Family outside their manufactured home in a Santa Clara County mobile home park

Mobile home transfer · San Jose office

Mobile Home Title Transfer in Santa Clara County

Need a mobile home transfer in San Jose or anywhere in Santa Clara County? The HCD title transfer paperwork confuses almost everyone. Bring your title to our office on Blossom Hill Road in San Jose: we sit down with you, fill out every form, request your tax clearance from the county, and notarize on site. $325 preparation.

Call (408) 766-3532Start Online →

Prefer to sit down with us? 434 Blossom Hill Rd, San Jose · Book an office visit

$325Preparation fee
San JoseOffice & notary on site
LDA #268Santa Clara County

How it works — in person or by phone

  1. Call (408) 766-3532 or come by our San Jose office. Tell us what happened and who is on the title now and who it is going to.
  2. Bring the title, the registration card and the decal number. We go through them with you and fill out every HCD form — no computer needed.
  3. We request the tax clearance from the Santa Clara County Department of Tax and Collections — you collect it and pay the county directly.
  4. You sign at our office with our notary on site, and leave with a packet ready to mail to HCD with your check.

Our part takes one to two business days. $325 for the preparation; HCD’s fees, the county’s tax clearance charge, and any use tax are paid by you to those agencies at cost. Rather do it from home? Start online in about ten minutes, with no payment to start. Notary on site at $15 per signature if a form needs one.

Call (408) 766-3532Start Online →

Why a local office helps here

A mobile home title is not recorded with the County Recorder. It goes to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) in Sacramento — on paper, with original signatures. That is exactly where an office down the street saves you a month. Escrow companies only handle sales; family, trust, after-death and name change transfers are not escrow work, and that is exactly the HCD paperwork we prepare.

No computer needed

HCD’s forms are long, and many of the people we help do not use a computer. You bring the papers; we fill them out with you at the table.

Sign in person, not by mail

HCD needs original signatures on paper. Sign with our notary at 434 Blossom Hill Rd and leave with a packet that is ready to mail.

Your county, your tax clearance

Every transfer needs a tax clearance certificate from the Santa Clara County Department of Tax and Collections. We request it for you and time the packet to its 60-day window.

Your language at the table

Vietnamese and Cantonese spoken in the office, and Spanish through our staff team. Every form still goes to HCD in English.

Which mobile home transfer do you need?

Each situation uses a different HCD form set. Find yours below and tell us which one fits.

An owner has died

A parent or spouse passed away and the home has to go to the family. Often no probate is needed.

Transfer after a death →

Surviving spouse

The home goes to the husband or wife. HCD has a shorter spousal route than the heir certificate.

Spouse and heir transfers →

Put it in your living trust

Your trust only protects the home once HCD shows the trustee as owner.

Mobile home into a trust →

Gift it or add a name

Gift the home to your children, add a spouse or adult child, or take a co-owner off the title.

Add or remove a name →

Divorce or separation

Take a former spouse off the title with their release or the court judgment.

Remove an ex-spouse →

Private sale

Buying or selling a home directly between owners in a park. Use tax applies unless an exemption is documented. We prepare it here at the same $325.

Check your decal number first

The decal is the metal plate or sticker on the outside of the home. Its first letter decides which HCD forms apply, and the wrong set is the most common reason a packet comes back.

Decal begins with A

The home is on yearly HCD registration renewal. Usually an older home.

Decal begins with L

The home is on the Santa Clara County property tax roll, and you pay property tax to the county each year.

DMV pink slip instead

Some older homes are still titled with the DMV. A multi-section home has a separate pink slip for each section.

On a permanent foundation

No HCD title at all. It transfers by recorded deed like a house — see Santa Clara County deed transfer.

How to transfer a mobile home title, step by step

There is no electronic shortcut for a mobile home. HCD needs the physical original title, a paper application and a check, so the value is in getting it right the first time.

1

You call or come in

Tell us what happened and who the home is going to. Bring the title, the registration card and the decal number.

2

We request your tax clearance

From the Santa Clara County Department of Tax and Collections. You collect it and pay the county’s charge directly. It is good for 60 days.

3

We prepare the HCD forms

The transfer application plus whatever your situation adds — an heir certificate, a trust ownership form, or a duplicate title application.

