SAN JOSE IS UPDATING language in its rent control policy due to mobile home park landlords illegally raising prices on tenants living in RVs.
The city’s decades-old mobile home rent policy states property owners cannot raise rents more than 7% without city approval — but Western Trailer Park disregarded it on the grounds that recreational vehicles are not mobile homes. Housing Director Erik Soliván updated the policy earlier in June to clarify RVs are considered mobile homes on mobile home lots. RV residents live in 15 of the 58 mobile home parks within San Jose.
Jeff Scott, spokesperson for the housing department, said the official policy has been in place for more than 40 years and always covered RVs.
“The recent technical guidance is intended to clarify applicable rules,” he told San José Spotlight. “The city of San Jose is committed to enforcement of the ordinance as we work to increase housing stability by ensuring mobile home park residents are protected from illegal rent increases.”
Soliván cited Stockton-based Harmony Communities, which manages mobile home parks including Western Trailer Park, as an example of a landlord refusing to comply because they claimed mobile home lots are out of bounds if they’re occupied by RVs. The company is also disputing with city officials over a rent increase request denied earlier this year at Golden Wheel Mobile Home Park.
Harmony Communities spokesperson Nick Ubaldi said the update supports their view that the policy doesn’t regulate RVs or RV lots.
“If the ordinance already covered RVs and RV spaces, why would an amendment be necessary?” he told San José Spotlight.
More concrete policy information
Western Trailer Park resident Cesareo Romero has lived in the park for about 19 years. He said he noticed property owners attempting to raise rent for him and his neighbors also living in RVs. With the policy update, he said they have more concrete information to reference when inquiring about any potential rent increases.
“This definitely makes me feel more protected, living in a house on wheels and all,” Romero told San José Spotlight. “I’m trying to keep myself posted on all the things going on with my neighbors, it feels good to learn about this.”
San Jose Housing and Community Development Commissioner Ali Sapirman said she wants to see mobile home park owners educated on the policy so it can help stabilize rent as intended.
“What we were seeing was landlords working through perceived loopholes in the policy, which inevitably hurts tenants,” Sapirman told San José Spotlight. “It’s a really important clarification.”
Contact Vicente Vera at vicente@sanjosespotlight.com or follow @VicenteJVera on X.
This story originally appeared in San Jose Spotlight.