Mobile Home Owner News – Feb 2021
Resident curated mobile home owners news and information for residents of Mobile Home Parks owned by Kort & Scott (KS) companies. The MHPHOA also provides news coverage for Mobile Home Parks not owned by KS companies.
Click/tap the story headlines to open a link to the full original story and/or media such as streaming video from City Council Meetings. Story headlines with are inline news stories.
Clicking or tapping links with a caret (kar-it, carrot) will expand/show additional content and change to to collapse/hide content. Content that is collapsed/hidden will not print.
Tue, Feb 16, 2021 – Fresno County supervisors will consider a rent control policy to limit price gouging at the 98 mobile home parks in rural parts of the county – a direct result of organizing by a large family of indigenous farmworkers from Oaxaca who reside at Shady Lakes Mobile Home Park.
Supervisor Brian Pacheco raised the issue at a board meeting last Tuesday, saying there is a ‘dire need’ for protections at all mobile home parks because ‘once you set your home up there, you’re at mercy of the landlord.’ Other supervisors agreed to debate a potential ordinance.
Residents of Shady Lakes face a rent hike in May that would effectively raise their cost of living there by 72% in two years, according to Mariah Thompson, an attorney with California Rural Legal Assistance who represents the group in an ongoing lawsuit against the park owners.
Rent at Shady Lakes has increased repeatedly since the park was purchased by Stockton-based Harmony Communities in April 2019, from $395 including utilities to $610 not including utilities come next May.
Fri, Feb 5, 2021 – San Jose’s recent ban on rent increases could possibly land the city in court.
Douglas Dennington – a land-use attorney with Rutan & Tucker LLP, representing landlords across San Jose – submitted a letter to city leaders Feb. 1 stating that landlords adamantly oppose the rent freeze and warning the city may “wish to limit this significant liability by immediately repealing the ban.
He said the rent freeze, which was approved by lawmakers this week and halts rent spikes until June for tenants impacted by COVID-19, conflicts with state and federal law and could invite lawsuits from landlords looking to regain money lost during the pandemic.
San Jose’s rent freeze applies to tenants living in rent-controlled apartments and mobile homes.
Thu, Feb 4, 2021 – Apartment-dwellers and mobile home residents struggling to pay rent in San Jose because of the pandemic are getting some relief.
The San Jose City Council voted unanimously Feb. 2 to immediately halt rent increases for these residents through June 30.
Neither the state nor Santa Clara County have taken action to prevent rent increases, and San Jose's previous moratorium on rent hikes expired Dec. 30, prompting city leaders to take action.
To take advantage of the rent freeze, residents must prove to their landlord they are facing hardship related to COVID-19 by submitting a Declaration of COVID-19 Related Financial Distress before their next scheduled annual rent increase, according to Jacky Morales-Ferrand, director of the Housing Department.
Stop Predatory Park Owners
MHP News Resources
Kort & Scott Pay $57,000,000
Largest Mobile Home Park Settlement Ever
Fri, Nov 22, 2019 – Kabateck LLP attorneys representing hundreds of low-income mobile home residents in Long Beach, California secured a nearly $57 million settlement, which is the largest settlement ever involving a mobile home park.
MRL Protection Program
Sometimes, in mobilehome parks, disputes can arise between mobilehome/manufactured homeowners and park management. To help resolve some of these disputes, California created the Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Program (MRLPP) through the Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Act of 2018, Assembly Bill 3066 (Chapter 774, Statutes of 2018).
Who Can Submit a Complaint?
Must be a mobilehome / manufactured homeowner residing in a permitted mobilehome park.
What Types of Complaints can be Submitted for Consideration?
Complaints for issues within mobilehome parks related to Mobilehome Residency Law violations (California Civil Code). Common violations include illegal grounds for eviction, failure to provide proper notice of rent increases, or no written rental agreement between the park and mobilehome owner.
How do I submit my complaint?
Complaints must be submitted to HCD. HCD provides assistance to help resolve and coordinate resolution of the most severe alleged violations of the Mobilehome Residency Law. Visit the How to Submit a Complaint page for details on ways to submit your complaint to HCD.