RV Park Lease Agreements: What to Include, What to Avoid, and Why It Matters

Most RV park investors obsess over cap rates, NOI, and deal structure — and then hand their new tenants a one-page rules sheet downloaded from a Facebook group. Six months later they are dealing with a tenant who has been there 90 days, claims primary residency, and now has full landlord-tenant protections they did not sign up to provide.

The lease agreement — or lack of one — is where operators make expensive, preventable mistakes. Whether you are running 20 transient sites or 100 monthly RV spots, your paperwork is the foundation that everything else sits on. Get it wrong and you are not just dealing with problem tenants: you are dealing with problem tenants with legal protection you accidentally gave them.

This guide covers the full spectrum: the difference between a license and a lease, what every agreement should include, the clauses that will save you money, and the state-specific landmines you need to know about before you hand anyone a key fob.

License vs. Lease: The Most Important Distinction in RV Park Operations

Before getting into what to put in an agreement, you need to understand what kind of agreement you are creating. In RV park operations, there are two fundamentally different legal relationships:

A site license (or license to use): A permissive agreement allowing someone to use a specific site for a defined short-term period. The guest is a licensee, not a tenant. Landlord-tenant law generally does not apply. Eviction is simple — you can terminate with 24-48 hours notice in most states. This is the correct structure for transient guests: nightly, weekly, and most short-term stays.

A lease: A formal rental contract creating a landlord-tenant relationship. This triggers state landlord-tenant law: notice requirements, eviction procedures, habitability standards, and in some states, tenant protections specific to RV parks. Leases are appropriate — and unavoidable — for monthly tenants and long-term residents.

The danger zone is the gray area between them. A guest who starts on a weekly rate but stays 45 days, receives mail at your park, and uses it as their primary address may have inadvertently acquired tenant status — regardless of what your paperwork says. Courts look at the substance of the relationship, not just the label. The fix: have explicit policies about maximum short-term stay durations and enforce them before the 30-day mark.

The Two Agreements Every RV Park Needs

Running a professional operation means having two distinct documents ready:

1. Transient Guest License Agreement — Used for all stays under 30 days. One to two pages. Explicitly states this is a license, not a lease, that no landlord-tenant relationship is created, and that the guest has no right to remain beyond the agreed stay period. Include your park rules by reference or attach them. Have guests sign at check-in or confirm via online booking acceptance.

2. Monthly Site Lease Agreement — Used for all monthly tenants and long-term residents. More comprehensive, typically 4-8 pages. Establishes rent, due dates, late fees, maintenance responsibilities, utilities, vehicle and guest policies, and termination procedures. This is where your real legal protection lives.

Some operators also use a separate Park Rules and Regulations document that both agreement types reference. This lets you update rules without reissuing every agreement — just post notice of rule changes per your state requirements.

What Every Monthly RV Park Lease Must Include

Here is what a solid monthly site lease needs to cover. Each item is a potential legal or financial exposure if it is missing or vague:

1. Parties, Property Description, and Lease Term

Name the landlord (the legal entity that owns or operates the park, not you personally), the tenants by full legal name, the specific site number, the park address, and the lease term. Month-to-month is the most common structure and gives you maximum flexibility to exit a problem tenant — but make sure the document specifies the start date, the notice required to terminate (30 days minimum in most states), and that it auto-renews month-to-month unless notice is given.

2. Rent, Due Dates, and Late Fees

State the monthly rent amount, the due date (typically the 1st), a grace period if any (3-5 days is common), and the late fee structure. Late fees must comply with state law — many states cap them at $50-$100 or 5-10% of rent. A common approach: $50 flat fee after a 3-day grace period, plus $10 per day continuing. Include how rent must be paid (check, ACH, online portal) and where — this matters for legal rent tender issues.

3. Utility Responsibilities

Spell out exactly who pays for what: electric, water, sewer, trash, propane, cable, internet. If you sub-meter electricity and bill tenants for usage, document the metering methodology and your rate markup (usually cost plus 10-15%). Ambiguous utility language is one of the top sources of tenant disputes. See our full breakdown of RV park utilities and infrastructure costs to understand typical arrangements by park type.

