Poor Conditions in Mobile Home Parks Put Residents at Risk

In addition to rising costs and threats of displacement, U.S. mobile home residents face “serious health hazards,” according to a new report from Human Impact Partners and advocacy group Manufactured Housing Action (MHAction).

As Hope Davis explains in an article in Next City, the report used tenant interviews, information from mobile home operator Homes for America, and public records to understand how poor infrastructure and deteriorating conditions put manufactured home residents at risk from extreme heat and cold, poor water quality, and unhealthy air. “In the report, researchers documented water quality violations at five Homes of America parks that included heavy metals, nitrates and fecal contaminants that could be linked to skin and gastrointestinal issues.”

Manufactured housing lacks the same legal protection as other residential rentals, in part because residents often own their home but lease the land. “These parks are often in rural places with few protections and house populations that are vulnerable to exploitation, such as low-income, elderly, disabled and immigrant tenants.”

The report offers recommendations that apply across the housing sector, including “strengthening housing standards and tenant protections, supporting community ownership and limiting corporate speculation.”