Mobile Homes: An Affordable Housing Option with Hidden Challenges
Amid rising housing costs and persistently high interest rates, many Americans are finding mobile homes to be a more affordable alternative. However, a significant issue arises as numerous mobile home parks are owned by private equity firms that are known for increasing rents and overlooking maintenance, often without adequate oversight.
In June of last year, residents of mobile homes in Johnson County, Iowa, appealed to lawmakers to back federal legislation addressing these concerns. Republican Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, however, dismissed the plea, suggesting it was a local issue and should be handled at the state level.
“It sounds like this is a local issue that is impacting people, so I’m sure that our state legislators and senators are working on that,” Miller-Meeks told Iowa News Now. “But on a federal level, let’s look at legislation before we comment on a hypothetical. So, I’d like to see what it is, what it does, and what are the intended consequences, but more importantly, what are the unintended consequences? Could the unintended consequence be that you make housing less affordable and less available?” she added.
Critics argue that Miller-Meeks’ stance overlooks the broader implications of the problem, which is not confined to local boundaries, and points to her support for legislation that could potentially make housing less accessible.
Today’s so-called “mobile homes” are typically manufactured homes built post-1976 in compliance with HUD standards. While residents usually own their homes, they must rent the land on which their homes are placed.
In recent years, private equity firms have increasingly acquired these lands, attracted by potential profits from gradually rising rents. Housing advocates note that government-backed lenders like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have facilitated this trend by providing loans to investors with minimal restrictions.
In Iowa, particularly in Johnson County, firms such as Havenpark Communities, based in Utah, have purchased numerous mobile home parks. Consequently, residents have experienced rent hikes of up to 70%, alongside a decline in services such as snow removal and clean drinking water. Linda Hickson, a resident of Lake Ridge Estates in Iowa City, expressed her frustration to Iowa Public Radio, saying, “When you go to run bath water and it’s brown, you don’t want to get into it, and ice cubes have been yellow.”
In 2022, a proposed bill aimed to curb rent increases in mobile home parks, as suggested by Miller-Meeks, but it was ultimately defeated due to strong lobbying from the Iowa Manufactured Housing Association.
Iowa has been experiencing some of the highest rent increases nationwide. In 2023, average rents in the state escalated by 2.6%. That same year, Miller-Meeks supported the Republican-led Limit, Save, Grow Act, which sought to revert federal spending to 2022 levels, threatening funding for rental assistance programs. Although the bill did not pass, its enactment could have resulted in higher rents for over 5,000 Iowans.
In September 2023, Miller-Meeks backed another Republican spending bill that risked rental assistance for 850,000 low-income households nationwide.
As Miller-Meeks seeks a fourth term in Congress, she faces a challenge from Democratic State Representative Christina Bohannan, who intends to focus on housing affordability. Bohannan, who grew up in a mobile home, criticized Miller-Meeks in her campaign launch, stating, “Mariannette Miller-Meeks has had three terms in Congress – three chances to do right by the people of Iowa. Instead, she has taken over $4 million from corporate special interests and done nothing but vote their way.”
Bohannan previously ran against Miller-Meeks in 2024, losing by a margin of fewer than 800 votes.
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