It seems that some mobile home owners are still not aware that after two and a half years of diligent, difficult, and often contentious work, the Task Force on Mobile Home Issues has completed work on a long-term lease that meets many of the pressing needs of the mobile home community. While it is not a perfect document, and while it still leaves some problems out-standing, it is a good document, and it is good for mobile home owners.
Why?
At the present time mobile home owners have almost no protections to provide them with the security of being able to stay in their homes. On a simple ninety day notice, a park owner can raise the space rent any amount he or she chooses.
There is no limit on how many times in a year this can be done. With this lease a number of important protections can be locked in for a period of up to twenty years. This can provide a great deal of security, particularly for our senior population.
What are other benefits for the mobile home owner?
This agreement is voluntary. No mobile home owner is required to sign it, but any smart one will. It provides for no more than one rent increase per year, and that increase is tied to the CPI (Consumer Price Index), and while it can be no less than three percent, it can be no more than a seven percent increase, depending on the annual inflation rate. The mobile home owner has the right to request and review any documentation to used to justify additional pass ?through increases sought by the park owner. Any non?essential additions or changes to the park that would result in increased rent must be approved by a majority vote of all the tenants.
The initial lease is for ten years, and there are two five year options available, for a total of twenty years of protection. Finally, this lease is transferable to a new owner or to the heirs of a mobile home owner for the remainder of the lease period. These are valuable protections, and every mobile home owner in the county should take advantage of them.
This lease has been approved by a unanimous vote of the Board of Supervisors, and has been sent to the owners of all the parks in the county to implement on a voluntary basis in an effort to meet the request of the park owners for a non?regulatory solution.
Unfortunately, fewer than twenty five percent of park owners have responded favorably to this voluntary approach. We now ask the Board to require all park owners to offer this lease to their tenants by passing an ordinance to mandate it. If your park owner has not offered this lease to you, ask him or her to do so. Please contact your Supervisor and ask that this lease be mandated.
We who have served on the Task Force as representatives of the mobile home owners will be appearing at the various Senior Centers around the county over the next few weeks to explain this lease to mobile home owners and encourage them to ask for it and to sign it.
This matter comes before the Board again on December 2. Please attend and let the Board know that these protections are important to you.
Gregory Cavness is a resident of Lucerne and has been a local activist for seniors in mobile home parks.
Opinions expressed in all Guest Commentaries are solely those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views or endorsement of the Lake County Record-Bee or its staff.
