Provide protection for all mobile home residents
Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for July 10, 2019
The Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative commends the Independent Journal’s excellent article on rising rents in the Marin Park mobile home community in Larkspur (June 12), and the issues facing Marin’s mobile home park residents, in general.
Mobile home park residents are in a particularly unenviable situation — most own their homes, but not the land under them. These “mobile” homes cannot be easily moved, leaving their owners vulnerable to losing their primary investment — their homes — if the monthly rent on their site is raised above what they can afford.
According to our estimates, only about 20% of Marin’s mobile home park units remain unprotected from unrestricted rental increases because they are not covered by a rent stabilization ordinance or located in a park acquired by a local jurisdiction, ensuring permanent affordability. MEHC encourages the Larkspur and Marin County to provide the three remaining mobile home parks, situated in Larkspur and in unincorporated Novato, with comparable renter protection, either through public purchase or the enactment of rent stabilization ordinances.
MEHC recognizes that rent stabilization is a politically sensitive issue. However, unless and until other means — such as public or non-profit ownership — are available to preserve these unique Marin communities and protect the rare opportunity for affordable homeownership that they provide, stabilization measures limited to these rentals should be considered. More than 100 jurisdictions around the state have similar protections in place specifically for mobile home parks. Such a move squares with the county’s focus on preserving affordable housing.
— Larry Kennings, MEHC board member