Signage is a vital tool for manufactured home community owners, providing safety and effective communication. Clear signage can help protect your community from liability and help reduce risk. As a community owner, you will need various signs for your community. The manufactured home community signage could be the difference between dealing with a lawsuit and being found not liable.

Manufactured Home Community Signage You Need

Entrance Signs

The entrance sign isn’t only a way to market your community to new residents, but also allows first responders to quickly identify the property in case of an emergency. The entrance signage should include your community’s name, phone number, and office hours. You can also include a welcome message or slogan if you have room, but avoid adding too much information, or the sign can become cluttered and hard to read. When choosing a font for the sign, select one that is clean and easy to read at a glance by passersby.

Road Signage

Just like the city roads and highways, manufactured home communities need road signage to help prevent vehicular accidents. Without proper road signage, you could be held liable for accidents that happen on your property. Below is a list of common road signs used in manufactured home communities, but your particular signage will depend on the unique layout of your property and the needs of your community. We recommend conducting an annual signage audit and verifying local ordinances and codes to ensure your signage complies with the requirements.

  • Traffic Signs: 
    • Speed Limits
    • Stop Signs
    • Yield Signs
    • One-Way Signs
    • Do Not Enter
  • Safety Signs: 
    • Pedestrian Crossing
    • Children at Play
    • Bus Stop
    • Crosswalks
  • Parking Signs:
    • No Parking
    • Fire Lane
    • Emergency Vehicle Parking 
  • Warning Signs:
    • Curve Ahead
    • Speed Bump Ahead
    • Uneven Pavement 

 

Security Signage 

Not having the proper security measures in place can lead to risk and financial loss for your business. A big part of those security measures is not only having cameras installed but also having signage informing visitors and residents of the cameras. If you have license plate recognition cameras, install signs at entry points where they can be easily seen. This will allow visitors to know there is a log and a time stamp of when they entered and exited the property. If your community has an organized neighborhood watch, it is also helpful to have a sign close to the entrance stating that.  Signage noting private property, tenants and guests only is also a plus.

That being said, ensure any signage regarding security measures is accurate. Promising security measures that aren’t there can increase liability and be detrimental to the trust you have built with residents. 

Compliance Signage 

The Fair Housing Act establishes non-discrimination requirements for housing providers. Posting Equal Housing Opportunity signage in your leasing or office building demonstrates to visitors that you are compliant with the Fair Housing Act and is often considered best practice. 

Community Amenities and Property Rules 

Posting clear signage with community and amenities rules promotes safety and reinforces community standards. This is an easy way to communicate to residents and guests what the rules are, and when they are posted, they will be more likely to follow them. Posting this signage can also help protect your business from costly lawsuits by showing that you took steps to warn residents of safety requirements. This helps demonstrate due diligence and is a defense against negligence claims.

Tips for Posting Amenity Rules: 

  • Make sure that the sign is eye level and not obstructed from view
  • Replace faded or damaged signs promptly 
  • Ensure that the sign is at the entrance of the amenity
  • Ensure rules are clear and easy to understand 

Top Community Amenities and Property Rules 

While signage will vary by community, these are some key rules that should always be clearly posted.

Community Pools: 

  • No Running 
  • No Diving 
  • No Lifeguard on Duty 
  • Children Must Be Supervised
  • Hours of Operations 
  • Tenants and guests only
  • No unaccompanied minors under 17

Playgrounds: 

  • Use Equipment as Intended 
  • Tenant and guest usage only
  • Hours of Operations 
  • Children Must Be Supervised
  • Report Damaged Equipment

Dog Parks & Pet Areas: 

  • Use at Your Own Risk
  • Leash Requirements (outside of dog parks)  
  • Owner Responsibility for Pets
  • Clean Up After Your Pet 
  • Aggressive Pets Prohibited 

For more tips on managing your manufactured home community and reducing risk, visit our resources page here and learn more in our blog here.