On January 28th, Mountain View is scheduled to consider if and how to extend its rent control laws to mobile home space rents. The issue has been contentious, with disagreements about whether the wording of Mountain View’s 2016 Measure V, which established rent control, applies the same protections to mobile how space rents.
SV@Home supports a suite of protective policies including rent stabilization for mobile home parks, which often house seniors and economically vulnerable residents. Our full policy platform on mobile home park rent stabilization is laid out below:
Mobile Home Park Rent Stabilization
Mobile Home Owners own their home, and often rent the land underneath. As with any rental property, mobile home owners are vulnerable to high spikes in rent year over year. The number of mobile home parks is decreasing, limiting the opportunities to relocate, and it is incredibly expensive to move a mobile home. Mobile homes do not often move once parked, often staying in one park for 25 years or longer. With limited capacity to relocate, home residents are incredibly vulnerable when space rents spike, leading to significant displacement. Rent stabilization provides necessary security to vulnerable tenants and allows landlords to still receive a return.
There are six cities in Santa Clara with rent stabilization ordinances for mobile home parks: Gilroy, Los Altos, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, and San Jose. Mountain View, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale do not. In cities with ordinances, annual increases are capped and are tied to CPI to provide a reasonable rate of return to landlords, and to cover regular maintenance costs. Rent stabilization measures decrease displacement risks.
| Rent Stabilization
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| Just Cause Eviction | MHP should be required to abide by Just Cause Eviction Ordinances that apply to all rental properties.
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Details when a tenant can be evicted. Limits a landlord’s right to evict a tenant and rent out units at higher rates or convert to another use. |
| Vacancy Control | Base rent for new tenant be based on final rent charged to previous tenant. | Los Gatos, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, and San Jose all allow Vacancy Control. Vacancy Control ensures that the affordable rents are passed to the next resident in the event that a mobile home is sold to a new tenant. Maintains affordability for the next tenant.
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| Annual Increases | Allow for annual or periodic rent increases based on CPI | Increases to pass through landlord operation costs or registration fees to tenants. |