City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: SEPTEMBER 16, 2025 FROM: HOUSING AND HUMAN SERVICES WARDS: ALL
SUBJECT: MOBILE HOME PARKS RENT STABILIZATION ORDINANCE ANNUAL PUBLIC HEARING ISSUE:
Conduct a public hearing pursuant to Section 5.75.180 of the Riverside Municipal Code relative to activities associated with the Mobile Home Parks Rent Stabilization Ordinance over the preceding 12-month period from September 1, 2024 through August 31, 2025.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Conduct a public hearing as required by Section 5.75.180 of the Riverside Municipal Code for the Mobile Home Parks Rent Stabilization Ordinance; Direct staff to notify mobile home park owners and tenant representatives on record of the maximum allowable rent increase for calendar year 2025 is 2.8% pursuant to the Section 5.75.100 of the Riverside Municipal Code; and Receive a report on all activities that have taken place relative to the Mobile Home Parks Rent Stabilization Ordinance for the 2024 report from September 1, 2024 through August 31, 2025.
BACKGROUND:
Section 5.75.080 of the Riverside Municipal Code (RMC) requires that a public hearing be conducted every year during the month of September and an annual report be made by the City Manager regarding all activity with respect to the Mobile Home Parks Rent Stabilization Ordinance (Ordinance) during the preceding 12-month period.
In 2019, staff was directed to conduct a review of the entire Mobile Home Parks Rent Stabilization Procedure that was adopted in 1992. Staff worked with the City Attorney's office to review the current Ordinance and other city and county mobile home park rent stabilization procedures. Staff identified sections within the Ordinance that could be improved and met with the Western Manufactured Housing Communities Associations (WMA) to discuss the current ordinance and sections that required further clarification. Meetings with the WMA, local mobile home park owners, and park residents to review the Ordinance were placed on hold due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
During the 2022 Ordinance annual public hearing, when the maximum rent increase for 2023 was announced at 7.36%, the highest rent increase experienced under the Ordinance, City Council directed staff to research capping rent increases and to work with mobile home park owners and residents through community outreach and present recommended amendments to the Ordinance to the Housing and Homelessness Committee for discussion.
Staff reviewed the proposed amendments to the Ordinance with the City Attorney’s Office. The proposed amendments to the Ordinance were then shared with the park residents in June 2024 and with the WMA and local mobile home park owners in July 2024 to solicit feedback.
The Housing and Homelessness Committee met on September 23, 2024, and voted to move forward a series of recommendations, including caps on rent increases to City Council for discussion.
On February 4, 2025, the City Council discussed and approved the following proposed amendment to the Mobile Home Parks Rent Stabilization Ordinance.
Action Item No.
Proposed Amendment
Ordinance Section
City Council Action
1 Adding and revising definitions
5.75.030 Definitions
Approved
2 Adding requirements for tenant notifications under the ordinance Forty-eight hours prior to any rental agreement in excess of 12 months being executed by a current mobile home owner or prospective mobile home owner, the mobile home park owner must:
Offer the option of a 12 month or less rental agreement to receive the benefits of the Mobile Home Parks Rent Stabilization Program (MHPRSP). ii. Provide a City Informational Sheet to residents that give tenants an overview of the MHPRSP, its benefits, and contact information of the Administrator. iii. Provide in writing that if a rental agreement with a term of more than 12 months is signed, the rental agreement is not subject to the MHPRSP. iv. At the time the rental agreement is
first offered to the mobile home owner or prospective mobile home owner, they should have at least 30 days to inspect the Rental Agreement, and void the Rental Agreement by notifying the MH Park Owner in writing within 72 hours of the acceptance of a Rental Agreement. v. MHPRSP should be posted in the office of every mobile home park and in the recreation building or clubhouse of every mobile home park. i. – iv in Section 5.75.040 Ordinance Notification
v. Section 5.75.050 Information Supplied to Tenants
Approved
3 Adding annual registration requirements for park owners due annually on June 1st.
Mobile Home Parks contact information
Notice of sale of park
Section 5.75.060 Annual Registration
Approved
4 Prohibiting retaliation for tenants participating in the Mobile Home Parks Rent Stabilization Program.
5.75.080 Retaliation Prohibited
Approved
5 Placing a cap on annual rent increases to the lesser of 80% of the CPI or four percent (4%) of the base rent charged prior to the increase and a floor of two percent (2%).
5.75.100 Automatic Annual Rental Increases
Approved
6 Rent following the expiration of an exempt lease: A mobile home space that was previously exempt under a lease pursuant to Civil Code Section 798.17, upon the expiration of that lease and conversion to a less than 12-month lease, the Base Space Rent, for the purposes of calculating the annual adjustment, shall be the rent in effect as of the date of expiration of the lease.
