Oregon committee hears hours of testimony on House Bill 3054 to curb rent spikes in manufactured-home parks

Representative Tina Kotek Marsh (chairing the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness) opened a Feb. 3 informational hearing and public hearing on House Bill 3054, which would change how rents and certain sale conditions are set in manufactured-home parks across Oregon.

The bill would (1) cap rent increases for facility tenancies at the consumer price index (CPI), (2) restrict vacancy decontrol (limit how much a new buyer can be charged after a sale), (3) prohibit landlords from requiring aesthetic upgrades as a condition of sale, and (4) bar mandatory landlord-ordered interior inspections as a condition of sale. No committee vote was taken at the hearing.

Why it matters: About 1,000 manufactured-home parks in Oregon house roughly 60,000–62,000 spaces and many residents are seniors or households on fixed incomes who depend on stable lot rents. Supporters say unchecked post-sale rent resets and recent large increases have put homeowners at risk of losing both housing and equity; opponents say the bill’s vacancy controls and strict caps will squeeze operating revenue, force deferred maintenance, and push small, family-owned parks to sell or close.

John Van Landingham, an attorney with the Oregon Law Center, gave an overview of how facility tenancies work and the current legal framework. "The first thing to know is that we're talking about facility tenancies," Van Landingham said, and he noted the statutes that apply to manufactured-dwelling parks and floating-home arenas (ORS chapter 90; transcript reference: ORS 90.505 to 90.84). He told the committee parks are a distinct tenure where homeowners typically own the structure but rent the space, and that tenants pay for maintenance inside the home while landlords provide site…