LEWISTON- City Councilors will vote Tuesday night on whether to enact a moratorium to prevent rent lot increases in the the city’s mobile home parks.
If approved Tuesday, the moratorium will go into effect in early April and will remain in place for 180 days. The City always has the option of removing the moratorium before the 180 days is up.
According to the moratorium ordinance, the purpose of it “is to allow the City council sufficient time to study the causes and impacts of lot rent increases in mobile home parks and to consider and adopt appropriate amendments to the City’s ordinances.”
Residents in Country Lane Estates have been affected by the lot rent increases
The ordinance received first passage at the City Council’s previous meeting.
During that meeting, several residents spoke in favor of the proposed moratorium. Many of them described high rent increases over the past several years. Since most residents in mobile home parks are on limited or fixed incomes, rent increases can impact their financial security.
According to the ordinance language, the moratorium “shall prevent the implementation of any increase in lot rent while this ordinance is in effect, regardless of whether the mobile home park owner or manager has previously informed the tenant of the mobile home park’s intent to increase the lot rent.”
Mobile home owners face a unique situation of owning the building, but not the land the building is on. Because it isn’t easy to get a manufactured home moved, resident owners are particularly susceptible to lot rent increases in mobile home parks.
Ward Three Councilor Scott Harriman asked for the moratorium to be considered. Council President David Chittim crafted the proposed ordinance with the City Attorney, and it is modeled after similar moratorium ordinances used in other Maine communities.