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As a landlord of a mobilehome park or tenant who resides in a mobilehome, you are part of a unique housing community that is covered by both the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) and State Law (Mobile Home Residency Law).

The RSO applies to mobile homes in mobile home parks and they are included in the definition of rental units that are subject to the RSO (LAMC Section 151.02 Definitions – Rental Units), whether rent is paid for the mobile home and the land, or for the land alone.

The City has 57 Mobile Home Parks with approximately 6,500 spaces. The majority of Los Angeles mobile home parks are concentrated in the San Fernando Valley and San Pedro areas.

While the RSO applies to both apartments and rentals in mobile home parks, there are certain differences in the application of the RSO to your mobile home park, as indicated in the following table:

APPLICATION OF RSO

Limited Vacancy Decontrol 

A significant difference in the application of the RSO to Mobile Homes located in mobilehome parks is the limited vacancy decontrol provision. Under state law, apartment rent control ordinances must permit unlimited rental increases upon vacancy; however, this provision is not applicable to local regulations for the rents of mobile home park spaces.

The RSO allows full vacancy decontrol only if a mobile home is sold and permanently removed from a mobile home park. In most cases, however, the mobile home is sold in place. The RSO limits the rent increase which may be charged upon an in-place sale to 10% or the lowest rent for a comparable space in the park, whichever is less.

Ordinance 158891 (CF 82-1623) which amended the LAMC Section 151.06 F effective June 4, 1984, to allow vacancy decontrol for Mobile Homes in the limited circumstances below:

• The tenant is evicted for non-payment of rent and the Mobile Home is removed from the site.
• After a voluntary vacancy and the mobilehome is removed from the site.

Voluntary vacancy exceptions include:

• Temporary removal of the mobile home for repairs.
• The Mobile Home is replaced by a new one and occupied with one or more of the same tenants.

Annual Allowable Rent Increases

Another significant difference in the application of the RSO is the annual allowable rent increase. The annual allowable rent increase in a Mobile Home park may be given on the anniversary date of the last increase, regardless of whether or not the current tenant has occupied the space for 12 months. A 90-day advance written notice is required.

RSO rent increase protections do not apply if the mobile home is not the principal residence of the homeowner and the mobile home has not been rented to another party.

Resources

Please review our Mobile Home Reference Guide which has been compiled to provide information on the RSO and includes excerpts from the California Civil Code related to the Mobilehome Residency Law and other useful information.

Mobile Home Bulletin

Mobile Home Park Tenant Protection Ordinance