The Curious Institution of Mobile Home Rent Control: An Analysis of Mobile Home Parks in California

Carl Mason, University of California, Berkeley
John M. Quigley, University of California, Berkeley

Abstract

This paper analyzes the implications of rent control as applied to dwellings located in mobile home parks. This form of regulation differs from apartment rent control in that: it is applied selectively to a small portion of the housing stock, and; it regulates the site rents paid to the park owner, not the selling prices of mobile homes. We present a detailed case study of the effects of this institution in three mobile home parks in different cities and regions in California, documenting the capitalization of regulatory rules into the selling prices of housing, and raising questions about the legality as well as the efficacy of the institution.