Utah House approves bill giving mobile‑home owners extra post‑judgment time before foreclosure

The Utah House voted to pass House Bill 166, which adds a limited post‑judgment period allowing owners of mobile homes additional time to move or sell their units after an eviction judgment, sponsor Representative Wadsworth said on the floor.

Wadsworth described a constituent who ‘‘lives in a mobile home, had approximately $10,000 equity in his mobile home’’ and who had been unable to pay two months’ pad rent (about $375). She said the bill’s amendment would grant a post‑judgment period — ‘‘15 days under the amendment’’ — intended to allow dismantling, arranging transport and, if desired, selling the mobile home rather than losing the owner’s investment overnight.

Several colleagues questioned whether the new 15‑day period provides enough time. Representative Proxman warned that, in practice, ‘‘within the course of a month, you could find yourself in a situation where what you've invested years of payments into is suddenly gone and confiscated,’’ and he asked whether the period could be extended to ‘‘at least a couple months’’ to allow owners more opportunity to relocate or sell.

Wadsworth and other supporters said the change increases the timeframe compared with current practice and reflected negotiations with the Mobile Home Association; one supporter said the amendment ‘‘gives them two more weeks’’ compared with the shorter window that existed before. After debate, the House adopted the amendment and passed the bill; the reading clerk recorded a 73‑0 affirmative tally before the bill was sent to the Senate for further consideration.

What happens next: HB 166 will be transmitted to the Utah Senate for its consideration.

Key factual details from the floor: Representative Wadsworth cited $10,000 of owner equity and an approximate pad‑rent figure of $375; the enacted floor amendment sets a 15‑day post‑judgment window for actions described on the floor. The House vote was recorded as 73 affirmative, 0 negative.