A. Mobile home owners have a substantial investment in their residences and appurtenances for which space is rented or leased. Alternate sites for relocation of mobile homes are difficult to find due to the shortage of vacant spaces, the restrictions of age, size, or style of mobile homes permitted in many parks, and related to the installation of mobile homes, including permits, landscaping and site preparation. Additionally, the cost of moving a mobile home is substantial, and the risk of damage in moving is significant.
The result of these conditions is the creation of a captive market of mobile home owners and tenants. This immobility, in turn, contributes to the creation of a great imbalance in the bargaining relationship between park owners and mobile home park tenants in favor of the park owners.
B. Because mobile homes are often occupied by senior citizens, persons on fixed income and persons of low or moderate income, exorbitant rent adjustments fall upon these individuals with particular harshness. The continuing possibility of unreasonable space rental adjustments in mobile home parks threatens to diminish the value of the investment of the mobile home owners. Further, existing state law permits mobile home park owners to require mobile home owners to make modifications to their homes for reasons of aesthetics or conformity to park standards that amount to capital improvements which would accrue to the benefit of the park owner by potentially increasing the market value of the park itself.
C. This Council finds and declares it necessary to facilitate and encourage fair bargaining between mobile home owners and park owners in order to achieve mutually satisfactory agreements regarding space rental rates in mobile home parks. Absent such agreements, this Council further finds and declares it necessary to protect the owners and residents of mobile homes from unreasonable space rental adjustments while simultaneously recognizing and providing for the need of park owners to receive a just and reasonable return on their property.
(Ord. MC-1481, 4-14-18; Ord. MC-865, 3-24-93)