| 1 |
Confirm whether the land permits residential use |
Check zoning, planning overlays, minimum dwelling sizes, agricultural restrictions, and whether temporary structures are regulated as buildings. |
Written zoning confirmation, land-use certificate, planning map, or local planning-office decision. |
Rules are normally set by municipal, county, state, or provincial authorities rather than by national law alone. |
The home may be treated as an unlawful dwelling even when the land is privately owned. |
| 2 |
Determine whether a building permit is required |
Ask whether wheels, skids, foundations, utility connections, occupancy duration, or repeated placement change the permit category. |
Permit checklist, building-control ruling, approved drawings, structural calculations, and inspection schedule. |
A portable structure can still require a building, development, siting, or occupancy permit. |
Fines, removal orders, inability to insure, or difficulty selling the property. |
| 3 |
Check transport dimensions and route access |
Measure overall width, height, length, weight, axle loads, turning radius, bridge limits, road gradients, and final-site access. |
Certified transport measurements, route survey, bridge-clearance records, and any required oversize-load permits. |
Maximum legal dimensions, escort requirements, and permit fees differ by jurisdiction and road authority. |
A home can be legally purchased but physically impossible or excessively expensive to deliver. |
| 4 |
Validate foundations, ground conditions, and flood exposure |
Review soil bearing capacity, slope stability, drainage, seismic conditions, frost depth, coastal exposure, and flood-zone status. |
Geotechnical report, topographic survey, flood map, engineering design, and foundation approval. |
Climate and hazard standards vary widely; movable homes still need stable, level, and adequately drained support. |
Settlement, water damage, structural movement, or refusal of planning approval. |
| 5 |
Plan electricity, water, wastewater, and communications |
Confirm connection capacity, service distances, trenching rights, septic requirements, drinking-water quality, and backup options. |
Utility availability letters, connection estimates, water tests, septic approval, and easement documents. |
Remote sites may require a well, rainwater system, septic tank, solar-battery system, or satellite communications. |
Unexpected installation costs, unsafe water, sewage violations, or limited year-round habitability. |
| 6 |
Compare construction and safety standards |
Check structural, fire, electrical, plumbing, insulation, ventilation, smoke-alarm, and emergency-exit requirements. |
Signed engineering documents, conformity certificates, material specifications, test reports, and inspection records. |
A unit built for one country may not comply with another country’s electrical voltage, fire, wind, snow, or seismic standards. |
Retrofitting may cost more than expected, and non-compliant systems can create serious safety hazards. |
| 7 |
Calculate import, customs, and tax obligations |
Identify the correct customs classification, import duty, value-added or sales tax, port charges, inspection fees, and documentation requirements. |
Customs ruling, commercial invoice, packing list, origin documents, transport documents, and import permits where applicable. |
Taxes and treatment can differ depending on whether the home arrives finished, in modules, or as component materials. |
Unexpected border charges, delays, storage fees, or refusal of entry. |
| 8 |
Verify ownership, registration, and insurance eligibility |
Establish whether the unit is personal property, a vehicle, or real property, and confirm how ownership and security interests are recorded. |
Title or registration record, bill of sale, lien search, serial-number record, and written insurance quotation. |
Legal classification affects financing, taxation, resale, registration, and whether the unit can remain on leased land. |
Ownership disputes, uninsured losses, financing problems, or restricted resale. |
| 9 |
Review land tenure and access rights |
Check the land title, lease term, renewal rights, road access, utility easements, setback rules, and permission to place or remove the home. |
Official title search, registered lease, easement plan, access agreement, and solicitor or conveyancer review. |
A portable home does not guarantee the right to occupy land; leased-site conditions can be stricter than ownership rules. |
Loss of the site, blocked access, rent increases, or forced relocation of the home. |
| 10 |
Use a total-cost and exit-plan calculation |
Include purchase price, site preparation, permits, transport, cranes, foundations, utilities, taxes, maintenance, relocation, and removal costs. |
Itemized quotations, written contingencies, maintenance schedule, relocation estimate, and resale assumptions. |
Transport, permitting, and utility work can represent a substantial share of the final project cost, especially in remote locations. |
The apparent low purchase price may become uneconomic after delivery, installation, and compliance work. |
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