From Coast-to-Coast Rent Control Pressures Heat Up for Land Lease ‘Trailer Parks’ ‘Mobile Home Parks’ and Manufactured Home Communities; Manufactured Housing Industry Report-Facts-Analysis
The report that follows in Part I is from The Center Square to MHProNews and is focused on the east coast Commonwealth (state) of Pennsylvania. But there are similar pressures in the left or west coast states of Oregon, Washington and other states too as will be considered in Part II of this report with added facts and analysis. Note the headline uses some terms that are routinely incorrect. For correct manufactured home industry terminology, see the article linked below.
Manufactured homeowners want lot rents tied to inflation
By Lauren Jessop | The Center Square contributor
(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania legislators are again poised to introduce legislation amending the Manufactured Home Community Rights Act aimed at strengthening protections for some of the state’s most vulnerable homeowners.
Previous attempts to pass similar bills have failed, but Sen. Judy Schwank, D-Reading, is optimistic about their chances this time around.
Schwank told The Center Square the bill is gaining more bipartisan support, thanks in part to the success of a coalition of manufactured home owners who are urging their legislators to jump on board.
Schwank said they have refocused their legislation into a package of three bills.
The previous version included caps on land rent increases, which had the support of some legislators and advocacy groups, but drew criticisms from others who viewed it as rent control.
Schwank said the rent control idea seemed to be a non-starter, so instead the bill would impose an annual rent increase based upon the Consumer Price Index, or CPI, with an opportunity to justify higher increases, such as covering operating expenses and repairs.
The other two bills would require 90 days’ notice and opportunity for residents to purchase their community if the owner intends to sell or close it, and would title manufactured homes as real property instead of vehicles, providing homeowners with stronger consumer protections and greater home equity.
Schwank stressed the bills recognize the property rights of manufactured home community owners, who are entitled to a reasonable rate of return on their investment, but said the commonwealth has a role to play in balancing those rights with those of the homeowners.
“We’re going back with renewed energy,” Schwank said.
The process takes time, but she is hoping to get the bills into the Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee soon.
Reggie Hockenberry, an advisory team member of the Coalition of Manufactured Home Communities of Pennsylvania, echoed the bills’ bipartisan nature.
Hockenberry told The Center Square, like Schwank, he is optimistic about the bills, and he also recognizes property owners’ rights to make a profit, “but there is also a sense of responsibility to the people who are living in your communities and paying you that money.”
He says the coalition, which has grown to 67 communities across the state, is a force to be reckoned with. They have a well-coordinated effort, communicating through email and their PA Manufactured Housing Issues Facebook page.
The legislation, he said, would help 250,000 Pennsylvania Manufactured Home Community residents. The group urges those residents to contact their state representatives and advocate for support of the legislation.
Fighting for this is the key to independence for many residents and why the coalition is so important, said Hockenberry.
In his community, which he prefers not to mention by name, monthly rent has increased 25% in four years.
The increases are cumulative, with each year’s percentage increase applied to a growing base amount. And while increases are tied to the CPI, he said Pennsylvania’s is typically 2%-3% higher than the federal rate – resulting in significant increases over time.
Residents living there since 2005 have seen their rents more than double, creating financial strain — especially for those on fixed incomes whose earnings have not kept pace with rising expenses for medication, groceries, and utilities.
He knows neighbors who have had to rely on financial assistance from their children, while others have been forced to sell and move in with them.
Hockenberry said that recently, people on their Facebook page have reported monthly increases of $75 to $100. Additionally, “owners are squeezing more money out of them for add-ons,” charging $50-$60 for water, sewer and refuse fees that were previously included. Residents have also complained about water quality and a lack of property maintenance.
Companion House bills by Reps. Liz Hanbidge, D-Blue Bell, Melissa Cerrato, D-Horsham, and Joe Webster, D-Collegeville, have also been proposed.
With over 2,000 communities throughout the commonwealth – an estimated 55,000 households – manufactured homes play a vital role in the state’s housing supply, enabling many to achieve their dreams of homeownership, lawmakers say.
