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City of Santa Ana Mobile Home Parks <br />Assessment of Existing Conditions and Policy Options <br />May 21,2019 <br />miles from the site, or payment equal to the home's in -place value if it cannot be moved. <br />If a new park will be built on the same site, tenants are provided a right of first refusal to <br />purchase or rent the new units to be constructed on the park site. <br />Age Restricted Parks Maintained as "Senior" Parks <br />The federal Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 prohibits discrimination against <br />families with children in multiple residential housing but permits such housing, including <br />mobilehome parks, to limit residency to seniors in one of two categories: 1) 55 and <br />older; or 2) 62 and older, if the park meets certain minimum conditions. The major <br />condition is that a minimum of 80% of the units are required to have at least one <br />resident 55 and older. Thus, while age restrictions are legal, they are not permanent, <br />and can change anytime. <br />There is no federal law that specifically addresses guidelines for changing from a <br />"senior" to an "all -age" mobile home park. A change in category is often the sole <br />decision of park management with a minimum notice. Per the California Senate Select <br />Committee on Manufactured Home Communities handbook on Mobilehome Residency <br />Law, some local governments have imposed conditions on mobilehome park zoning or <br />use permits by requiring parks, that were developed as "senior parks", to be maintained <br />as "senior" unless otherwise approved by the city or county. However, City staff was <br />unable to identify such ordinances and further research would be required. <br />Resident Input <br />Many of the ordinances include one or more mechanisms for protection of mobile home <br />residents through the use of specific verbiage required in the leases and a process for <br />reviewing rent increases and handling grievances. These are described in further detail <br />below. <br />Mobile Home Park Accord / Tenant Protection Ordinance <br />The California Mobilehome Residency Law (MRL) is the "landlord -tenant law" for <br />mobile home parks (California Civil Code, Chapter 2.5). The MRL, like provisions of <br />conventional landlord -tenant law, are enforced by the courts; that is, the disputing <br />20 <br />65A-23 <br />