Nebraska bill would let mobile-home parks get titles to abandoned homes

Senator Paul Stroman introduced LB1230 to the Judiciary Committee, saying the bill "clarifies the specific inclusion of mobile homes" in Nebraska's Disposition of Personal Property (Landlord-Tenant) Act and would allow the Department of Motor Vehicles and county treasurers to issue certificates of title to abandoned mobile homes once statutory procedures are completed. Stroman said the change is aimed at helping mobile-home communities remove eyesores and safety risks faster.

Supporters from the manufactured-housing sector argued the change removes an administrative hurdle that now forces landlords and park owners to use a different storage-lien process that can take more than 120 days. Paul Ellofson, an Omaha attorney speaking for the Nebraska Manufactured Housing Association, told the committee that under current practice landlords often must use a storage-lien statute requiring a 90-day on-site waiting period and additional notice steps. "That procedure is a square peg in a round hole," he said, adding the proposed approach is consistent with the existing disposition statute and would permit parks to obtain title more efficiently.

Stephen Hipple, president of the Nebraska Manufactured Housing Association and a park owner, described cases in which storm damage or drug-related abandonment left units that cost thousands to remove. He said a quicker, statutory process could cut removal costs and reduce neighborhood blight.

Representatives of the Self Storage Association testified in a neutral capacity after the introduced bill unintentionally struck language that included self-storage facilities from the landlord definition; Senator Stroman offered an amendment (AM1893) to reinstate that language.

No formal action was taken at the hearing; Stroman said he would remain to close and work with stakeholders on drafting clarifications.

The committee received proponent and neutral written comments for the record.