Hockenberry said that while legislation is being crafted, the coalition may be in a holding pattern, but isn’t sitting still. Their membership continues to grow, they have compiled a list of representatives and are lining up media in various areas.
“With what people are telling me privately, it just makes me want to fight that much harder,” he said.
Part II – Additional Information with More MHProNews Analysis. and Commentary
1) According to the left-leaning Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) had a headline that said the following on 2.6.2025.
Oregon and Washington are preparing for fights over rent increases in manufactured home parks
Bills in both states would create caps on rent increases and would add protections for tenants.
…The Washington and Oregon bills are in their early stages and have not yet been debated by the full legislatures, but supporters are hoping to keep the pressure on lawmakers. Washington’s chapter of the Association of Manufactured Home Owners is planning to rally with supporters for HB 1217 in Olympia on March 14. …
“Homelessness is a crisis that everyone doesn’t like. Everyone across the board,” [Susan] Zajac [resident of Royal Villas Mobile Home Park] said. “And it’s like, how do we solve it? Keep people in their homes.”
2) MHLivingNews and MHProNews has tracked, reported on, and probed the complexities and possible solutions for the problem of predatory manufactured home community (MHC) operators that apparently have often been working to limit the development of new communities which might create more supply and thus limit the upward preassures on site fees. While rent control may offer a temporary ‘band aid,’ as longtime CEO of ROC USA Paul Bradley observed, it isn’t a solution. That said, for those who are feeling the pressure of stiff rate hikes, especially when they are on a limited retirement or other modest income, rent control offers hope.
3) It must be recalled that the larger community operators are often less pressured, and actually embrace in their own way, rent control. The stress may fall more on smaller community operators that try to navigate rent control laws where or if and when they go into effect. Rent control is, after all, a form of regulation.
4) A combination of factors is needed to provide relief for manufactured home community residents pressured by site fees that escalate more rapidly than other costs of living and pay. That may include antitrust action, more development, and more.
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5) Manufactured housing is suffering from the key performance indicator (KPI) of low production compared to the mid-to-late 1990s, the early 1970s, and for that matter almost all of the history of the HUD Code save for the 21st century. There has to be a reason for that when there is an affordable housing crisis that supported multiple times the current levels of production and sales.
6) Development of new manufactured home communities need to be ramped up, as the Landys-led UMH Properties said last year. They assert that their track record proves that developing and filling new communities is more profitable than just buying existing communities, even if they have some vacancy and/or other value-added opportunities. The Landys are not the only ones to say as much.
7) Yesterday’s report revealed that Warren Buffett led Berkshire Hathaway (BRK) for the 20-year period (essentially the timeframe that they acquired Clayton Homes, 21st Mortgage Corporation, Oakwood Homes, and an array of other manufactured housing industry companies) has not outperformed the S&P 500 as that firm was long known to do. The insights from the report and analysis linked below are relevant to the topic of communities. That said, each of the articles are useful for grasping the big picture of manufactured housing.
Because of the facts-evidence-analysis (FEA) driven approach used by MHProNews, MHLivingNews, and in our ongoing but more eclectic series of topics covered on the Patch our platforms routinely rank well in various internet searches, including the one shown below.
MHProNews has long had the title of the most read and largest trade media serving the manufactured home industry. As a result it is no surprise that this platform wildly outperforms the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) and its blogging/trade media allies. For evidence, see the article below.
There is always more to know. See the linked and related reports to learn more. See you again soon with the latest facts-evidence and expert analysis about MHVille that is often ignored, downplayed, or subjected to the tactic of what the Capital Research Center aptly calls “deception and misdirection.”
Our son has grown quite a bit since this 12.2019 photo. All on Capitol Hill were welcoming and interested in our manufactured housing industry related concerns. But Congressman Al Green’s office was tremendous in their hospitality. Our son’s hand is on a package that included the Constitution of the United States, bottled water, and other goodies.
Tony earned a journalism scholarship and earned numerous awards in history and in manufactured housing.
For example, he earned the prestigious Lottinville Award in history from the University of Oklahoma, where he studied history and business management. He’s a managing member and co-founder of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com.
This article reflects the LLC’s and/or the writer’s position and may or may not reflect the views of sponsors or supporters.
