California Bill To Mandate Training For Manufactured/Mobile Home Park Managers Could Benefit Residents
The Manufactured Housing Metropolitan Opportunity Profile data snapshot estimates there are 519,972 mobile homes and manufactured homes in California, accounting for 3.8 percent of the total housing stock and roughly 1.5 million residents in the state.
Nearly half (47 percent) of these homes are affordable to very-low income households, compared to just 18% of the state’s overall housing stock. In a state with a desparate need for housing in this affordability range, mobile homes and manufactured homes are a significant source of affordable housing.
Mobile home residents, many of whom are seniors, rely on effective management of their mobile home park to ensure their housing is safe and meets appropriate quality standards. Legislation to require mobile home park managers to be trained in public health and safety could have a significant impact.
In March, the California Senate Housing Committee approved Senate Bill 869. Introduced by Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino), SB 869 would require mobile home park managers to be trained and certified on the mobile home rules and regulations of managing mobile home parks and manufactured home communities.
Mobile home park managers are responsible for the health and safety of the property, as well as the people who live in mobile homes and manufactured home parks.
California currently has no requirements for the training or education of mobile home park managers. In many instances, a park manager may be responsible for the safety of over 200 residents and sometimes in remote locations of the state.
“With over half million mobile homes and manufactured homes in California, it is critical that mobile home park managers are properly trained so we can ensure the health and safety of residents,” Sen. Leyva said. “It is unacceptacle that California does not already require mobile home park managers to be trained, as several neighboring states already do.”
Other states, such as Oregon and Nevada, mandate mobile home park management undergo training and licensing to insure the health and safety of residents living in mobile home parks.
The bill was referred to appropriations for review of its fiscal impact and is expected to be considered on April 18.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), in consultation with the California Department of Consumer Affairs, would be responsible for developing training and enforcing certification requirements.
Sponsored by the Golden State Manufactured Home Owners League (GSMOL) and supported by the County of Contra Costa, SB 869 would specifically require any person, or person under contract, who is responsible for managing a mobile home park to complete 18 hours of training, including an annual end-of year online examination.
Online training would include the most prevalent complaints of the prior year, as well as Mobilehome Residency Law (MRL), rights and responsibilities of homeowners and management, emergency procedures, communication with homeowners, Title 25 of the California Code of Regulations, and mobile home titling and registration.
A Certificate of Completion would be issued once the person has met all training requirements. The certificate must then be posted visibly and be available for inspection at the mobile home park.
If the mobile home park management is out of compliance with these requirements, HCD would then have the authority to suspend management’s permit to operate.
As noted at the 2016 Select Committee on Manufactured Homes and Communities hearing, ongoing violations of the law generally stem from a lack of sufficient understanding by park managers of the MRL and the complex overlay of other laws and regulations. This lack of training has led to situations of unlawful evictions, improper fees and invoices, discrimination, and poor maintenance, all of which affect the quality of life in mobile home parks.
SOURCE: Hanford Sentinel
