Shaheen, Tester, Blumenthal Introduce Legislation to Support Manufactured Housing Communities
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) is reintroducing the Manufactured Housing Community Sustainability Act, which would encourage manufactured home park owners interested in selling the community to sell the land to their residents, rather than another landlord or a developer. If signed into law, this would allow more Americans to stay in their homes and protect them from excessive rent increases. More than 20 million Americans live in manufactured homes across the country, and in New Hampshire, there are more than 140 resident-owned manufactured housing communities, typically known as “manufactured home parks.” The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-MT) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
“Residents of manufactured communities often own their homes but don’t own the land that their homes sit on, increasing their risk of displacement when parks close or rents rise,” said Senator Shaheen. “Every family should feel safe and secure in their homes, and my bill would help preserve affordable housing and empower residents in manufactured home parks to buy the land they live on and stay in their homes.”
“Montanans in every corner of our state have told me they are being impacted by rising housing costs and a shortage of supply, which is why it’s more important than ever that we use all the tools at our disposable to ensure we maintain our existing affordable housing stock,” said Senator Tester. “Manufactured Housing Communities have provided affordable places to live for Montanans and folks around the country, and I’m proud to introduce this commonsense bill to help more Montana families and seniors remain in their communities. I’ll continue to do all I can to boost housing supply across Montana and ensure that folks who call our state home can continue to do so.”
“The housing crisis is hitting low-income Americans the hardest, including tenants living in manufactured home communities. Manufactured homes provide affordable and quality housing, yet often homeowners are subject to unfair and predatory practices including rent increases and community closures. The Manufactured Housing Community Sustainability Act protects homeowners from these destructive tactics and gives residents the housing stability and peace of mind they deserve,” said Senator Blumenthal.
“The New Hampshire Community Loan Fund applauds Senator Shaheen for her leadership in creating housing solutions through the introduction of the Manufactured Housing Community Sustainability Act,” said Steve Saltzman, President and Chief Operating Officer of the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund. “Manufactured housing, which represents an increasingly rare opportunity for affordable homeownership, is an essential part of the solution to the affordable housing crisis. In New Hampshire, 149 parks have converted to Resident Ownership which has preserved nearly 9,000 affordable homes. This bill will reinforce and strengthen this successful model by incentivizing park sellers to sell to the residents of the community and, in turn, ensuring the homes within those parks remain affordable for years to come.”
Specifically, the Manufactured Housing Community Sustainability Act would create a 75 percent federal tax credit offsetting capital gains if the property is sold to a resident-owned cooperative or nonprofit. This economic incentive would help create more of these empowered communities and keep more families in their homes, while protecting the long-term viability of this important sector of our nation’s affordable housing market.
The full text of the Manufactured Housing Community Sustainability Act can be read here.
Senator Shaheen is a leader in the Senate working to combat housing instability, including by securing federal investments in New Hampshire’s many manufactured housing communities. Recently, Shaheen applauded action by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help preserve and revitalize manufactured housing with the launch of the Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE). Shaheen helped introduce legislation to make the PRICE program permanent and supported $225 million for PRICE in the Fiscal Year 2023 funding bill. Shaheen has also introduced the Fighting Homelessness Through Services and Housing Act to help local governments reduce homelessness as well as a bicameral bill that would protect the rights of residents of manufactured housing communities.
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