4. Vehicle and Occupancy Rules

Define what constitutes the unit being rented: the site plus the tenant's specific RV (list make, model, year, and license plate). Specify:

• How many vehicles can be parked on or around the site
• Maximum number of occupants (full-time residents vs guests)
• Whether other RVs, trailers, or vehicles can be added to the site
• Guest overnight stay policies (how many nights, with what notice)
• Prohibited vehicles (commercial trucks, inoperable vehicles, etc.)

This matters because site revenue is calculated per pad, and a single monthly tenant can morph into three households sharing one site if you do not draw clear lines.

5. Maintenance Responsibilities

Distinguish clearly between what the park maintains (roads, common areas, utility infrastructure to the hookup point, lighting) and what the tenant maintains (their RV, hookups, pad surface, any storage). Include a provision requiring tenants to maintain their site in clean condition and to report maintenance issues promptly. A clause allowing you to correct violations after written notice and charge the tenant for costs is useful protection.

6. Pet Policy

If you allow pets: specify which types and sizes are permitted, require proof of current vaccinations, include a pet deposit separate from the security deposit, and make tenants liable for damages and incidents involving their animals. If you do not allow pets, state it clearly — a blanket no-pets clause is easier to enforce than ambiguous restrictions.

7. Termination and Notice Requirements

This is the section most operators get wrong. Include:

• The notice period required by either party to terminate (usually 30 days in writing)
• What constitutes a material breach (non-payment, rule violations, illegal activity)
• The cure period for curable breaches — how many days the tenant has to fix a problem before you can proceed to eviction
• What happens if the tenant abandons the site (see below)
• Your right to terminate immediately for specific causes (criminal activity, threats, unsafe conditions)

Match your notice periods to your state statutory minimums. In most states, non-payment of rent requires 3-5 days written notice before you can file for eviction; lease violations usually require 10-30 days.

8. Rules and Regulations Incorporation

Your park rules should be a separate document incorporated by reference into the lease. This lets you update quiet hours, pet policies, guest rules, and facility use policies without creating a new lease for every tenant. Include a clause that the tenant has received, read, and agrees to the current park rules, and that violations constitute a breach of the lease. Keep signed copies of whatever rules document was in effect at signing.

9. Abandoned Property

This clause will save you the most money on the worst day. If a tenant leaves and leaves their RV behind, you cannot simply dispose of it. An RV is personal property with a title, liens, and potentially a lender with a security interest in it. A well-drafted abandoned property clause should:

• Define what constitutes abandonment (typically 15-30 days absence without contact while rent is unpaid)
• Require written notice to the tenant at their last known address and to any lienholders on the vehicle
• Specify the waiting period before you can take any action
• Grant you a landlord lien on the property for unpaid rent (where permitted by state law)
• Authorize sale or disposal through the legally required process for abandoned vehicles in your state

Getting this wrong can result in liability to the tenant, to lienholders, or both. Have a local attorney review this clause specifically.

10. Indemnification, Liability Limits, and Insurance

Require tenants to carry liability insurance on their RV and list your LLC as an additional insured. Your lease should include a mutual indemnification clause and a limitation of your liability for casualties beyond your control. Also include a clause requiring tenants to notify you of any insurance lapses and giving you the right to terminate for failure to maintain coverage.

State-Specific RV Park Tenant Laws: The Landmines

Federal law does not govern the landlord-tenant relationship — state law does, and several states have enacted specific statutes for recreational vehicle parks that go beyond standard landlord-tenant law. Know your state before you draft anything:

Florida: Florida Statutes Chapter 513 (Recreational Vehicle Parks) creates specific rights for long-term RV park tenants, including required notices, grounds for eviction, and relocation rights when parks close. Florida is one of the more tenant-protective states for monthly RV residents.

California: California Mobilehome Residency Law covers certain types of long-term RV situations. The state also has broad tenant protections generally. If you are acquiring parks in California, understanding your existing tenant base and their legal status is a major due diligence item before closing.

Texas: Texas has specific statutes on RV parks (Property Code Chapter 94 and related sections) but is generally more operator-friendly than most states. Month-to-month tenancies can typically be terminated with 30 days notice.

Arizona: Arizona Recreational Vehicle Long-Term Rental Space Act covers RV tenants who rent on a month-to-month or longer basis. It requires specific disclosures, governs fee increases, and sets notice requirements separate from the standard landlord-tenant act.

