25 Del. C. ch. 70 § 7020A
Health or safety violations
Operative Text
(a) If water, sewer, or septic supplied by or gas or electric distributed by the community owner fails or is not supplied safely, or if a community owner receives an official notice of an unsafe condition, the community owner must fix the problem within 10 days or do all of the following: (1) Provide written documentation that there has been meaningful effort to fix the issue within 10 days. (2) Provide a written detailed explanation of efforts taken and the specific reasons why the issue was unable to be resolved within the 10-day period, including the anticipated resolution date of the issue, to all of the following: a. Every affected resident in the community. b. To any homeowners’ association for residents of the community, if 1 exists. c. Demhra. d. Dmhoa. e. The Attorney General. (3) Provide a surety bond to DEMHRA that complies with the following. a. Is payable to DEMHRA. b. In an amount equal or greater to 150% of the estimated cost to fix the issue. (4) Every 30 days, until the repair is completed, provide written updates to all of the same recipients as paragraph (a)(2) of this section. (b) If a receivership is granted under §§ 7061 through 7067 of this title, the receiver may utilize the full amount of the bond required under this section to complete any work necessary related to this section or related to any basis for which the receivership is granted. (c) If the unsafe condition is water supplied by the community owner, in addition to complying with subsection (a) of this section, the must do either of the following: (1) Supply all residents with potable or bottled water until the problem is resolved. (2) Otherwise, following 48 hours from when the unsafe condition is identified, provide alternative suitable housing to affected tenants until the problem is resolved. (d) Upon fixing the unsafe condition, the community owner must send notice that the problem has been fully repaired to all of the following: (1) Every affected resident in the community. (2) Any homeowners’ association for residents of the community, if one exists. (3) Demhra. (4) Dmhoa. (5) The Attorney General. (6) If an official notice of unsafe condition was issued related to the problem, to the agency or governmental authority that issued the notice.
Under 25 Del. C. ch. 70 § 7020A, when essential utilities such as water, sewer, septic, gas, or electricity in a manufactured home community fail or become unsafe, the community owner is required to resolve the problem within 10 days. If the problem cannot be fixed within that window, the owner must provide written documentation of efforts made, detailed explanations to affected residents and several state agencies, and post a surety bond with DEMHRA equal to at least 150% of the estimated repair cost. When the unsafe condition involves the community's water supply specifically, the owner must also either provide potable or bottled water to all residents or arrange alternative housing within 48 hours of identifying the problem.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Community owners operating under 25 Del. C. ch. 70 § 7020A generally maintain documented emergency response procedures for utility failures and unsafe conditions so that the 10-day repair deadline can be met or, if not, so that written notices can be promptly distributed to residents, any homeowners' association, DEMHRA, DMHOA, and the Attorney General. Operators who cannot complete repairs within 10 days typically arrange for a surety bond payable to DEMHRA in an amount of at least 150% of the estimated repair cost and issue written updates to all required recipients every 30 days until the work is done. When the unsafe condition involves the community's water supply, compliant operators arrange either a continuous supply of potable or bottled water or alternative suitable housing for affected residents no later than 48 hours after the condition is identified.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 7020A of 25 Del. C. ch. 70 establishes that residents of manufactured home communities have a right to safe utility services, and that when those services fail, the community owner faces strict timelines and notification obligations. If a community owner does not fix an unsafe condition within 10 days or fails to provide the required written explanations, surety bond, or periodic updates, residents may have grounds to raise those failures with DEMHRA, DMHOA, or the Delaware Attorney General, all of whom are named recipients under this provision. Tenants experiencing an unsafe water condition may also be entitled to bottled or potable water or alternative housing, and tenant-rights organizations can help residents understand what options may be available to them under this section.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 22, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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