Farmington voters cap mobile home lot rent hikes at 3 percent

Farmington voters approved an ordinance on Tuesday that limits annual increases in mobile home lot rent to the rate of inflation or 3 percent, whichever is lower. The measure passed with 2,141 votes in favor and 1,028 against, while 196 voters left their ballots blank.

The ordinance restricts lot owners to one rent increase per 12-month period. If a lot sits vacant, owners may raise the rent by up to 5 percent. The rule also establishes specific notification procedures for residents regarding rent changes.

Owners who need to raise rent beyond these limits to cover excessively increased operating expenses must petition a newly created town rent stabilization board. This five-member board must include at least one mobile home park resident. It can include no more than one park owner or employee and no more than two members affiliated with residential rental management.

The ordinance takes effect retroactively to July 14. Violations of the new rules will trigger a fine of $100 per lot. To approve an increase beyond the cap, an owner must prove the expense is extraordinary, necessary, reasonable, and not due to deferred maintenance.

Lorri Nandrea, an organizer with the Maine Labor Climate Council, argued that the measure protects residents who own their homes but not the land beneath them. The coalition of labor unions organized the signature drive after the Farmington Select Board took no action over the summer.

Nandrea said at an Oct. 6 public hearing that the situation is urgent. “We tried to go through the Select Board, and the Select Board took no action,” Nandrea said. “So we’ve done it on our own because, as you can hear, the situation of these residents is urgent. It is dire. People are at risk of losing their housing.”

The Manufactured Housing Association of Maine, or MHAM, opposed the ordinance. Julie Smith, executive director of MHAM, called it one of the most restrictive in the state. “I do want to make it very clear that this is the worst, most restrictive ordinance that I have seen in the entire state,” Smith said at the October hearing. The association previously indicated it may take legal action if towns approve similar ordinances.

Town Manager Erica LaCroix stated the measure is legal and must proceed to a vote. She raised administrative concerns about the retroactive start date and the logistics of forming the new board. LaCroix suggested the town might assign those duties to an existing entity, such as the Board of Appeals. Officials have not yet scheduled a special town meeting to adjust the ordinance’s language.