Mobile home


Purchase or Sale

Ownership

Unlike a house which is considered to be Real Property, and for which a title registration system exists, a Mobile Home is considered to be Personal Property, and there is no system of title registration.  As such, one's ownership of a mobile home is not "certified" but is simply based on previous contractual dealings, much like that of an automobile.  Accordingly, it is impossible to ever determine conclusively that one's ownership in a mobile home is 100% secure.  The best that can be done is to investigate the Seller's claim to ownership and ask the Seller to convey such ownership together with proper assurances.  This is done in the form of a Bill of Sale, and such other documents as are appropriate.

Liens

As with ownership, it is impossible to ever determine conclusively whether liens exist against a mobile home.  A system called the Persona Property Registry exists and anyone claiming an interest in a mobile home must register it there in order to ensure priority.  However, unregistered liens while losing priority to registered liens, may still exist as valid liens providing they can be proven.

Possession and Keys

While there is some disagreement among lawyers and Realtors as to what time of day a purchaser is entitled to take possession, it is generally accepted that the seller can move out on the day of possession.  As a result, you should arrange for movers, deliveries, etc., to arrive at a time when you know the home will be vacant.  The practical thing to do is speak to the seller directly regarding his or her moving plans.  If you wish to change the possession date, and the seller is agreeable, please advise us of the new date and we will make the necessary arrangements with the seller's lawyer.

The exchange of keys does not follow any definite pattern.  Sometimes keys are exchanged through the lawyers, sometimes through real estate agents, and sometimes between the seller and buyer directly.  If you have not arranged for the exchange of keys directly form the seller by the time you attend at our office for closing, we will endeavor to obtain the keys for you.

Home Insurance

You must arrange for home insurance.  Do it well in advance of possession date.  Coverage must be effective as of the date you expect to receive keys.

If there is to be a mortgage on your home, you must ensure that the amount of coverage is at least as high as required by the mortgage lender.  "Loss Payable" must be in favour of the mortgage lender, so be sure to provide your insurance agent with the full name and address of your mortgage lender.  Written confirmation of insurance coverage must be sent to our office prior to possession.

Utilities

Utilities should be arranged by you, and in order to assist we provide the following telephone numbers for you to call.  You will receive further instructions upon calling each utility.

Centra Gas Company.                                                      480-5900

Hydro (central Winnipeg)                                               927-9500

Manitoba Hydro (rural and suburban Wpg.)               474-4990

City of Winnipeg Waterworks                                         986-5858

We recommend that you write down all meters readings after calling them in to the utility companies.  Keep all readings for at least a month in case they are misplaced by the utility companies.

Closing Appointment

You should call our office no later than two weeks before possession date to set up our closing appointment.  The closing appointment should be scheduled to take place at least two working days before the date you expect to receive keys.  At that time you will sign such documents as may be required, and will remit the funds which are required to close the purchase transaction.

Funds

The funds which you will remit upon your closing appointment will consist of the balance of your down payment together with all applicable adjustments and closing costs.  We will estimate this amount once we have received the necessary information and will advise you of the amount prior to possession date.

We have enclosed an explanation of closing costs and adjustments.  It is useful but not essential for you to understand how the various adjustments and closing costs work, as we will do all the necessary calculations.  It is important however, for you to have a rough idea of how much money you will need and to have sufficient funds available as of possession.  If you have any reservations at all or feel you need further explanation, we strongly recommend you make an appointment with out office immediately, and we will take you through a detailed analysis of adjustments and closing costs.  There is no extra charge for this interview.

The funds which you remit at your closing appointment will be an estimated amount.  Final figures will be available only upon completion of Land Titles Office registrations and may result in either a refund to you or a balance owing to our office.

The funds which you remit must be in the form of a CERTIFIED CHEQUE or BANK DRAFT payable to Timothy A. Martin, Barrister and Solicitor.

Final Report on Title

Upon completion of Land Titles registrations and the payment of all funds required, we will provide our final report to you.  The final report consists of a 4 - 5 page letter which summarizes the transaction, accompanied by copies of various documents.  It is important that you retain it in safekeeping for future reference.  You should expect to receive the final report between one and two months after possession date.

Summary

To summarize, you must do the following things prior to receiving keys and possession:

                1.                Arrange home insurance, and ask the agent to send us confirmation;

                2.                Attend our office to:

                                               a) Provide your certified cheque or bank draft;

                                               b) Sign all required documents.

Remember that you will not receive keys at the time you bring in your funds and sign documents, but rather only after we have courier funds and our trust condition letter to the seller's lawyer.  That is why we ask that you attend at least a couple of days before you expect to receive possession.

Your Next Step

Thank you for reading the foregoing.  If you have not done so, we would ask that you call our office to confirm how you wish your name to appear on title and to provide certain information we require.

From the desk of Timothy A. Martin, Barrister and Solicitor

 


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