California MHP News

Mon, Jul 22, 2024 – A settlement has been reached in a trailer park fire death that sparked years of continuing controversy surrounding Trails End Mobile Home Park – now La Hacienda Mobile Estates.

The former owner of the trailer park will pay $1 million to the family of a man who died and to a woman injured in the 2021 fire.

The June settlement between the family of Ronald Richardson and his friend Susan Dahlstrom removed the city and county of Fresno as defendants. The lawsuit also names the California Department of Housing and Community Development, which has oversight of mobile home parks.

Following the man’s death, Trail’s End went into receivership. After leaving receivership, Stockton-based Harmony Communities purchased the park, beginning years of litigation among the company, tenants, and the city over evictions and rent increases.

Wed, Jul 17, 2024 – Sometimes it feels as if it’s hard to find any good news about affordable housing in Marin County. But there is and it’s coming from Novato.

On July 9, buried in the Novato City Council agenda with 10 other items that were bundled together and passed unanimously, was final approval of what may be Marin County’s most progressive and balanced rent-control law for an often-overlooked affordable housing option: mobile homes.

What passed included a 4% cap on annual base rent increases. That’s as low as any North Bay municipality. All new leases are covered. Those provisions protect residents – who own their homes, but rent the land – from fiscal shocks. But that’s only half of what Novato did.

The rent control revisions, which affect three parks with roughly 500 residences, also has money-saving efficiencies for landowners. Instead of having to go through a costly city-run administrative hearing to recoup money spent on capital improvements, the park owners can get direct approval from the park’s residents (via their homeowners’ association).

Tue, Jul 16, 2024 – President Joe Biden revealed a series of proposals aimed at lowering housing costs on Tuesday as inflation and elevated home prices are shaping up to be decisive issues for voters this year.

The plan, which is subject to congressional approval, calls for withdrawing tax credits from landlords who raise rent by more than 5% per year, beginning this year and for the next two years. The plan would apply only to larger landlords who have more than 50 units in their portfolio, though that counts for more than 20 million rental units across the country, according to the White House.

The policy would include an exception for new construction and buildings that are being substantially renovated. That’s aimed at incentivizing new rental property construction to increase supply of apartments and homes for rent.

Wed, Jul 10, 2024 – This table of Mobile Home Parks, RV Parks, and Manufactured Home Communities for Sale in California is a work in progress as of Wednesday, July 10, 2024. Data is being updated regularly.

This is a partial listing and covers the period 2021-01-01 to 2024-07-10. This is NOT a complete list of mobile home parks for sale in California. Many sales of mobile home parks are usually done via Pocket Listings (aka Off-Market Listings, Exclusive Listings), they are not marketed via public channels.

Sun, Jul 7, 2024 – The MHPHOA have been continually researching and developing a database of Resident Owned Communities (ROC) aka Resident Owned Parks (ROP) in the State of California. We have 174 communities listed to date. We welcome input from our audience regarding additions and/or corrections to the data currently available. If you would like to contribute information to the database, please contact the MHPHOA.

2024 ROC Statistics – July 2024

174 ROCs, 33,919 Lots

The MHPHOA have researched and confirmed 174 Resident Owned Communities representing a total of 33,919 lots in the State of California.

33,119 MH Spaces, 800 RV Lots

Of those 33,919 lots, 33,119 are mobile home spaces, 402 are RV Lots With Drains (RV1) and 398 are RV Lots Without Drains (RV2).

55+ (Senior) vs. All Ages (Family)

Of the 174 ROCs, 112 are 55+ communities and 62 are all age (family).

HOA Fees, $304 Average

Of the 167 ROCs that we were able to confirm current (2023/2024) homeowners association (HOA) fees, the average HOA fee for 55+ communities is $299 per month. The average HOA fee for all age communities is $305 per month. The overall average is $304 per month.

Wed, Jul 3, 2024 – Average Space Rents for 505 Mobile Home Parks in 26 out of 482 Cities in California. This is a work in progress and will expand as we continue our research.

Mon, Jul 1, 2024 – From the 2024 California Mobilehome Residency Law Frequently Asked Questions: Rents, Fees and Taxes, 6. Security Deposit

Resident Question: Can the park charge first and last months’ rent plus a 2-month security deposit?

MRL Answer: Normally, when a mobilehome owner is accepted for residency in a mobilehome park and signs a rental agreement, charging first month’s rent and a 2-month security deposit are permitted. (Civil Code §798.39) After one full year of satisfactory residency (meaning all rent and fees have been paid during that time), the resident is entitled to request a refund of the 2-month security deposit, or may request a refund at the time he or she vacates the park and sells the home. (Civil Code §798.39(b))
2024 California MRL FAQs

Submit your request for a security deposit refund in writing to park management today. The MRL specifically states that park management must refund your deposit after one full year of satisfactory residency if requested in writing.

Do not wait until you vacate the park and/or sell your mobile home.