Park Place homeowners may soon lose their houses and their assets -- why?

By Craig Welch

Sixteen homeowners in Hooksett, N.H. may be forced out of their homes soon, and under New Hampshire law, the owner of the property has every right to do it.

The owner of Park Place mobile home park is seeking approvals to build an apartment complex on the site, and in doing so will need all of the homes and homeowners to leave. Because the homeowners lease the land beneath their houses, they have no property rights, only a state law that says the landlord must give them 18 months notice before eviction.

Hooksett officials, who must approve the redevelopment of the property, called the park a “really big eyesore.” While some may agree, an eyesore to one is Home Sweet Home to the person who lives there, and residents are feeling angry and frustrated.

A variety of factors make manufactured-housing parks the most affordable housing option for low-wage earners, seniors, new families, and those who just don’t want to live with the debt that owing a home, and land, requires.

It’s almost always true for people living in manufactured housing that their home is their biggest asset. For most, their home is their only asset. If evicted, Park Place’s residents will forfeit whatever money they’ve put into their current homes.

A handful who own later-model homes may have the option of moving them to another park. But even in those cases, the expense of moving is likely to be greater than the home’s value.

So where will these residents go? Those looking for other housing are finding that even their most affordable options are double or triple the price they’re paying now. These are proud people who live simply, but who will be forced to seek taxpayer-funded services to afford the most basic housing.

If the park was being sold, state law would require that the homeowners be given an opportunity to purchase it. But when a park owner wants to build an apartment building, retail store, or drive-through restaurant on the land, the residents have no protection. They are out of luck.

In the end, homeowners like those in Park Place are not entitled to any compensation for the loss of their biggest possession and biggest asset. At the very least, fair treatment by a park owner who wants to change the use of the property would start with compensation for the fair-market value for the owner-occupied homes that can’t be moved.

This is not the first time in recent years that this situation has played out in New Hampshire, and it won’t be the last. There are many manufactured-housing parks located in commercial zones, or whose development value exceeds their value as residential parks.

We should be able do to better than that. Housing is such a fundamental need for all Americans that even housing that many of us might consider sub-par is someone’s home. We need to find ways to help preserve or improve it. We’re interested in your ideas about how to accomplish that goal.

Craig Welch is the Community Loan Fund's vice president for housing.