Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Manufactured-home residents praise council action; attorney warns local rent ordinance may conflict with new state law
Summary
Residents of Jackson's manufactured-home communities thanked council members for local protections while an attorney representing owners urged the township to defer to the state's new manufactured-housing rent statute and cautioned that a proposed local 2.5% cap could be preempted.
Several residents of Jackson Township's manufactured-home communities addressed the council on Feb. 10, praising the council's move to preserve local rent-control protections and describing hardships related to rent increases and property management practices.
Joseph Sullivan, who identified himself as a local resident and tenant advocate, praised the council's unanimous vote on the ordinance to keep local control for manufactured-home rent issues and warned about intimidation tactics residents face. "Jackson truly does lead when it comes to the issue of protecting residents of manufactured housing," Sullivan said.
Several residents who spoke thereafter described certified notices of rent increases, intimidation by management, and the difficulty fixed-income seniors face paying sudden higher rents. "This letter... says that if you decide not to obey the rent increase, you have to vacate your property," said Wendy Vafides, describing an intimidating notice sent to residents.
An attorney representing manufactured-housing communities, Greg Greenberg, told the council the statewide law enacted in July creates a 3.5% cap administered by the Department of Community Affairs and urged the township to defer to state administration for manufactured housing. He argued a local 2.5% cap would be "below inflation" and could impair maintenance and reinvestment in parks. Greenberg also raised conflict-of-interest questions about local participants in the ordinance process and urged the council to consider administrative and legal implications before finalizing local rules.
Council members and legal counsel responded that the township will continue to consult with its legal team to ensure local actions remain within state law and to protect residents where possible. The council scheduled further proceedings and a public hearing on the rent-control ordinance and accepted written comments from stakeholders ahead of next steps.
