Tag Archives: Mobile Home Parks

Can Mobile Homes/Manufactured Homes be Moved?

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Trailers, mobile homes and manufactured homes are built in factories and transported over the road on axles and wheels to the site where they will be set up – whether that is in a rental community (mobile home park/manufactured housing community), or on privately owned land.  The manufactured home is set up on pillars, earthquake systems are installed on newer homes, the tires are removed, and siding or skirting is added.  Owners add steps to the front and back doors and, in many parks, carports and patios are installed with covers.  Driveways and landscaping are added and maintained by the mobile home owner renting the site. 

Once a mobile home is set in place, it can be moved the same way it was originally moved to the site.  If the home is multi-section (double or triple wide), the sections are divided and move along the roadway as single sections.  In many mobile home parks built in the 60s and 70s, the original homes are now 50 and 60 years old and are being replaced by newer manufactured housing.  Where do these older homes go?  Some go to Mexico or out of state, others to privately owned land or older mobile home parks in rural areas where they are fixed up and rented or sold.

Affordable Housing vs Low-Income Housing

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There is lots of talk these days about the need for more affordable housing in the Southern California region.  It is important to recognize the difference between “low-income” housing and “affordable” housing. 

Low-income housing is subsidized by the government.  There are several projects throughout the region that are monitored by local government housing authorities.  An on-line search or call to the regional housing authorities will provide a list of available low-income housing rental projects.  Some projects are for veterans, seniors and others for all-ages.  There are also low-income for-sale housing projects sponsored by housing authorities and by organizations like Habitat for Humanity.

In these low-income housing developments, renters or home buyers must meet strict income guidelines.  Only low-income can qualify to live in these developments.  The income is determined by the income of the entire family and includes funds in the bank and investments.

Affordable housing, on the other hand, is not limited to low-income renters or purchasers.  There is no limit to the amount of income a person or family has.  It is their choice to live in the available affordable housing.  Apartments, condominiums, and mobile home parks/manufactured housing communities are considered affordable housing stock in the various individual jurisdictions housing elements. 

Mobile home Parks/Manufactured Housing Communities, offer a lifestyle choice that attracts a wide range of renters and buyers.  Mobile Home Park residents are both home owners and renters.  They own the mobile home or manufactured home and rent the site or lot within a Mobile Home Park to locate their home.  The Park is a little city that provides all of the services and facilities.  The owner of the Park is responsible, just like a city, to maintain the streets, utility systems, public areas and facilities. 

Living in Mobile Home Park is a lifestyle choice, not necessarily an income driven decision.  Residents living in Parks may be high income retirees or may have moderate incomes.  Many Mobile Home Parks are senior housing communities and attract seniors who are down-sizing after selling a home. 

Other Parks are attractive to families because, unlike an apartment and many condominiums, most lots/sites rented in a Mobile Home Park have yards, patios, and parking spaces adjacent to the home.  In addition, these communities often offer many amenities such as a clubhouse and pool, which are attractive to both seniors and families.

There is no doubt that the cost of housing in many areas of Southern California is higher than many other regions.  Inland counties such as Riverside and San Bernardino, a region referred to as the Inland Empire, offer considerably more reasonable housing than most areas of coastal Orange County, as an example.  While rents in a typical Orange County Mobile Home Park may be over $1,000 a month, a similar Park in areas of the Inland Empire rents are as low as $400 a month. 

In conclusion, when Cities and other government agencies are talking about the need for more affordable housing, they are NOT referring to building more Mobile Home Parks or Manufactured Housing Communities because on the same amount of land they can build many more units.  They are talking about and planning to build more and more high-rise apartments or condominiums. 

Living in a mobile home park provides a unique lifestyle for all ages and all income groups.

Is Mobile Home Community Living Low-Income Housing?

