Mobile-Home Ordinances Need Scrutiny
The efforts of Lake Forest mobile-home owners to have the Lake Forest City Council adopt a rent control ordinance should serve as a wake-up call for other concerned city and county officials (“Lake Forest Mobile-Home Owners Want Rents Controlled,” Sept. 15). It is likely that similar ordinances will be appearing in other cities.
Before such ordinances are argued, city and county officials should examine existing regulations regarding rental property. A clear distinction should be made beween mobile-home space rentals and house or apartment rentals.
If I rent a house or apartment and don’t like a rent increase, it is a simple matter (unless I have a family of 10) to pack up, rent a U-Haul and move. I can’t do that in a mobile home. I have $60,000 invested in a mobile home, landscaping and other improvements. The park owner provides me with a piece of land that extends about eight feet beyond the coach, utility lines, access and amenities that vary greatly from park to park.
The term mobile home is a misnomer because these structures are not designed to move easily. Mobile-home owners are at the mercy of the park owner. If they don’t like the most recent rent increase, their options are limited. They can try to find a buyer who will, most likely, be faced with an immediate 10% increase in space rent, plus the assurance that annual increases will arrive with each monsoon. Failing to sell to a prospective resident, the coach owner can call a mobile-home dealer who will probably make an offer of $2,500.
City and county officials should recognize that they are dealing with apples and oranges and that ordinances relating to mobile-home parks should be distinct from and not applicable to other rental property.
Park residents should recognize that park owners are entitled to a fair return on their investment.
Therein is the boiling kettle that officials will be forced to deal with. What is a fair return? When does a “fair” return become greed?
Ordinances enacted should also consider the possibility of coach owners organizing for the purpose of purchasing the land on which their coaches are located. Also included should be a vehicle for determining the fair market value of the land and the means for establishing the rights of coach owners in bidding for the property.
With “rules of the game” established, both present and future coach and park owners become aware of their rights and responsibilities.
ARTHUR EARICK, Yorba Linda
