House passes bill extending notice and protections for mobile-home residents

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House on the 16th day of the 2008 general session passed First Substitute House Bill 48, a compromise measure that adds new notice and procedural protections for residents of manufactured-home parks.

Representative Reesen, the bill sponsor, told colleagues the measure responds to long-standing concerns about park closures and the difficulty many residents face paying the costs to move. He said the bill requires a nine-month notice from a park owner when a lease termination results from a change in land use or condemnation (excluding certain government condemnation for road projects), requires park owners to notify residents at least seven days before any required government hearing, and prohibits lot-rent increases during the nine-month notice period.

"Right now in Utah, there are more than 58,000 citizens living in manufactured homes," Reesen said, stressing the compromise was negotiated with stakeholders and includes seniors and low-income households. He said that the median household income for many mobile-home residents is about $33,000 and that moving costs of $10,000–$20,000 can be prohibitive.

Supporters described the bill as carefully balanced. Representative Hughes said parties that previously opposed each other met, compromised and arrived at a workable solution. Representative Mascaro said the bill attempts to balance property rights and protections for residents, while Representative Shortlove called the measure "fair to both the park owner and those who rent space for their mobile home." Representative Clark expressed principled concern about shifting property-rights balances but indicated he would still vote for the bill.

The House adopted Amendment No. 2, which clarifies governmental-exemption language and the notice provisions, before passing the bill as amended. The measure passed the House and was referred to the Senate for further consideration.

What the bill does in brief: it establishes a nine-month notice period for lease termination due to land-use change or condemnation (with stated exceptions for DOT/local government projects), requires seven‑day advance notice of hearings if a government hearing is necessary, and prohibits rent increases during the notice period. The sponsor said some park owners themselves supported the no-rent-increase provision.

Next steps: The bill will proceed to the Senate. If enacted, the bill would lengthen the minimum time residents have to plan and secure funds or alternative housing when a park owner notifies of a pending closure tied to land-use changes or condemnation (subject to statutory exceptions for certain government-driven condemnation).

Speakers quoted in this article are named based on their on-record remarks during House floor debate.