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Escondido rent review board approves 4.064% CPI‑based increase for Carefree Ranch mobile home park
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Summary
The council's rent review board approved a short‑form rent increase for Carefree Ranch Mobile Home Park — 90% of the regional CPI change, equal to 4.064%, averaging $30.05 per rent‑controlled space — after staff found code violations corrected and residents raised safety and affordability concerns.
Escondido — The rent review board approved a short‑form rent increase request from Carefree Ranch Mobile Home Park on a 5–0 vote, allowing the park owner to raise rents by 90% of the San Diego metropolitan CPI change (4.064%) over the prior 12‑month period. Staff calculated the requested change as an average increase of $30.05 per rent‑controlled space per month.
Carlos Cervantes, housing and neighborhood services analyst, presented the short form application and explained the short‑form eligibility criteria under the city’s mobile home rent control ordinance (adopted following Proposition K) and the rent review board guidelines. Staff said Carefree Ranch has 184 spaces with 151 subject to rent control; the current average rent for those spaces is $769.51 and the requested average increase is $30.05 (range: $19.75–$41.09). Staff also noted the park’s last increase was approved in October 2024.
City code compliance documented one general park violation (overgrown tree branches) found during inspection; staff reported that the owner corrected the violation by reinspection on 10/23/2025, consistent with the guideline that increases do not take effect until code violations are corrected. Staff recommended approval of rent review board resolution 20 20 5‑131 granting the 90% CPI increase.
Carefree Ranch resident manager Jim Johnson (representing Thompson Properties) thanked staff for safety work (curb painting/redline improvements to improve sight lines) and said the park operates a hardship assistance program for residents who struggle to pay rent.
Two residents spoke during public comment to ask the board to consider maintenance costs and to highlight that even modest increases may be meaningful for residents on very tight budgets. The board approved the application and adopted the resolution; staff noted management must provide 90 days’ notice to residents before any increase takes effect.
What happens next: If implemented, management must notify residents 90 days before the increase is applied. Residents remain able to pursue a long‑form application process in future periods if they or the board wish to examine additional cost factors beyond CPI.
