Iowa City mobile home park residents say out-of-state owners boost rent, neglect parks

IOWA CITY — Four years after a Utah company started buying Johnson County mobile home parks, residents say they’ve seen annual rent hikes of 10 percent or more, reduced services and poor maintenance.

Jeff Ramsey, 52, who has lived in Modern Manor Mobile Home Park on Iowa City’s east side for 16 years, said he and his brother, Jim Ramsey, 62, feel squeezed. Not only are they paying more in rent, but Havenpark Communities, the Orem, Utah company that bought the park in 2019, no longer pays for residents’ cable TV and mowing.

“It’s our first time being able to own our own place,” he said. “We both have disabilities and a fixed income. If they don’t stop raising lot rents so much, there might be a time in a couple of years when we’re going to lose everything.”

Ramsey was among a handful of people who spoke at a news conference Wednesday outside the Johnson County Administration Building. They are asking Iowa lawmakers — some of whom were at the event — to continue to push for legislation capping annual rent increases and forcing owners to maintain the parks.

Havenpark was criticized in 2019 for buying mobile home parks, including some in Iowa, and increasing the rent anywhere from 24 percent to 69 percent. In addition to other Iowa properties, the company owns five Johnson County parks:

Havenpark said in a statement Wednesday the rents charged in Johnson County still are below market rate.

"The notices were provided more than 120 days before any increase, which aim to keep pace with historic inflation and enable us to continue providing the high quality of service our residents expect,“ the statement said. ”As we have done since we purchased these properties, increased revenue has been reinvested into the parks, and we've made more than $4 million in capital improvements in our Iowa City area properties to enhance residents' experience and increase home and resale values."

Lory Van Allen, 70, who has lived in Modern Manor for 22 years, said she feels like Havenpark makes it hard for people to sell their homes for a fair price. When potential buyers try to call the company to find out how much they would pay to rent a lot, Havenpark doesn’t return calls, Van Allen said.

“If Havenpark decides not to allow you to sell your home, you have two options. Accept their (Havenpark’s) low-ball offer or move the home from the court, which could cost you upward of $15,000.”

Other residents complained about broken streetlights, brown tap water and dead trees that need to be removed.

The Iowa DNR fined Havenpark $8,000 last year for multiple violations since 2020 for discharging wastewater into Snyder Creek, a tributary of the Iowa River.

Iowa lawmakers in 2022 passed legislation that gave mobile home park residents an extra month’s notice of a rent increase or lease ending. Democrats had pushed for limits on rent increases and a requirement landlords provide a legitimate reason for terminating a lot lease, but Republicans — who hold the majority — said they were striking a balance between residents and landlords.

Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville, said Wednesday there’s still a bill in the Iowa House of Representatives that would simplify mobile home rental agreements, cap annual rent increases at 5 percent and require landlords to give at least 90 days’ notice of a hike.

“We keep talking about workforce issues,” Jacoby said. Increasing the number of workers in Iowa communities requires more affordable housing, such as that provided by mobile home parks, Jacoby said.

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