Lease Agreements – Residency Law

Is the park required to provide a lease agreement in the language of the resident if the resident is non-English speaking?

Not in most cases. Civil Code Sec. 1632 provides that a person engaged in a trade or business, who negotiates a contract or lease – including a rental agreement covering a dwelling, apartment or mobile home – in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or Korean, shall provide the other party, if he or she requests it, with a written copy of the contract or agreement in that language prior to execution of the document. However, this provision does not apply to contracts or agreements negotiated with the use of an interpreter, or to month-to-month rental agreements. Additionally, most mobile home parks do not “negotiate” their leases with home owners or prospective home owners, but rather offer the lease on a “take it or leave it” basis.