Following a lengthy review process and much discussion, Santa Clarita City Council members are expected to vote Tuesday night, February 24, on changes to the ordinance regulating manufactured home rents.
The Santa Clarita Valley Signal tells MHProNews that the changes council members will consider attempt to strike a balance between the perspectives of both groups, said Erin Lay, housing program administrator for the city of Santa Clarita.
“We’re trying to find a balance that provides the park owners, as private business people, with the ability to maintain and take care of their parks while at the same time controlling the extremes of rent increases,” she said.
At the heart of the revised ordinance are proposed changes to annual space rent adjustment for park residents. The current ordinance allows for adjustments using one of two methods. Under the revised ordinance, those two methods would be referred to as standard and non-standard adjustments.
Standard adjustments could be made to reflect hikes in the Consumer Price Index. The question arose about how big those hikes could be.
Residents wanted the minimum allowed rent hike to be as low as possible — zero. Park owners sought higher allowed hikes. The proposed revised ordinance expected to be voted on Tuesday retains the 3 percent minimum rate hike.
In exchange for the 3 percent minimum, the ordinance calls for restrictions in justifications for non-standard adjustments. Under the current ordinance, community owners have a wide latitude when choosing to make non-standard rent adjustments.
“In the current ordinance, there are very few limits on the non-standard adjustment,” Lay said. “That’s one of the things we hope to address in this update, which is to provide greater clarity and greater restrictions on what can be part of a non-standard increase.” ##
(Photo Credit: Santa Clarita Valley Signal)
Article submitted by Sandra Lane to – Daily Business News – MHProNews.