4

You sign at our office

With our notary on site, checked before you leave. Family who live far away can sign where they are with our signing checklist.

5

HCD issues the new title

You mail the packet with the original title and your check to HCD. HCD mails the new title and registration card to the new owner.

What to bring to the office

The decal number

Starts with A or L, or a DMV plate. It tells us which form set applies.

The original Certificate of Title

If it is lost, a duplicate can be applied for — $25 to HCD — in the same packet.

The Registration Card

The last one issued. A lost card is also $25 to HCD for a duplicate.

Photo ID and names

A photo ID for everyone signing, the park name and space number, and a certified death certificate if an owner has died.

Mobile home owners we help across the county

Most homes here sit in parks on rented spaces, so the HCD title is the only ownership record that matters.

  • San Jose
  • Santa Clara
  • Sunnyvale
  • Milpitas
  • Mountain View
  • Campbell
  • Morgan Hill
  • Gilroy
  • San Martin
  • Cupertino
  • Los Gatos
  • Saratoga
  • Los Altos
  • Palo Alto
  • Monte Sereno

Doing it yourself vs. having it prepared

HCD publishes its forms free, and some people do file their own. Many of the calls we get come from people whose packet came back. Here is where the time goes.

 On your ownWith TruPoint
Tax clearanceYou find the right county office, request it, and hope it is still valid when HCD opens your envelope.We request it from the Department of Tax and Collections and build the packet around its 60-day window.
Right form setA-decal, L-decal and DMV pink-slip homes each use different HCD forms. The wrong one comes back.We read your decal and title first and prepare the matching set.
SignaturesEvery owner on the title must sign exactly as printed. One mismatch returns the packet.Sign at our office with a notary on site, checked before you leave.
If it comes backHCD mails it back without a phone call. You start the queue again.We rebuild it from the rejection letter.

