General Law Committee advances bills to limit fees, raise relocation payments for manufactured-home park residents

The General Law Committee moved forward two bills intended to extend consumer protections to residents of manufactured-home parks who own their homes but rent the land beneath them.

Lawmakers said residents face unique vulnerabilities because manufactured homes are costly to move and many municipalities no longer allow new parks, which concentrates power in park owners. Representatives said the bills aim to require clearer disclosures of extra fees, limit fee increases and raise relocation payments where a park changes use.

Representative Jason Lamar, co-chair, summarized one bill’s provisions, saying it "defines ancillary fees, requires park owners to prepare and publish a comprehensive itemized list of those fees that are payable by residents, requires that information concerning those fees be included in a disclosure statement, require that DCP establish a resident complaint process ... and requires park owners to provide at least 90 days advance notice of proposed rent increases." He described manufactured homes as "manufactured housing" that is "brought to a park on a flatbed truck ... placed on the foundation,…