The opportunity for local resident to purchase their communities when they’re up for sale.Regulations requiring that lease provisions that spell out park owners’ responsibilities to maintain clean and safe parks and prohibit abusive lease provisions.Fees capped at reasonable levels, tying them to a good cause-so park owners cannot abuse fee systems to circumvent rent protections or target individual families for eviction-limits on how much owners can charge in late fees, and a standard time frame before late fees can be assessed.Regulations requiring park owners to show good cause before evicting a resident.Statewide protections against unjustified rent increases, like caps on frequency and percentage of rent increases, and longer notice period for proposed increases.The group has proposed a Manufactured Home Residents’ Bill of Rights, which includes provisions like: “Our piece of the American Dream needs to be protected. Our slice of the pie might be small, but we earned it,” Evans said. We’re asking for laws to protect us, to protect our homes. “We weren’t asking for miracles then we aren’t asking for miracles now. That takes the affordability right out of the whole concept.”Įvans co-founded the Iowa Manufactured Home Residents Network, and for years, the group has advocated for housing reforms to protect residents in manufactured home parks from “predatory investors” like Havenpark who have “invaded” their neighborhoods. “Then March of 2019, I get a notice taped to my front door that our place has been sold, and my rent will be increasing by 63 percent within two months. “I thought I was set and easy, not rich, but comfortable, I wouldn’t be a financial burden to my children, to society,” Evans said. They bought their home, settled their debts and paid everything off. She moved to Golf View nearly 23 years ago to retire with her husband. “We have heard from many residents that proposed increases will create a hardship for individuals, families and the community as a whole.”įor Candi Evans, the “nightmare” began in 2019, when Havenpark bought Golf View in North Liberty. “Drastic increases in cost coupled with the elimination of multiple services now threatens to make our parks unlivable for many,” the letter reads. “Manufactured home residents have few, if any, laws protecting them from the avarice demonstrated here, and yet we own our homes and should be able to expect honest and fair treatment,” she said. Havenpark’s “Obsessive profit-driven takeover” of her neighborhood is “threatening” her stability. But as she gets older, it’s become harder to work, so she mainly relies on Social Security. Van Allen is a massage therapist of 40 years and has lived in Modern Manor for 21 years. Lory Van Allen, a Modern Manor resident, poses for a portrait on Wednesday, Oct. Last week, residents from Modern Manor, Sunrise and Lake Ridge presented a letter to Havenpark, demanding fair treatment and tenant protections. Havenpark, a Utah-based investment company, now owns three manufactured home parks in Iowa City and five in Johnson County, after the purchase of Modern Manor and Lake Ridge in January. “I want to continue to live here, and if that’s not possible, I’m not really sure where I’m gonna go, honestly.” “I’ve lived in Modern Manor for 21 years now,” Van Allen said. Havenpark also stopped providing park services like lawn care, snow removal, trash and recycling pick-up, sewer and water, security and cable television - adding more price tags to her monthly bills. In one year, her rent has increased 20 percent, going up $35 last December, and another $35 this December. Before Havenpark Communities bought her neighborhood earlier this year, her rent was $340, a sizable portion of her fixed income. Lory Van Allen moved into Modern Manor, a manufactured home park, because it was once an affordable place to live. I’ve seen so many of these faces in the fight before, since 2019 when Havenpark first invaded our community, our county, our state,” she said. “When I look around the crowd, it’s a like a déjà vu moment. Evans, a Golf View resident, has been advocating for housing protections for three years. Havenpark, a Utah-based development company that owns several manufactured home parks in Iowa, has eliminated certain park services and raised lot rents, pushing out many longtime residents. Candi Evans, co-founder of the Iowa City Manufactured Homeowner Network, and residents from Modern Manor, Sunrise and Lake Ridge, delivers a public letter to Havenpark Communities on Wednesday, Oct.
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