Questions people ask before starting

Where do I go totransfer a mobile home title in Santa Clara County?
Not at the County Recorder. Mobile home titles are held by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) in Sacramento. The only county step is the tax clearance certificate from the Santa Clara County Department of Tax and Collections, which HCD requires before it will accept the transfer. We request that for you and prepare the HCD packet at our San Jose office.
I am not good with computers. Can I do everything in person?
Yes. Call (408) 766-3532 or come to 434 Blossom Hill Rd, San Jose, CA 95123. Bring your papers, we fill out the forms with you, and you sign with our notary on site. You never need to use a computer.
How much does a mobile home title transfer cost in San Jose?
Our preparation fee is $325 for the whole HCD packet. HCD’s own fees, the county’s tax clearance charge, and any use tax on a sale are paid by you directly to those agencies. Notary is $15 per signature if a form needs one.
What is a tax clearance certificate and do I need one?
It is a certificate from the Santa Clara County Department of Tax and Collections showing the taxes on the home are current. HCD will not accept a transfer without it, and it is good for 60 days. We request it for you; you collect it and pay the county’s charge directly.
How long does it take?
Our part takes one to two business days once we have your papers. The county tax clearance and HCD’s processing follow their own timelines, which we do not control, so we prepare the packet to be right the first time.
What if I lost the original mobile home title?
A duplicate title and registration card can be applied for at $25 each to HCD. We include the duplicate application in the same packet so it moves in one submission.
Can you help if the taxes on the home are behind?
The county will not issue a tax clearance until the taxes are current, so that has to be paid first. We can prepare everything else so the packet is ready the day your clearance is issued.
My double-wide has two titles. Is that normal?
It can be. A home titled with HCD has one Certificate of Title, but a home still on DMV pink slips has a separate slip for each section, so a double-wide will have two. Bring what you have and we will look at it with you.
Can I just download the HCD forms and do this myself?
You can. HCD publishes its forms free. What the forms do not tell you is the order: the tax clearance has to come first, the form set depends on your decal, and a transfer after a death needs the right supporting document attached. HCD does not call to explain a mistake; it mails the packet back and you start again.
HCD sent my packet back. Can you fix it?
Yes, and it is a common reason people call us. Bring the rejection letter and what you sent, and we will rebuild the packet.
Do you only help with mobile homes in Santa Clara County?
Our mobile home service is built around Santa Clara County so you can sit down with us in San Jose. If the home is in a neighboring county, call us first and we will tell you whether we can help.
Do you speak Vietnamese, Cantonese or Spanish?
Yes. Vietnamese and Cantonese are spoken in the office, and Spanish through our staff team. The HCD forms themselves are filed in English.
How do I transfer a mobile home title to a family member?
A family transfer is a no-sale transfer with its own HCD form set: HCD RT 804.3, 804.4 or 804.5, depending on whether the home has an HCD title on the property tax roll, an HCD title on yearly renewal, or a DMV pink slip. Every owner on the current title signs, the county tax clearance is attached, and HCD issues a new title. We prepare it at our San Jose office for $325. See adding or removing a name.
Which HCD form do I use to transfer ownership of a mobile home?
HCD groups its forms by situation: private sale (HCD RT 804, 804.1, 804.2), family transfer (804.3 to 804.5), transfer to a trust (804.6 to 804.8), and removing a deceased co-owner (804.9 to 804.11). Depending on the case, supporting forms such as the Multi-Purpose Transfer Form (HCD RT 476.6G) or a Bill of Sale (HCD RT 475.1) are added. We read your decal and title and prepare the full set.
Where can I get a copy of my mobile home title?
From HCD, not the county. A lost title is replaced with an Application for Duplicate Title (HCD RT 480.4) and a lost registration card with HCD RT 481.2, $25 each to HCD. If you are not sure what HCD has on file, HCD also takes a title search request (HCD RT 491.1). Bring the decal number and we will include what you need in your packet.
How do I do a mobile home title search?
Through HCD. HCD searches its own records when you file an Information – Title Search Request (HCD RT 491.1), which shows who is on the title and whether there is a lien. HCD charges its own fee. Bring the decal number and we will prepare the request with your transfer.
Do I need probate for a mobile home?
Often not. A mobile home can usually pass to the heirs with HCD’s Certificate for Transfer Without Probate once 40 days have passed and nothing else in the estate needs probate. See mobile home after a death.
Can I transfer a mobile home title online?
No. HCD requires the signed original title, a paper application and a check sent by mail. That is why getting the packet right the first time matters, and why signing in person with our notary saves time.
Can an escrow company transfer a mobile home to my family?
No. Escrow companies handle sales. Giving the home to family, putting it in a trust, transferring it after a death, or adding or removing a name is not a sale, so escrow does not handle it. We prepare the HCD paperwork for these transfers at our San Jose office, for $325.
Is there a deed for a mobile home?
Not for a home in a park on a rented space. What many people call a mobile home deed is the HCD Certificate of Title, and ownership changes through HCD, not the County Recorder. Only a home on a permanent foundation, on land you own, transfers by recorded deed — see Santa Clara County deed transfer.
¿Me ayudan en español con el título de mi casa móvil (mobile home)?
Sí. Nuestro equipo le atiende en español en la oficina de San José, 434 Blossom Hill Rd. Traiga su título, la tarjeta de registro y el número de calcomanía (decal), y llenamos con usted los formularios de HCD. Preparación: $325. Llame al (408) 766-3532.
Tôi cần sang tên nhà mobile home ở San Jose, văn phòng có nói tiếng Việt không?
Có. Văn phòng chúng tôi tại 434 Blossom Hill Rd, San Jose có người nói tiếng Việt. Quý vị mang theo giấy chủ quyền (title), thẻ đăng ký và số decal; chúng tôi điền toàn bộ hồ sơ HCD cùng quý vị và có công chứng viên tại chỗ. Phí soạn hồ sơ $325. Gọi (408) 766-3532.

Bring the title to Blossom Hill Road

Call (408) 766-3532 and we will set a time. $325 to prepare the whole packet, with a notary on site.

Call (408) 766-3532Start Online →

Prefer to sit down with us? 434 Blossom Hill Rd, San Jose · Book an office visit

Santa Clara County deed transfer  ·  Real estate & deed services  ·  All intake forms

TruPoint Legal LLC is a registered Legal Document Assistant (LDA #268, Santa Clara County), not a law firm. We prepare documents at your direction and do not give legal advice on which transfer method fits your situation. If you are unsure, an attorney can advise you.

Hablamos Español · Sang tên nhà mobile home bằng Tiếng Việt · 移動房屋過戶 · 我号講廣東話 · We speak English