# What the Manufactured Housing Tenant's Bill of Rights Act Actually Does

If you live in a manufactured home community (also called a mobile home park), this bill creates a set of basic protections that landlords must include in lease agreements if they want access to federal financing. Think of it as setting minimum standards for how park owners can treat residents—but only for parks that use certain government-backed loans.

Here's what matters in practical terms: The bill requires park owners to give tenants at least 60 days' notice before raising rent, with extra notice for big increases. You'd get a 5-day grace period to pay rent and 15 days to catch up if you're late. If you own your home but rent the land, you can sell it without having to move it out of the park first, and you can put up "For Sale" signs. The park owner can't just kick you out without good reason—they need to give you written notice explaining why. If the park is being sold, you get 60 days' notice and the right to try to buy it yourself before anyone else can.

The catch is that these protections only apply to parks whose owners got federal financing through specific government loan programs. Parks financed other ways aren't covered. If a park owner violates these rules, they face serious consequences: they can be banned from getting federal financing for at least two years, and tenants can recover money—sometimes including six months of rent or 25 percent penalties on improper charges, depending on the violation.

The bill also creates a temporary commission to study even stronger protections that could be offered as incentives for park owners who go beyond these minimum standards. The commission has one year to report back to Congress with recommendations.

Manufactured Housing Tenant’s Bill of Rights Act of 2023

Pettersen, Brittany

Manufactured Housing Tenant's Bill of Rights Act of 2023 This bill requires manufactured housing communities and home parks to meet minimum consumer protections to be eligible for certain federally-backed loans for the construction, substantial rehabilitation, or purchase of these communities. Specifically, the Department of Housing and Urban Development is prohibited from insuring such a loan, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are prohibited from purchasing such a loan, unless a borrower provides specified tenant protections, including <ul> <li>one-year renewable lease terms, unless there is good cause for nonrenewal; </li> <li>at least a 60-day advance notice of any increase in rent, or of a sale or closure of the community; </li> <li>a five-day grace period for rent payments; and</li> <li>a right for a tenant to sell a manufactured home within a reasonable time period after eviction.</li> </ul> The bill sets forth penalties for violations of these protections. The bill also establishes the Manufactured Home Company Lending Standards Commission to propose additional consumer protection standards.