5.75.110 Rent Following the Expiration of an Exempt Lease Approved
DISCUSSION:
This report reviews all activities that have taken place relative to the Ordinance during the reporting period of September 1, 2024 through August 31, 2025.
Disclosure Requirement - RMC MC 5.75.040
California law requires every mobile home park owner to provide each tenant-to-be with a written notification within two business days of receiving a request for an application for residency titled "Information for Prospective Homeowners," which includes a statement that advises that signing a long-term lease (more than one year) will remove that rental space from the local rent control ordinance. California law also requires mobile home park owners to include in each rental agreement a printed copy of the Mobile Home Residency Law (Civil Code Chapter 2.5, Sections 798-799.10).
On December 6, 2011, the City Council amended Chapter 5.75 of the RMC to include a disclosure requirement for prospective tenants that a rental agreement of a term of more than one year is not subject to City rent stabilization. Property owners are to be notified on an annual basis of their notice obligations under state law and RMC 5.75. This new regulation was mailed to all mobile home park owners in the City in 2012 and is reiterated in the maximum allowable rent increase letters that are mailed out annually.
On March 4, 2025, the City Council adopted an amendment to Riverside Municipal Code Section 5.75.040 to list the actions that trigger the requirement to notify Mobile Home Owners or prospective Mobile Home Owners of their rights under the Ordinance, including the time frames for notification and the information that must be provided.
In the event the City is notified by prospective or existing tenants that proper State law notice is not being provided, the Housing and Human Services (HHS) Department will notify the California Department of Housing and Community Development. Similarly, in the event the city is notified by prospective or existing tenants that there is a failure to follow the notice requirements in the RMC, the HHS will work with the City Attorney's Office for appropriate action.
In addition to the above activities, HHS staff have been available during the current reporting period to answer questions from mobile home park owners and tenants regarding the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI) as it relates to maximum rent increases and to provide interpretations of the RMC relative to the Ordinance.
Mobile Home Parks Rent Stabilization Ordinance
On September 15, 2020, the City Council adopted an amendment to the Riverside Municipal Code Section 5.75.040 to change the Consumer Price Index month from August to July as the August data is not available for the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario region.
On March 4, 2025, the City Council adopted an amendment to the Riverside Municipal Code Section 5.75.100 to modify the allowable automatic rent increases to be no more than four percent (4%) of the base rent and may be at least two percent (2%) of the base rent charged prior to the increase.
Under the current Ordinance, mobile home park rent increases are allowed for certain items, provided that they meet the defined criteria. Specifically, Section 5.75.100 of the RMC allows annual increases in rent each calendar year for the following:
Up to 80% of the change in the CPI for the year ending July 31st, with rent increases not to exceed 4% of the base rent and may be at least two percent of the base rent charged prior to the increase.
Changes in property taxes or government mandated costs in excess of 2% per year.
Capital improvements to existing facilities.
Any fee provided in state law for inspection of mobile home parks and authorized to be assessed against mobile home owners by a mobile home park owner.
Rent increases that occurs upon the sale of a mobile home or if the space is vacant.
The following table shows prior annual rental increases based on 80% of the CPI.
Mobile Home Parks Annual Rent Increase
Year
CPI Index
Maximum Rent Increase
CPI Source
2011
2.40%
1.92%
Los Angeles–Anaheim-Riverside
2012
2.40%
1.92%
2013
2.30%
1.84%
2014
0.80%
0.64%
2015
1.80%
1.44%
2016
1.10%
0.88%
2017
1.40%
1.12%
2018
2.80%
2.24%
2019
3.90%
3.12%
2020
2.60%
2.08%
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
2021
1.70%
1.36%
2022
6.50%
5.20%
2023
9.20%
7.36%
2024
3.40%
2.72%
2025
2.80%
2.24%
The CPI for the 12-month period ending July 31, 2025 is 3.5%. Therefore, the maximum rent increase associated with the CPI for calendar year 2026 is 2.8% (80% of the CPI).
This maximum rent increase of 2.8% is within the range allowed by the current ordinance.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this report.
Prepared by: Agripina Neubauer, Housing Project Manager Approved by: Michelle Davis, Housing and Human Services Director Certified as to
availability of funds: Kristie Thomas, Finance Director/Assistant Chief Financial Officer Approved by: Kris Martinez, Assistant City Manager
Approved as to form: Rebecca McKee-Reimbold, Interim City Attorney Attachments:
Presentation
Public Hearing Notice
Mobile Home Parks Rent Stabilization Annual Public Hearing ● Page 2