STATE AND LOCAL POLICY CHANGE
State Policy Change
State legislatures have the authority to adopt laws that will govern manufactured home issues throughout the state, however, only 36 states have legislation specifically regulating manufactured housing communities to any significant degree. And, these statutes vary widely in terms of the types of consumer protections they provide. A basic framework of protections are necessary to guarantee the residents of manufactured home park communities have affordable, safe and secure housing, including:
There are a number of useful resources for identifying and advocating for state legislative change related to manufactured housing, including:
State Home Owner Associations
Manufactured homes can provide affordable housing and sustainable home ownership, but manufactured housing faces major and increasing threats to both the park communities and the homes. State manufactured home owner associations have been instrumental in responding to these threats by passing strong legislation to protect the rights of resident home owners, since the first state HOA formed in New Jersey in 1959. An important step in changing state legislation involves contacting your state home owner association.
The historical record is clear, without the home owners organizing and advocating for themselves, there has been limited or no progress. The states with strongest protections for manufactured home owners and their communities are also the states with well-established state HOAs. Those states without state HOAs either lack many important manufactured home owner protections; even in states with otherwise good protections for consumers, and the 12 states in the southeast region, where 65% of the nation’s 9 million households are located – have virtually no protections at all.
Before NMHOA existed, the state home owner associations (in states where they exist) were alone responding to these problems. Now, NMHOA can assist your state HOA in passing legislation, or can assist you in setting up a state association. Here are some resources to get you started:
Local Policy Change
Some of the policies that affect manufactured housing are primarily – or exclusively – within the purview of local units of government, including towns, cities, townships and counties. Even for issues that are beyond the purview of the local governmental unit, advocacy on the local level can highlight issues that need to be addressed at the state level. Local advocacy on manufactured housing issues can educate and engage local political leaders, who will then champion those issues at the state level. There are six categories of local policy that can have a significant impact on manufactured housing. These are:
Community Home Owner Associations
In order to win effective change at the local, state and federal levels, people need to build a powerful movement of manufactured homeowners that starts at the local level. The concept is simple: there is greater strength in numbers. A community HOA is a group of neighbors who come together to act on their shared values and vision for the community. Three things are needed to make change in any community: a vision, a base of people who believe in that vision, and a vehicle to organize the base. Residents of any manufactured home park community can join together with their neighbors to form a community HOA. Here are some resources to get you started:
State legislatures have the authority to adopt laws that will govern manufactured home issues throughout the state, however, only 36 states have legislation specifically regulating manufactured housing communities to any significant degree. And, these statutes vary widely in terms of the types of consumer protections they provide. A basic framework of protections are necessary to guarantee the residents of manufactured home park communities have affordable, safe and secure housing, including:
- prohibiting a community owner from requiring that a resident purchase equipment from a specific supplier;
- establishing leases that are renewable indefinitely;
- allowing eviction only for "good cause";
- protecting against unfair or retaliatory actions;
- prohibiting a number of “hidden” fees;
- requiring uniform enforcement of community rules;
- protecting the rights of residents to speak and organize peacefully;
- establishing a relocation fund to assist residents of communities that are converting to a different use;
- strengthening consumer rights and disclosure rules in instances where the manufactured home community is sold to another entity; and,
- assigning responsibility for monitoring compliance with the act, disseminating information, etc. to a designated state agency.
There are a number of useful resources for identifying and advocating for state legislative change related to manufactured housing, including:
- National Consumer Law Center Resources, which lists manufactured housing laws in each state and compare states based on their different approaches to problems faced by resident home owners.
- I'M HOME - Policy Briefs, which are intended to be broadly disseminated and shared with policymakers and allies.
- I'M HOME Policy Guides, which include legislative analysis, examples of states where certain policies have been adopted, and other detailed information to help advocates in making the case for manufactured housing.
- AARP: Shifting the Balance of Power, which proposes model state legislation and compares state laws to this model legislation.
State Home Owner Associations
Manufactured homes can provide affordable housing and sustainable home ownership, but manufactured housing faces major and increasing threats to both the park communities and the homes. State manufactured home owner associations have been instrumental in responding to these threats by passing strong legislation to protect the rights of resident home owners, since the first state HOA formed in New Jersey in 1959. An important step in changing state legislation involves contacting your state home owner association.
The historical record is clear, without the home owners organizing and advocating for themselves, there has been limited or no progress. The states with strongest protections for manufactured home owners and their communities are also the states with well-established state HOAs. Those states without state HOAs either lack many important manufactured home owner protections; even in states with otherwise good protections for consumers, and the 12 states in the southeast region, where 65% of the nation’s 9 million households are located – have virtually no protections at all.
Before NMHOA existed, the state home owner associations (in states where they exist) were alone responding to these problems. Now, NMHOA can assist your state HOA in passing legislation, or can assist you in setting up a state association. Here are some resources to get you started:
- Manufactured Home Owners Guide to NMHOA
- APAC Community Organizing Manual
- Guide to Forming Your Own HOA
Local Policy Change
Some of the policies that affect manufactured housing are primarily – or exclusively – within the purview of local units of government, including towns, cities, townships and counties. Even for issues that are beyond the purview of the local governmental unit, advocacy on the local level can highlight issues that need to be addressed at the state level. Local advocacy on manufactured housing issues can educate and engage local political leaders, who will then champion those issues at the state level. There are six categories of local policy that can have a significant impact on manufactured housing. These are:
- Local zoning policies that allow manufactured homes on fee-simple land;
- Local zoning policies that preserve manufactured home communities;
- Other local ordinances that preserve and protect manufactured home communities;
- The possibility of obtaining a local moratorium on closure of manufactured home communities;
- Local tax incentives and other financial incentives for preservation of manufactured home communities; and
- The inclusion of manufactured housing issues in the consolidated plan that local jurisdictions submit when they seek Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) or other funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Community Home Owner Associations
In order to win effective change at the local, state and federal levels, people need to build a powerful movement of manufactured homeowners that starts at the local level. The concept is simple: there is greater strength in numbers. A community HOA is a group of neighbors who come together to act on their shared values and vision for the community. Three things are needed to make change in any community: a vision, a base of people who believe in that vision, and a vehicle to organize the base. Residents of any manufactured home park community can join together with their neighbors to form a community HOA. Here are some resources to get you started:
- APAC's Community Organizing Manual
- APAC's Introduction to Resident Associations
- I'M HOME - Sample Local-Level Policies
