STATE OF CALIFORNIA - BUSINESS, CONSUMER SERVICES AND HOUSING AGENCY GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIVISION OF CODES AND STANDARDS 9342
Tech Center Drive, Suite 500, Sacramento, CA 95826 -- P.O. Box 277820, Sacramento, CA 95827-7820 (800) 952-8356 / TTY (800) 735-2929 / FAX (916) 854-2564 HCD
Website: www.hcd.ca.gov January 22, 2024
INFORMATION BULLETIN 2024-01 (MP, MRLPP) TO: Manufactured Home Homeowners Mobilehome Park Owners Legal Service Providers FROM: Kyle Krause, Deputy Director Division of Codes and Standards
SUBJECT: Assembly Bill 318—Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Program This Information Bulletin (IB) supersedes IB 2018-03 and provides notification of recent legislative changes to the Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Act (Act).
The IB informs all interested parties of programmatic changes to the Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Program (MRLPP) as a result of the changes to the Act. The MRLPP provides an additional avenue to resolve Mobilehome Residency Law (MRL) disputes by connecting mobilehome homeowners residing in mobilehome parks with legal resources.
Participation in this program does not delay civil actions to enforce MRL. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) administers the program by contracting with non-profit legal service providers (LSP) and referring complaints of alleged MRL violations the contracted LSPs to assist in the resolution of MRL complaints.
Pursuant to the Act, HCD may not arbitrate, mediate, negotiate, or provide legal advice in connection with mobile home park rent disputes, lease or rental agreements, or disputes arising from lease or rental agreements, but may provide information on these issues.
The MRLPP is funded by an annual registration fee of $10 for each permitted mobilehome lot, collected from mobilehome park management at the same time as the annual operating permit fees.
Mobile home park management may pass on and collect the fee or a portion of the fee from the homeowner at the time of rent payment. The annual registration fee must appear as separate line item in the bill and be accompanied by a clear written description of the purpose of the charge, along with contact information for HCD.
Information Bulletin 2024-01 Page 2 Assembly Bill 318 (Chapter 736, Statutes of 2023) (AB 318) extends the Act and MRLPP through January 1, 2027, and adds an annual reporting requirement.
All complaints previously submitted to the MRLPP prior to January 1, 2024, will continue to be processed.
Additionally, AB 318 eliminates several requirements of the MRLPP process.
As of January 1, 2024, the Act no longer requires:
• HCD to use good faith efforts to select the most severe, deleterious, and materially and economically impactful alleged violations of the MRL.
• HCD to select a sample of these complaints that satisfy geographic representation of the state for evaluation.
• Parties to negotiate in good faith to resolve the matter for 25 days prior to referral to an LSP.
HCD will continue to intake all complaints and refer any alleged violations within HCD’s jurisdiction to the appropriate program within the Division of Codes and Standards, those not within the HCD’s jurisdiction to the appropriate enforcement agency, and any alleged violation of the MRL to a contracted LSP.
For questions regarding this IB, outlined programmatic changes, or to submit an MRLPP complaint, contact HCD at MHAssistance@hcd.ca.gov or (800) 952-8356.
