Washington State
House of Representatives
Office of Program Research
BILL
ANALYSIS
Housing, Human Services & Veterans Committee
HB 1083
Brief Description: Concerning relocation assistance for tenants of closed or converted manufactured/mobile home parks.
Sponsors: Representatives Gregerson, Peterson, Wylie, Bateman, Tharinger, Ramel, Ortiz-Self, Valdez, Kloba, Morgan, Chopp, Ormsby, Santos, Macri, Orwall, Bergquist and Pollet.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Requires the Department of Commerce to distribute all financial assistance that an eligible tenant receives from the Manufactured/Mobile Home Park Relocation Fund as cash assistance to help the tenant secure alternative housing, removing the limit on cash assistance of 40 percent of total assistance disbursed.
  • Removes requirements on a tenant to demonstrate that the tenant has relocated the home or assigned another entity to relocate or dispose of the home. 
Hearing Date: 1/14/21
Staff: Lena Brodsky (786-7192).
Background:

Office of Mobile and Manufactured Home Relocation Assistance.
The Office of Mobile and Manufactured Home Relocation Assistance (Office), in the Department of Commerce (Department), provides general assistance to mobile and manufactured home resident organizations, tenant organizations, and mobile and manufactured home community owners.  Among its duties, the Office provides technical assistance to tenants who are participating in the conversion of a mobile home park to resident ownership, and provides financial assistance to homeowners under the Mobile Home Relocation Assistance Program (Relocation Assistance Program) when mobile home parks close.

Mobile Home Relocation Assistance Program.
The Relocation Assistance Program, administered by the Office, provides monetary assistance on a first-come, first-served basis to low-income persons owning mobile homes located in mobile home parks that are scheduled for closure or conversion to another use.  Tenants residing in parks that are closed because of park-owner fraud or health and safety concerns are given priority to available funds.  Payments are made by the Office upon verification of eligibility and subject to the availability of funds.  To be eligible for relocation assistance:

  • the tenant must reside in the mobile home park at the time a closure notice is issued; and
  • the tenant's household income must be no greater than 80 percent of the median family income for the county where the mobile or manufactured home is located.

 

For relocation assistance, the tenant, or an organization acting on the tenant's account, must submit an application that includes:

  • a copy of the notice from the park-owner, or other adequate proof, that the tenancy is terminated due to park closure or conversion to another use; 
  • a copy of the rental agreement, or other proof that the applicant was a tenant at the time of the closure notice; 
  • a statement of relocation expenses expected to be incurred; 
  • proof of ownership of the home at the time of closure notice; and 
  • a statement of any other available assistance received. 


Eligible mobile home owners may receive reimbursement of relocation expenses up to $12,000 for a double-wide home and $7,500 for a single-wide home.  Relocation assistance may be a combination of cash assistance and reimbursement for relocation-related costs up to the relocation assistance limits.  An eligible tenant may receive up to 40 percent of their assistance limit in cash to find other housing, and may receive the remainder of assistance as reimbursement for costs associated with relocation.

 

To receive the cash assistance, the tenant must demonstrate that the tenant has: (1) relocated the home; (2) established a process to relocate the home by the assigning the removal or demolition and disposal to another entity; or (3) contracted to incur expenses associated with relocating the home. To receive assistance after demonstrating that there is an assignment or contract to remove or dispose of the home, the tenant must demonstrate proof of the assignment and evidence that the assignee is capable of removal or demolition and disposal, or a contract for relocation of the home. 


If a mobile home owner receives assistance for relocation from a source other than the Relocation Assistance Program, the assistance provided under the Relocation Assistance Program must be reduced to ensure that no person receives from all sources combined more than the actual costs of relocation.

 

Any cash assistance provided under the Relocation Assistance Program is considered a one-time direct grant payment and must be excluded from household income calculations to determine eligibility of the recipient to receive benefits from any other state-funded assistance programs.

 

"Tenant" means a person that owns a manufactured/mobile home located on a rented lot in a manufactured/mobile home park. 
Summary of Bill:

The Relocation Assistance Program is modified so that the 40 percent limit on cash assistance for securing alternative housing is removed.  Eligible tenants may receive all assistance, up to the limit for the size of their home, to secure alternative housing of their choice. 


The requirements on a tenant to demonstrate that the tenant has relocated the home or assigned another entity to relocate or dispose of the home are removed. 
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on January 9, 2021.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.