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Auburn council imposes 180‑day moratorium on lot‑rent increases at mobile home parks after residents testify of steep hikes
Summary
After residents from local mobile‑home parks described repeated steep lot‑rent increases and risk of displacement, the Auburn City Council voted 7–0 on Feb. 2 to adopt a 180‑day moratorium on rent or fee increases to allow time for public forums and ordinance drafting addressing protections for owners of mobile homes on leased lots.
Auburn residents and councilors pressed the city Feb. 2 to address rapid lot‑rent increases at mobile‑home parks after public testimony describing multiple recent hikes and the outsized cost of relocating manufactured homes.
Several residents spoke during a public hearing on Ordinance 0412026, asking the council for temporary relief and stronger oversight of lot rents. "If he does raise the rent another $110, there's no way we're going to do it," resident Juliet Sama told the council, describing the financial strain on longstanding homeowners who own their homes but lease the lots beneath them. Another resident, a homeowner at Jaylin mobile home park, said her lot fee rose from $475 to $600 in about a year and she cannot afford repeated increases.
Councilor Rachel Randall framed the policy rationale: mobile‑home residents are typically homeowners who pay property taxes and maintain their homes, yet they face a power imbalance because relocating a manufactured home can cost tens of thousands of dollars or be impossible. "This is not a punitive action against land owners," Randall said. "This moratorium does not target anyone. Instead, it focuses on the homeowners who need protection from displacement at no fault of their own."
After public comment and council discussion, the council voted unanimously (7–0) to adopt a 180‑day moratorium prohibiting rent and fee increases at mobile‑home parks. Councilors and the manager said the moratorium will give staff time to organize public forums, collect information about affected parks, and consider whether a regulatory ordinance is appropriate — as well as to monitor related legislative activity at the state level.
What’s next: the council will schedule community forums this month, convene work sessions to consider ordinance language and gather more detailed data on park owners’ operations and services. The temporary moratorium takes effect immediately to pause further increases while the city studies options.
