TITLE
Recommendation to request City Attorney to draft an urgency ordinance to temporarily limit mobile home space rent increases until permanent rent stabilization policy options are considered; and, direct City Manager to prepare a thorough report on long-term mobile home rent stabilization options and present recommendations on a local policy for consideration. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
At its October 22, 2019 meeting, the City Council requested the City Manager to work with the City Attorney to research options available to local municipalities for the regulation of mobile home park space rents, including the possibility of a rent stabilization ordinance. Staff has conducted a preliminary review of rent stabilization ordinances and other approaches to maintaining housing affordability at mobile home parks being implemented in cities throughout California.
In 1978, California enacted the Mobile Home Residency Law (MRL), which regulates mobile home park tenancies, including rental agreements, fees and charges, and terminations of tenancy. The MRL limits the bases upon which a mobile home park owner may terminate a mobile home owner’s tenancy, including requiring just causes such as nonpayment of rent, the homeowner’s violation of law or park rules, and the park owner’s desire to change the use of its land. However, the MRL is silent on the limits the amount of rent that a mobile home park owner may charge and allows for rent increases for pass-through costs associated with capital improvements, tax increases, and other government fees and assessments.
There are currently ten land-lease mobile home parks in Long Beach, containing a total of 1,696 mobile home spaces (Attachments A, B). The term “land-lease” describes mobile home parks owned by a single owner or operator, which then leases the individual spaces to mobile home owners. These 1,696 units comprise approximately 1 percent of the housing stock in the Long Beach. Of the 1,696 land-lease mobile home sp...
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