to weigh, so you can see which suits your skills, your time and your appetite for change. It does not suggest either will perform better.

Seasonality and the rhythm of the year

An RV park often has a busy season and a quiet one, with guests arriving and leaving all summer. A mobile home park has residents who stay through the year, so the rhythm is steadier and the calendar is dominated by rent collection and maintenance. If you want a break in the off-season, that points one way. If you want a predictable routine, it points the other.

Staffing and daily work

RV parks usually need people at the gate, in the office and on the grounds during the season, plus attention to bookings and guest service. Mobile home parks need less front-desk work but more maintenance and a calm, fair manager. Ask yourself whether you enjoy dealing with a constant stream of visitors or with a smaller group of residents you will know well.

Infrastructure and resident relations

Both depend on water, power, sewer and roads, and both can carry large repair bills if the systems are old. The difference is the people. In a mobile home park, residents have made a home on your land, and how you communicate about changes matters a great deal. In an RV park, guests come and go, and reviews and reputation carry more weight.

Questions to settle first

• Do I prefer steady routines or a busy season followed by a quiet one?
• Am I comfortable managing long-term neighbours and their concerns?
• Can I look after the water, sewer and roads, or pay people who can?
• Which kind of lender and insurer will work with this business?