MH COMMUNITY NEWS – Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D.CT) Touts “Mobile Home” Community Tenants Bill of Rights
Senator Richard Blumenthal outlined his proposal for a federal mobile homeowners “Bill of Rights” during a recent visit to the Southington Municipal Building and had some strong words for businesses that buy up such properties, hike rents and fail to provide timely services.
Blumenthal said the behavior on the part of some owners of such communities – often hedge fund companies and/or large out-of-town corporations – is “unfair and un-American, in my opinion. It’s an uphill battle because the special intersts opposing us are powerful and have lobbyists and lawyers, but we can be successful.”
Blumenthal, who first broached a tenants bill of rights in 2022, spoke before about 60 tenants from several mobile home communities in the state, but primarily residents from one of four Sun Communities-owned properties in Southington and from Sun Communities-owned Beechwood in Lillingworth.
Blumenthal said he’s hopeful the idea will have bipartisan support, and would establish a set of standards for mobile home tenants in communities that receive federal financing through Fannie Mae or the Federal Housing Administration.
Among other things, the proposal calls for the rights to a one year renewable lease absent good cause for non renewal; a five day grace period for late rent payments; a minimum 60-day written notice of rent increases or new added charges like water or sewer of up to 5% of the prior rent, with longer notice for larger rent increases. An additional 30 days would be required for each 2.5% rent increase above 5%.
The proposal would also give tenants the right to sell the manufactured home without having to relocate it; sublet the home or assign the lease to a buyer of the home provided that buyer meets certain rules and regulations; to sell the manufactured home in place within 45 days after eviction, to prevent the homeowner from losing their equity; and mandates tenants receive at least 60 days advance notice of a planned sale or closure, among others.
Source: excerpts from a report by CT Examiner
