Thousands of Pennsylvanians live in manufactured housing communities—often referred to as mobile home parks—that serve as an affordable path to homeownership. Yet, rising lot rents are making these homes increasingly unaffordable, and residents often have no neutral authority to resolve disputes with community owners.
 
This legislation would establish an Office of Manufactured Housing Ombudsman to serve as an independent, impartial resource to:

• Educate homeowners and prospective buyers/lessees about rights, responsibilities, and key considerations before purchasing or leasing.
• Resolve resident disputes with community owners or managers, including rent, rules, leases, approvals, and evictions.
• Evaluate the reasonableness and validity of proposed rent increases, rule changes, or evictions, and to stay such actions pending review.
• Address environmental and safety concerns, such as water and sewage issues.

To ensure proper oversight and balance, the bill also creates a Manufactured Housing Hearing Board to review contested matters, hear appeals, and provide a check on the ombudsman’s authority. This dual structure—ombudsman and hearing board—offers both accessibility and accountability, ensuring decisions are fair, transparent, and subject to review.
 
Several states, including Delaware, have established similar offices to great effect, offering residents a single, trusted point of contact for information and dispute resolution. Their experience demonstrates that such an office improves compliance, reduces litigation, and restores trust between manufactured home community owners and residents.
 
Please join me in co-sponsoring this initiative to take a meaningful step toward protecting one of our state’s most vulnerable housing populations while fostering a fairer, more predictable marketplace for all.