Manufactured homes, mobile homes, trailers – whatever you call them, this type of housing has offered renters an affordable option to becoming homeowners.
But they have not offered as much stability. That’s where Virginia lawmakers passed some laws to help neighbors across the state have a little more peace of mind.
For example, if a mobile home park is sold for redevelopment, a new law will require some financial assistance to help residents relocate, and another new law strengthens protections for residents’ leases.
The mobile home-specific proposals are among a set of housing laws set to take effect next month ranging from rental protections, extensions of pilot programs and establishing working groups to study possible future laws.
‘It’s a misnomer to call them mobiles’
From loopholes in tenant protection to the ease of travel from park sales, mobile home owners don’t always have the long-term residence in an area that a typical homeowner can offer. Many states generally do not have specific laws for mobile home residents, but Virginia has had some specific laws in recent years.
It’s the several mobile home parks in his district that Delegate Paul Krizek, D-Fairfax, had in mind when he introduced a bill to require park owners to provide $5,000 to cover relocation costs when they sell their park for redevelopment.
In 2024, moving a mobile home can cost between $5,000 and $15,000, depending on the size and distance traveled.
It can be even more expensive for older homes that may be more fragile to move. Krizek said some residents in his district have told him his estimates are closer to the $10,000 and $12,000 range.
“It’s really a misnomer to call them mobiles,” he said.
Tram Nguyen of the New Virginia Majority also pointed out the challenges of moving mobile homes. Additionally, the cost of living is higher in Northern Virginia, where several existing mobile home parks represent dwindling affordable housing options.
“I feel like this General Assembly was a bit of a mixed bag,” Nguyen said.
Krizek can attest to that. His bill originally included other protections, such as extending the notice period for potential sales and giving local governments a first right to refuse to potentially purchase parks. Between moving through committees and chambers and obtaining Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s signature, the bill lost other components but retained relocation expenses.
While Krizek would prefer to preserve existing mobile home parks, he hopes his bill can help people when that’s not possible due to park sales.
That’s where he points to a $5 million increase in the state budget for the Manufactured Housing Revolving Loan Fund, which helps nonprofits and resident associations purchase parks.
Theirs wasn’t the only bill specifically targeting mobile home residents.
Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, and Sen. Karrie Delaney, D-Fairfax, made improvements to the Manufactured Housing Lot Rental Act that increased protections such as granting a “right of redemption” to tenants who could face eviction for unpaid rent. The upcoming law clarifies the reasons a person can be evicted, including unpaid rent, and outlines the process both parties can follow.
“If you own the house, but you rent the land, that’s where (this law) applies to you,” said Daniel Rezai, an attorney with the Virginia Poverty Law Center.
Another component of the bill concerns lease renewal rights. The law provides the same protections that tenants of apartments or other housing have.
“We make sure we provide the same type of protection to tenants in these communities as we do to other residential rental properties,” Hashmi said.
For example, tenants will not have to worry about automatic lease renewals if they do not want them (which could lead to a breach of the lease and the fees associated with it) if they inform park owners that they want to leave.
Other new laws
A handful of other housing laws will go into effect next month and will cover other types of residences or situations in which residents may find themselves.
House Bill 73 — This will require courts to automatically expunge eviction records for cases that have been dismissed after 30 days.
House Bill 764 — This bill will give victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse the right to terminate a lease early if they have a permanent protective order and need to move residences for their safety.
House Bill 86 — This bill requires that during eviction cases, landlords notify tenants of any increased money requested.
House Bill 477 and Senate Bill 50 – These bills extend Virginia’s eviction diversion pilot program for another year.
House Bill 368 and Senate Bill 538 — These increase the maximum fine localities can impose for repeated violations of the Uniform State Building Code.
House Bill 1203 — This bill increases the tax credit amounts available to landlords who rent to Housing Choice Voucher holders. There is also a reservation for use in rural regions of Virginia.
House Bill 478 and Senate Bill 49 – allow localities to establish Community Revitalization Funds, which can be used to prevent neighborhood blight, such as renovating blighted structures for continued use.
Senate Bill 489 — This bill establishes a working group that can analyze the possibility and options for creating a Virginia Residential Development Infrastructure fund.
House Bill 368 and Senate Bill 195 — These bills establish an advisory group to explore changes to the Virginia Uniform State Building Code. The specific objective relates to allowing the use of single-exit stairs in multifamily residential buildings less than six stories in height.
Future goals
Although several bills managed to pass during this year’s legislative session and will soon become law, housing advocates and lawmakers emphasize that there is still work to be done.
For Virginia Housing Alliance, some key priorities failed to gain traction this year and they hope proposals will resurface with better luck next year.
For example, Delegate Carrie Coyner, R-Chesterfield, and Hashmi plan to try again with their proposal called “5,000 Families.” Despite her proposal, it did not reach the final budget.
“5000 Families was really trying to create a pool of funds so that if a family with school-age children suffered a housing crisis during the school year, they could access those funds to keep their housing stable and stay in the same school “Coyner explained.
He explained that he hopes to continue making connections between how stable housing can affect children’s ability to excel in school.
“This is not just a housing intervention, it’s a really important educational intervention,” added Isabel McLain, VHA policy director.
While an earlier version of Krizek’s mobile home bill had included a first right of refusal component when it comes to mobile home parks for sale, a bill by Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, D-Alexandria, would have allowed localities to submit applications. this concept to preserve protected housing.
The failed legislation would have required landlords to give localities the opportunity to match bids to purchase certain multifamily rental buildings that could be expiring affordable housing designations.
Typically, these types of properties were developed with the use of low-income housing tax credits, which expire after a set number of years. (Another bill by Sen. Jeremy McPike, D-Prince William, would also have allowed all Virginia localities to take advantage of these credits if they so desired when approving developments.)
“We see it as a way to expand our public investments in affordable housing,” McLain said. “We have invested a lot of state and federal taxpayer dollars in affordable housing and we don’t want those investments to come to an end.”
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