Sell Your Mobile Home in Tennessee
In Tennessee, bring your title and bill of sale, and check whether the title was canceled.
At a glance
Tennessee mobile homes at a glance
Mobile homes in Tennessee
254,372
8.1% of all homes in the state
Who titles the home
Tennessee Department of Revenue, Vehicle Services, through county clerk offices
State agency source
Ownership document
Certificate of title, unless the home qualifies for recorded affixation and de-titling
What proves you own it source
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (2020-2024).
Selling steps
How a sale works in Tennessee
Start with your Tennessee title or county land records. A canceled title may need to be issued again before a home-only sale.
- 1
Find the land records
Look for county papers tying the home to land, which can mean the title was canceled.
- 2
Ask about a new title
If the title was canceled, ask the county clerk whether a separate home sale needs another.
- 3
Replace a missing title
Ask the county clerk for a replacement; if a lender's claim remains, the lender must apply.
- 4
Sign the title over
Give the buyer the signed title and bill of sale for a separately titled used home.
- 5
Check the buyer's filing papers
Ask the buyer to bring the application, fees and tax evidence to the county clerk.
Park or land
In a park, or on your own land
If your Tennessee home on a rented lot has a foundation or utility hookup, you owe added property tax. Title cancellation uses separate records.
In a mobile home park
In Tennessee, a foundation or utility hookup can bring property tax even on a rented lot. You owe the home's share.
- Home owner owes the added tax
- Landowner pays, then collects your share
- Utility hookup can mean property tax
Read more
Tennessee taxes a home with a foundation, underpinning or utility connection as a real-property improvement, including on rented land. For a separately titled used home, the county clerk needs the assigned title, bill of sale, application, applicable fees and tax evidence.
Relocation has its own requirements. TDOT requires permits for vehicle and load combinations exceeding legal width, height, length or weight. Tennessee also regulates manufactured-home installers through Commerce and Insurance. Discuss the transport and installation arrangements with the buyer before agreeing on a move.
The landowner pays the bill and has a recovery lien, a legal claim against the home, for your share. This is separate from a tax lien. The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 ACS estimates 254,372 mobile homes in Tennessee, or 8.1% of housing units.
On land you own
If you sell the home without land, you can send a Tennessee request. A canceled title may need to be issued again.
- Home and land have matching owners
- Signed land papers recorded with county
- Permanent utilities and wheels taken off
Read more
Find the recorded affidavit and the earlier title or origin document. Ask the titling agency about a separate transfer. A surety bond, financial protection used for missing ownership evidence, cannot replace those records for a legally attached home with an affidavit already recorded.
Including both the Tennessee home and land makes it a real estate sale, commonly handled by a title company, real estate agent or closing attorney. Mobile Home Buyer Finder does not pass requests for those combined sales to the network.
Affixation, the home's recorded attachment to land, uses an affidavit when home and land have matching ownership. The title-cancellation package includes a request letter, title or origin document, certified deed and certified recorded affidavit. The form covers foundation compliance, removed wheels and axles, and permanent utility connections.
The rules, with sources
Tennessee rules for selling a mobile home
Check your Tennessee title status and tax records before signing, then ask who will handle any permits if the buyer plans a move.
See all Tennessee rules
| Who titles the home | Tennessee Department of Revenue, Vehicle Services, through county clerk offices source |
|---|---|
| Ownership document | Certificate of title, unless the home qualifies for recorded affixation and de-titling source |
| Transferring it in a private sale | For a separately titled used home, the seller supplies the properly assigned title and the buyer applies through the county clerk for title only using the Multi-purpose, Noting of Lien and Duplicate Title Application. sourceMoreThe clerk guide's title-only requirements include the assigned title and bill of sale; applicable fees and tax evidence are also needed. |
| If the title is lost | Apply through the county clerk with the Multi-purpose, Noting of Lien, and Duplicate Title Application, fee and applicable lien discharges; an unresolved lien requires the lienholder's request. source |
| How the home is taxed | The Comptroller explains that a mobile home on a foundation, underpinned or connected to any utility is assessed as a real-property improvement under T.C.A. 67-5-802(a)(1). sourceMoreOn rented lots, the home owner owes the added tax; an individually owned home used residentially is classified as residential property. |
| Sales tax on a used home | Revenue states that a used factory-manufactured home sale is exempt if the taxpayer proves Tennessee sales tax was paid on the home in a prior transaction. sourceMoreBeing used alone does not establish the exemption. |
| When it counts as real estate | Record the Affidavit of Affixation with the local register of deeds for an affixed home and land under the same ownership. sourceMoreRevenue's de-title submission requires a request letter, title or origin document, certified deed/conveyance and certified recorded affidavit; Form RV-F1322101 also specifies foundation compliance, removal of wheels and axles and permanent utility connections. UT CTAS explains that ownership of an affixed home is recorded in real-property records and that a later sale without the land may require reissuance of a title. |
| Moving the home | TDOT requires permits for overwidth, overheight, overlength or overweight vehicle/load combinations and provides mobile-home permit categories. Tennessee licenses manufactured-home installers through Commerce and Insurance. source |
| Who needs a dealer licence | Manufactured-home retailers must obtain a license from the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance before conducting retail business. sourceMoreThe department's retailer resources describe the application and annual license renewal requirements. |
- Tennessee Revenue's surety-bond route for missing ownership evidence includes personal and corporate bonds; the bond amount is one and one-half times fair market value. source
More
It cannot be used for a legally affixed home with an affidavit already recorded.
- For a home on a rented lot, the landowner pays the property tax and receives a statutory lien against the home to recover the home owner's portion; the Comptroller distinguishes this from a tax lien. source
Sell options
Other ways to sell in Tennessee
Guides
Read before you sell
Selling a mobile home in Tennessee: common questions
Still unsure? Send us a question and we will answer it in plain words.
Where do I transfer a Tennessee mobile home title?
Your county clerk processes the title-only application through Tennessee Department of Revenue, Vehicle Services. For a separately titled used home, the buyer submits the application with the seller-assigned title, bill of sale, applicable fees and tax evidence.
Can I get a duplicate Tennessee title with a lien still recorded?
The lienholder must request the duplicate if the lien is unresolved. Apply through the county clerk using the Multi-purpose, Noting of Lien, and Duplicate Title Application. Include the fee and any applicable lien discharges.
Is a used Tennessee manufactured home exempt from sales tax?
Yes, if you can prove Tennessee sales tax was paid on the home in an earlier transaction. Being used alone does not establish the exemption. Bring that earlier tax evidence with your sale records.
Why is my Tennessee park home assessed as real property?
Tennessee assesses a mobile home as a real-property improvement when it is on a foundation, underpinned or connected to any utility. That tax treatment can apply on rented land. It is separate from the recorded-affixation and de-titling process.
Who pays the added property tax on a Tennessee home on a rented lot?
You owe the added tax for the home. The landowner pays the property-tax bill and has a statutory lien against the home to recover your portion. Tennessee's Comptroller distinguishes that recovery claim from a tax lien.
Can a Tennessee title bond replace records for a legally affixed home?
No, not when the home is legally attached and its affidavit is already recorded. Tennessee excludes that situation from its surety-bond route for missing ownership evidence. A later sale without land may require a title to be reissued.
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