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In the Southern California region, there is a broad choice of housing ranging from very affordable to very expensive. Generally, multifamily rental housing, including mobile home parks, are considered to be affordable housing. However, the closer the apartments or mobile home parks are located to the beach or other desirable neighborhoods, the more expensive they are. Likewise, the farther inland or in less desirable neighborhoods, the less expensive all forms of housing become. The very same 800 square foot 1940’s bungalow located in San Bernardino will rent for a mere fraction of what it rents in Newport Beach. The real estate adage, “location, location, location” applies to all forms of housing.

Generally multi-family rental housing is considered affordable housing and mobile home parks are included in that category. It is important to note that there is a big difference between “affordable housing” and “low-income housing.” Affordable housing is available to everyone as a lifestyle choice, regardless of one’s income. It is very common to find people choosing to live in a nice apartment community or mobile home community because they like the lifestyle. It has nothing to do with whether they could afford to live in a larger or more expensive house.

Low-income housing is another type of housing entirely. To address the needs of low-income families, government has provided a variety of programs including Section 8 rent subsidy programs and other subsidized housing. To live in a subsidized low-income apartment or condominium the renter or purchaser has to meet the low-income criteria.

Cities are required to adopt housing elements identifying the types of housing in their communities. The number of single family homes, condos, apartments, mobile home parks and subsidized low-income housing is outlined in these housing elements. Many cities and counties have adopted zoning requirements that require developers to include affordable housing within their housing developments or to pay the jurisdiction a fee for affordable housing.

Apartments and mobile home parks are not low-income housing. They provide a rental housing choice that, depending on the location, can also be an affordable housing choice.

The reason behind the move from Senior to All Age parks.

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The typical mobile home parks built in the Southern California region in the 1960’s and 70’s were build as senior parks to attract persons age 55 and older.  The typical home buyers were looking for a more carefree lifestyle that reduced home maintenance responsibilities and neighbors with similar interests.  Most communities provided clubhouses where residents gathered for various activities.

In 1988 the Federal Government Amended the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination of the basis of disability and familial status.  With the act, Congress intended to also preserve housing specifically designed to meet the needs of senior citizens and exempted from the law’s familial status requirements “housing for older persons” provided that the facilities provided “significant services and facilities for seniors and provided that:

• HUD has determined that the dwelling is specifically designed for and occupied by elderly persons under a Federal, State or local government program, or
• It is occupied solely by persons who are 62 or older or,
• It houses at least one person who is 55 or older in at least 80 percent of the occupied units, and adheres to a policy that demonstrates intent to house persons who are 55 or older.

As a result of the change in housing laws and the added requirement to provide “significant services and facilities”in order to qualify as a “senior facility”, many mobile home parks determined that they could not qualify as a senior facility and changed to all age communities.  The Housing for Older Persons Act of 1995 (HOPA) got rid of the initial requirements for “significant services and facilities” for senior housing, however, by that time the demand for housing for families began to provide further incentives for mobile home parks to transition from senior to all-age communities.

Buying and Selling Trailers, Mobile Homes and Manufactured Homes in Rental Parks

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A trailer is NOT a mobile home if it is less than 8 feet wide x 40 feet long and is therefore classified as a recreational vehicle (trailer).  The owners of these trailers/RV’s do not have a right to sell them in place.

A mobile home cannot be required to be removed upon a resale if it: 1) is more than 17 to 20 years old or older but meets health, safety and construction standards of state law; and 2) is not in substantially rundown condition or disrepair as determined in the reasonable discretion of management.

Prior to purchasing a manufactured home located in a rental park, the prospective buyer must be approved for tenancy in the park by the owner of the park.  The sale of a mobile home located in a mobile home park is a three-party, not two-party transaction.   The buyer and seller must not only agree to terms on the sale of the home, the buyer must be approved for residency in the park by the park owner/management.

Park management can withhold approval on the basis of: 1) the buyer’s inability to pay the rent and charges of the park and 2) the buyer’s inability to comply with park rules and regulations as indicated by prior tenancies.  Although guidelines used by other landlords or public agencies for rental housing may be more lenient, many park owners impose higher income requirements to assure buyers will be able to afford future rent increases without causing the park problems, such as evictions.

The seller of a manufactured home must provide the buyer with certain disclosures.