State considering changes to mobile home law

State officials are considering overhauling regulations covering mobile home parks, an effort spurred by the run-down conditions at a park in Johnson County, a lawmaker said Tuesday.

Local officials also may be given more authority to oversee mobile home parks, said state Sen. Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City.

He spoke about the state's efforts at a meeting of Johnson County's mobile home task force. The informal group formed months ago, but its work has taken on an added significance with the problems at Regency Mobile Home Park, just south of Iowa City, once again in the spotlight.

Allegations surfaced recently that Regency, whose corporate owner is Colorado-based Churchill Group, has sold mobile homes without clear titles and without making buyers aware that back taxes are owed.

The Johnson County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa Attorney General's Office are investigating those claims.

Regency also has had problems for years with its water supply and the general appearance of the park. The county has had little control over those issues because it doesn't have a property maintenance code that could be used to force repairs – although it is now considering one – and the water supply is regulated primarily by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Regency has received repeated warnings and fines from the DNR, but Johnson County's supervisors say the problems keep reoccurring and have expressed frustration with the agency.

Bolkcom, who is an assistant majority leader in the Senate, said the problems at Regency have caught the attention of other legislators, who say they have similar problems with some mobile home parks in their communities.

He said some state lawmakers are interested in giving local authorities more power over water systems, including for permitting, inspecting and enforcement. That could include issuing fines or doing a joint local-state fine.

To do that will take some changes in state law, he said, and he expects the Legislature to take up the issue during its next session.

Bolkcom also said the Attorney General's Office has formed a working group that is considering an overhaul of the state's mobile home statute. Ideas include extending the amount of time people who are evicted have to leave their homes from three days to 30 and developing a state entity to enforce the law, he said.

Eric Tabor, chief of staff for the Attorney General's Office, said in an interview that an initial meeting had been held to look at potential legislation.

He said the idea of centralizing oversight of mobile home parks was worth considering but separate roles for state and local officials will always exist. For example, local officials would investigate criminal behavior, while the Attorney General's Office would look into violations of consumer fraud laws, he said.

While stressing that most mobile home park owners act responsibly, Bolkcom said the current laws tilt in favor of owners and he wants to “level the playing field” for tenants.

Jim Hammes, owner of Thatcher Mobile Home Park in Iowa City, said Regency was an exceptional case and cautioned against going too far with new laws.

“If you tie the landlord's hands a little more, you're going to end up with a bunch of Regencies,” he said.

Regency has informed residents it is making repairs to the water system on Wednesday, and county officials say that includes connecting a well, first dug two years ago, that should resolve some of the water issues.