Rent a Space in the Michigan Trailer Park

If you’re looking for a manufactured home, you probably know that it can be expensive. You also likely know that the costs of housing are skyrocketing across the country. And that can be especially hard on people living in mobile homes, often in crowded and rundown mobile home parks. Many of these residents are on fixed incomes or low-salary jobs and have no other options. For them, increases in lot rents that can amount to $50 or $100 a month can be the difference between breaking even and being forced into selling plasma to pay the bills.

Advocates for michigan trailer park residents are pushing for state legislation to impose limits on lot rent increases and other fees. They argue that current laws are not updated since 1987 and have left a vacuum for corporate owners and private equity firms to buy mobile home parks and raise lot rents.

The Michigan Legislature is considering two possible bills that would impose price controls on lot rents and require mobile home park owners to get state government permission before increasing their lot rents. House Bill 5396 and Senate Bill 795 would limit lot rent increases during a year to no more than the general inflation rate, which is typically three percent.

How Much Does it Cost to Rent a Space in the Michigan Trailer Park?

Several of the states that have imposed rent control on mobile home parks say they are necessary for these communities to operate and remain affordable. They say a lack of restrictions allows a business to raise lot rents faster than the market would normally allow, thus driving up prices for those trying to sell their mobile homes.

One of the most prominent examples of this is in the state of New York, where a third increase in lot rents last year caused an outcry and rent strike by residents. About half of the protesters were seniors or disabled people on fixed incomes who were afraid they would not be able to afford their monthly payments.

That’s why advocates are calling for government action, especially given that many of these park owners have a history of using their properties as investments instead of providing housing. These park owners are often backed by private equity firms and other investors that buy parks with the intention of raising lots rents.

A company called Havenpark Communities, formerly known as Havenpark Capital, bought several mobile home parks in Michigan in 2018 and 2019. In Alpine Village, Crissy Hale, a cashier who also carries out funeral services for friends and family, said she pays $365 a month for lot rent with additional fees included; her total has more than doubled since the company bought her park.

She said she had to turn to donating plasma to keep up with the rise in her lot rents. The hike was a huge deal for her and her family, as she’s also struggling with health issues and has no other sources of income. In fact, many of the residents at Havenpark’s Michigan properties have complained to attorneys general in several states that they are being treated unfairly. In one case, Tom Orlando and Christine Valentik, who were previously homeowners but lost everything in divorce settlements, said their lot rents in Chesterfield Township’s Fairchild Lake Community rose by a third in just a year after the company bought it.