FARMINGTON — Farmington residents who own a manufactured home but pay lot rent to a park owner have organized to win rent stabilization through a citizen’s initiative.
The petition effort kicked off after the Select Board took no action when approached by residents on July 14. The group has until Sept. 16 to gather 323 signatures from voters registered in Farmington. Once the petition is certified, the ordinance will be placed on the ballot for voters to decide in November.
Farmington has 10 mobile home parks, encompassing approximately 200 lots. Over the past few years, about half of the parks have been purchased by corporate investors, and residents have seen their rents rise steadily.
“We don’t want to be priced out of our homes,” said Cascade Leisure Park resident Lynn Pieren.
The proposed ordinance would allow park owners to increase the lot rent and fees by up to 3% per year (5% for a vacant lot). A park owner may petition for a greater increase to cover excessive operating expenses, certain improvements, or emergencies. The ordinance does not apply to resident-controlled parks.
Mobile home owners are in a unique situation because they do not own the land, but their home, a major investment, cannot be moved without great expense, if at all. The residents are thus a “captive” market that is attracting corporate investors focused on short-term gains.
Historically, mobile home parks have provided affordable housing for young families, retirees, and people with disabilities. But people on fixed incomes are especially vulnerable to rent increases. Higher rents also decrease the resale value of the home.
On top of lot rent, residents pay their own mortgage, insurance, property taxes, utilities, and home repairs. Services like lawn care have been discontinued, increasing the residents’ maintenance expenses. In some cases, the overall maintenance of the park has decreased even as rents rise. Park owners are not addressing problems for which they are responsible, like eroding foundations, bad water connections, potholed roads, and dangerous trees.
As Pieren’s neighbor, Cindy Marquis, noted, “In Cascade Leisure Park our monthly lot rent includes nothing. We pay our own water, sewer, trash, maintenance, etc. The town takes care of the road. So what do the owners do with the lot rent from all of us? Pay their property tax and fill their pockets.”
Meanwhile, she continued, “we are getting older and our household budget is not increasing.”
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