Keep Mobile Homes Affordable Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 4969
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Housing and Community Development
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-08-12: Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
- Last Updated
- 2025-09-19T14:44:47Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The "Keep Mobile Homes Affordable Act" (H.R. 4969) aims to protect affordability in manufactured home communities by directing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to investigate potential price manipulation, gouging, and excessive purchases of pad sites (the spaces where manufactured homes are placed) and homes. It seeks to ensure fair pricing and identify impacts on vulnerable groups, such as seniors and low-income communities.
Key Provisions
- Investigation into Pad Site Prices (Section 2): HUD must examine whether prices for pad sites in manufactured home communities are being manipulated (e.g., through deceptive market practices) or artificially raised via price gouging (unfairly high pricing during demand).
- Within 270 days of enactment, HUD must submit a report to Congress and post it online, including:
- A long-term strategy for HUD and Congress to combat price manipulation, using data on race, gender, and socioeconomic status to address disparities.
- An analysis of how institutional investors (large financial entities buying properties) affect seniors and underserved communities.
- Information collection for this investigation is exempt from the Paperwork Reduction Act, which normally limits federal data-gathering burdens.
- Monitoring Excessive Purchases (Section 3): HUD must track purchases of manufactured homes and pad sites across U.S. housing market areas (geographic zones defined by HUD).
- If any single buyer—including institutional investors—has acquired more than 2,500 such homes or sites since January 1, 2015, in one market area, HUD must investigate for:
- Price gouging.
- Rent increases far above the local median.
- Failure to provide essential utilities (e.g., water, electricity).
- A report on each investigation must be submitted to Congress and posted online within one year of the probe's end.
- Definitions (Section 4):
- Manufactured home: A factory-built home for residential use, as defined under federal law (with exceptions for compliance dates or standards).
- Manufactured home community: A park or area where pad sites (and sometimes homes) are rented primarily for residents to place manufactured homes.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
This bill introduces new requirements for HUD, creating mandatory investigations and reporting on manufactured home pricing and purchases—areas not previously addressed in such detail under federal law. It builds on the National Manufactured Housing Construction Safety and Standards Act of 1976 by expanding oversight to economic practices like investor activity, without altering construction standards. The exemption from the Paperwork Reduction Act streamlines HUD's data collection, bypassing usual administrative hurdles.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: HUD will face increased workload for monitoring, investigations, and reporting, potentially requiring additional resources or staff. Congress gains data to inform future housing policies.
- Citizens: Residents of manufactured home communities—often affordable housing options for low-income families, seniors, and minorities—may benefit from exposed unfair practices, leading to stabilized rents and prices. However, it could indirectly raise costs if investors pass compliance burdens onto tenants.
- International Relations: No direct impacts, as the bill focuses on domestic U.S. housing markets.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Residents and Underserved Communities: Primarily low-income individuals, seniors, and minority groups in manufactured homes, who rely on affordable pad site rentals.
- Institutional Investors and Purchasers: Large buyers of homes and communities, subject to scrutiny for excessive acquisitions and practices.
- HUD and Federal Government: Tasked with enforcement and reporting.
- Congress: Receives reports to guide policy on housing affordability.
- Manufactured Home Industry: Community owners and operators may face indirect regulation through investigations.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Establishes HUD's authority to monitor private market transactions for fairness, potentially setting precedents for federal intervention in housing investments without new penalties (focuses on reporting rather than fines). The data-inclusive strategy could support future anti-discrimination housing laws.
- Constitutional: Aligns with Congress's commerce clause powers to regulate interstate housing markets; no apparent free speech or property rights conflicts, as it targets investigations over direct restrictions.
- Political: Highlights concerns over corporate consolidation in affordable housing, appealing to advocates for tenant protections. It may influence debates on investor regulations amid rising U.S. housing costs, without partisan mandates.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (1)
Recent Actions
- 2025-08-12: Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
- 2025-08-12: Introduced in House
- 2025-08-12: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Keep Mobile Homes Affordable Act — issued 2025-08-12 — PDF (5 pages)