New State Law Ensures Manufactured Home Owners Have Right of First Refusal When Home Parks Sell

Owners of manufactured homes will have the right of first refusal whenever their manufactured home park goes up for sale, thanks to legislation penned by State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. and signed by Governor Kathy Hochul on October 25.

Previously, the homeowners association or the homeowners themselves could only invoke the right of first refusal if the potential new owner of the manufactured home park certified an intent to change the use of the land after the purchase. The legislation gives the homeowners association or the homeowners the right of first refusal when the home park goes up for sale regardless of whether the prospective buyer intends to change the use of the land or not.

This change ensures a fair opportunity to preserve the integrity of their manufactured home communities, according to Thiele’s office.

“Manufactured homes provide a crucial source of affordable housing across Long Island and New York State,” Thiele said in a statement. “Manufactured homeowners lease the land on which their homes are situated, making them vulnerable to the potential of serious dislocation or poor management practices through the sale of their park. I was pleased to work with Senator [James] Skoufis and the advocates to advance this critical legislation to strengthen the ‘Manufactured Homeowners Bill of Rights.’ Governor Hochul’s favorable action to provide these residents with a robust tool to protect against takeovers that threaten to dismantle the security of their communities is to be commended.”

Gale Baldwin, the secretary of the Manufactured Homeowners Association of Suffolk County, added: “This legislation is crucial because purchasing mobile home parks has become a very lucrative financial investment. Predatory buyers scoop up parks and raise the rents because there’s limited or no legislation to stop them and then they basically give only the barest amenities. Over the last several years, it has caused many people to lose their homes because they couldn’t pay the exorbitant rents.”

Yvonne Maldonado, the co-director of MHAction, said the newly signed legislation “will make a real difference in the lives of 84,956 families that live in manufactured home communities in New York.”