New Law Offers Protections for Residents of Manufactured Housing Communities
 
HARRISBURG – Legislation to help protect residents of manufactured housing communities from unreasonable ground rent and fee increases has been signed into law by the governor, Reps. Kate Harper (R-Montgomery) and Rick Taylor (D-Montgomery) announced today.
 
An informational meeting about the legislation is being hosted by Taylor, Harper and Sen. Stewart Greenleaf at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, at the Montgomery Township Administration Building, 1001 Stump Road, Montgomeryville. The new law marks the first change to the state’s Mobile Home Park Rights Act, now renamed the Manufactured Home Community Rights Act, in nearly four decades.
 
“This law will give some much-needed peace of mind to senior citizens who choose to move into manufactured housing retirement communities,” Harper said. “Requiring community owners to disclose fees and a past history of increases will give senior citizens who are on tight budgets a level of comfort they don’t have now, and it will allow them to plan ahead to meet their daily living expenses.”
 
Taylor agreed. “I have been working diligently with Representative Harper and Senator Greenleaf to ensure adequate protections from unexpected increases to fees in these communities. This new law will prevent mobile home residents such as seniors and low-income families from losing their homes.”
 
Under the new law, owners of manufactured housing communities must provide potential lessees with a disclosure that includes information on how and when rent can be increased and a three-year history of the rental rate for the tenant’s lot. The disclosure must also include information on utility and user fees charged to residents, as well as general information about the facilities, rules and regulations of the park. The law also requires community owners to provide residents with 60 days notice of any pending ground rental fee increases.
 
If a rental agreement is executed prior to the community owner providing the ground rent information, the tenant may choose to void the lease within five days after receipt of the document.
 
The law takes effect in 150 days.
 
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