Iowa Senate rejects mobile home tenant rights bill

The Senate voted Wednesday to reject legislation backers said was designed to give owners and tenants in mobile and manufactured home parks the same rights as other tenants in Iowa.

Senate File 252 was defeated 23-25 with Democratic Sens. Dennis Black of Grinnell and Wally Horn of Cedar Rapids joining 23 Republicans in opposing the measure. Sens. Swati Dandekar, D-Marion, and James Seymour, R-Woodbine, were absent when the vote was taken.

Sen. Tom Courtney, D-Burlington, the bill's floor manager, said S.F. 252 proposed to increase the rent default period for owners of manufactured homes from three days to one month - as other homeowners currently have. It also would have given mobile homeowners the same rights as apartment renters, would have increased enforcement so “bad actors” couldn't prey on working-class Iowans, and as originally drafted would have required good cause for eviction so homeowners weren't removed for no legitimate reason.

“I was surprised by the vote,” said Courtney. “People who voted against this have this type of trailer park in their districts. I know it. To vote against this, it's turning your back on people who are almost homeless. It's not the poorest of the poor, but they're very close. This doesn't hurt good mobile home owners. The protections were there so good operators were not affected by all by this.

“I guess what this says is maybe some of the good operators aren't as good as I thought. Maybe they're saying they'd like to have the freedom to mess around with their tenants. They're not showing that, but maybe that's why they oppose this. I'm quite shocked,” Courtney added. “Whether it would pass the House or the governor would sign it – I don't know, but I thought it would pass this chamber.”

S.F. 252 was introduced in response to the deplorable living conditions at a group of Iowa mobile home parks run by an out-of-state company. The proposed legislation sought to increase transparency so that tenants understand the terms of contracts and titles are properly documented.