Mailbag: Mobile-home park owners must live up to their promises

The only silver lining for mobile-home residents in Huntington Beach — since the city decided to pull a ballot measure that would have allowed rent control in such parks — is that space-rent spiking and other abuses have been raised.

Many homeowners and even real estate investors were not fooled by the specious arguments against the initiative.

It would probably have required what is known as a rent stabilization ordinance (RSO), simply an agreement between the two interests as to what formula to use for space rent increases, which are allowed annually.

It is true that “rent control” can have a negative effect on affordable housing stock owned by investors if fair formulas like those tying rent increases to the consumer price index or other market gauges are ignored or restricted. This is not the case with RSOs and manufactured housing. A balance is required for both sides to benefit from appreciation and improved market conditions.

Needless to say, the eyes of the public will now be on the mobile-home park owners, particularly the owners of Huntington Shorecliffs, Pacific Mobile Home Park and Rancho Huntington Mobile Home Estates, to see if they live up to the promises of fairness and transparency that they made to deter the council majority from putting the measure on the ballot.

They may not have to wait until 2016 if abuses again get out of hand.

Tim Geddes

Huntington Beach