Oregon: Oregon has some of the strongest tenant protections in the country, extending to RV park residents in specific circumstances. No-cause termination can require 90+ days notice for long-term tenants.

Bottom line: have your lease reviewed by an attorney licensed in your state before you use it. A $500 legal review can prevent a $15,000 eviction gone wrong.

Clauses to Avoid

Not everything you might want to include is enforceable — and some clauses can actively hurt you:

Landlord may enter at any time without notice. Unenforceable in most states. Landlords generally must provide 24 hours notice for non-emergency entry. An overbroad entry clause can void other parts of your lease in some jurisdictions.

Tenant waives all legal rights. Courts will not enforce blanket waivers of statutory rights. A tenant cannot waive their right to due process eviction, and attempting to make them do so can backfire in litigation.

Automatic rent increases above statutory limits. Some states limit rent increases and require specific notice periods. Do not assume you can increase monthly rent by any amount with 30 days notice — check your state requirements.

Self-help eviction clauses. Any language suggesting you can remove a tenant belongings, cut off utilities, or change locks without going through formal eviction is illegal in every state. Self-help eviction exposes you to significant liability regardless of what the lease says.

The Transient License: Keeping Short-Term Guests Out of Tenancy

For nightly and weekly guests, the goal is clear: document that they are licensees, not tenants, and that no landlord-tenant relationship is being created. A solid transient license should include:

• Explicit statement that the agreement is a revocable license, not a lease
• The park right to terminate for rule violations, non-payment, or any other reason
• Acknowledgment that the guest has no right to remain beyond the agreed period
• Waiver of any implied license to remain
• Agreement to vacate immediately upon request (within legal minimums for your state)
• Authorization to remove vehicles and property from the premises if the guest fails to vacate

This does not need to be intimidating — a clear one-pager that guests sign at check-in or acknowledge via online booking does the job. The point is establishing the legal relationship clearly before any ambiguity can arise.

What Happens to Leases When You Sell?

If you are buying an existing park or planning to sell eventually, understand how leases transfer. When a park sells, existing leases transfer to the new owner as a matter of property law. The buyer steps into the shoes of the landlord:

• Long-term leases are binding on the buyer. If a tenant has 18 months left on a 2-year lease, the new owner must honor it including the rent amount and all terms.
• Month-to-month tenants can be given notice. The new owner can issue proper termination notices but must comply with state requirements.
• Problematic leases reduce purchase price. A park with 40 monthly tenants locked into below-market rates from 5 years ago is worth less than one with market-rate agreements. Quantify this before you bid.

When selling, get copies of all active leases to buyers early in due diligence. Surprises in the lease stack kill deals. For more on exit planning, see our guide to RV park exit strategies.

Practical Implementation

Get signatures before they move in. Managers under pressure to fill sites sometimes let tenants move in pending paperwork. Do not. Unsigned means unenforceable.

Keep original signed copies securely filed. Digital copies in your property management software plus physical copies in a fireproof location. You will need these in eviction court.

Use an addendum for site-specific agreements. If a tenant negotiates anything specific (discounted rate, pet exception, additional parking), document it in a written addendum — not a verbal agreement. Verbal agreements are nearly impossible to enforce.

Train your managers. If you hire a manager to handle day-to-day operations, make sure they understand the paperwork process and do not make unauthorized exceptions or verbal side deals. A manager who promises a tenant something outside the lease creates liability for you.

Screen tenants before signing. A solid lease does not compensate for not vetting who you let in. Run background checks, verify income for monthly tenants, and check references. Our guide to RV park tenant screening covers what to look for and what to avoid.

The Bottom Line: Paperwork Is Protection

A well-drafted lease will not prevent every problem tenant. But it will dramatically simplify resolution when problems occur — and in real estate, clarity is money. Clear paperwork means faster evictions, fewer disputes about what was agreed, and judges who rule in your favor because the record is unambiguous.

The operators who get hurt by tenant situations are almost always the ones who skimped on documentation because everyone here is friendly or it is just a campground. The moment you take monthly rent from someone using your park as their primary residence, you are a landlord. Act like one from the start.

If you are actively acquiring parks, get your standard lease stack reviewed as part of your pre-close due diligence. If you already own parks, audit your current agreements against this framework. The gaps are usually fixable before they become expensive.