| 1 | 1 | | BILL AS INTRODUCED S.34 |
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| 2 | 2 | | 2025 Page 1 of 3 |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | VT LEG #379819 v.1 |
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| 6 | 6 | | S.34 1 |
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| 7 | 7 | | Introduced by Senators White, Clarkson and Major 2 |
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| 8 | 8 | | Referred to Committee on 3 |
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| 9 | 9 | | Date: 4 |
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| 10 | 10 | | Subject: Conservation and development; housing; mobile homes; lot rent 5 |
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| 11 | 11 | | Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to lower the 6 |
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| 12 | 12 | | allowable rate of increase for mobile home lot rents. 7 |
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| 13 | 13 | | An act relating to lowering the rate of increase for mobile home lot rents 8 |
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| 14 | 14 | | It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 9 |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 1. 10 V.S.A. § 6252 is amended to read: 10 |
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| 16 | 16 | | § 6252. LOT RENT INCREASE DISPUTE; MEDIATION 11 |
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| 17 | 17 | | (a)(1) If the percentage of a proposed A mobile home park owner shall not 12 |
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| 18 | 18 | | propose a lot rent increase is of more than one percentage point above the U.S. 13 |
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| 19 | 19 | | Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers, Housing Component, 14 |
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| 20 | 20 | | published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in the periodical “Monthly 15 |
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| 21 | 21 | | Labor Review and Handbook of Labor Statistics” as established annually by 16 |
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| 22 | 22 | | the Department, and if,. 17 |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) If, within 15 business days after receipt by the Commissioner of the 18 |
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| 24 | 24 | | notice required pursuant to subsection 6251(a) of this title, a majority of the 19 |
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| 25 | 25 | | affected leaseholders files with the Commissioner and the park owner a written 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.34 |
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| 26 | 26 | | 2025 Page 2 of 3 |
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| 28 | 28 | | |
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| 29 | 29 | | VT LEG #379819 v.1 |
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| 30 | 30 | | petition that includes the name of the person who will act as the representative 1 |
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| 31 | 31 | | of the leaseholders, and a statement that they dispute the proposed lot rent 2 |
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| 32 | 32 | | increase, the Commissioner shall send a list of qualified professional mediators 3 |
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| 33 | 33 | | compiled by the Department in cooperation with park owners and leaseholders 4 |
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| 34 | 34 | | to the park owner and to the leaseholders’ representative. Within five business 5 |
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| 35 | 35 | | days of after receipt of the list, the park owner and the leaseholders’ 6 |
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| 36 | 36 | | representative shall agree on a mediator from the list provided by the 7 |
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| 37 | 37 | | Commissioner and notify the Commissioner of the name, address, and 8 |
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| 38 | 38 | | telephone number of the mediator selected, accompanied by the mediator’s 9 |
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| 39 | 39 | | agreement to conduct the mediation. If the Commissioner has not been 10 |
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| 40 | 40 | | notified of a mediator as required by this subsection, the Commissioner shall 11 |
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| 41 | 41 | | appoint a mediator from the Department’s list. The mediator may not have any 12 |
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| 42 | 42 | | interest, direct or indirect, in the mobile home park at issue and shall disclose 13 |
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| 43 | 43 | | to the park owner, the leaseholders, and the Commissioner any experience as a 14 |
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| 44 | 44 | | mobile home park owner, resident, or leaseholder, or any other circumstance 15 |
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| 45 | 45 | | that may create a real or perceived conflict of interest. The Department shall 16 |
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| 46 | 46 | | pay the reasonable fees for professional mediation services based on a schedule 17 |
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| 47 | 47 | | established by rule of the Department. 18 |
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| 48 | 48 | | (b) The mediator shall conduct one or more mediation sessions within the 19 |
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| 49 | 49 | | period that ends 10 days prior to the effective date of the proposed lot rent 20 |
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| 50 | 50 | | increase. The mediation shall include the mobile home park owner and the 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.34 |
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| 51 | 51 | | 2025 Page 3 of 3 |
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| 53 | 53 | | |
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| 54 | 54 | | VT LEG #379819 v.1 |
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| 55 | 55 | | leaseholders, or their respective representatives, and shall attempt to resolve 1 |
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| 56 | 56 | | the dispute. No Not later than five days before the initial mediation session, 2 |
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| 57 | 57 | | the mobile home park owner shall provide to the mediator and the 3 |
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| 58 | 58 | | leaseholders’ representative all documents and information that the park owner 4 |
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| 59 | 59 | | considers relevant to support the proposed lot rent increase. The mobile home 5 |
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| 60 | 60 | | park owner shall have the burden of providing information to show that the 6 |
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| 61 | 61 | | proposed lot rent increase is reasonable. The mediator may also request any 7 |
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| 62 | 62 | | additional documents or information for the purposes of the mediation process. 8 |
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| 63 | 63 | | Any resolution of the dispute shall include an agreement regarding the amount 9 |
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| 64 | 64 | | of the lot rent increase and the effective date. If the dispute is resolved, the 10 |
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| 65 | 65 | | mobile home park owner shall not be required to provide any additional notice 11 |
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| 66 | 66 | | in order for the lot rent increase to take effect pursuant to the resolution. 12 |
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| 67 | 67 | | (c) The mediator shall issue to the parties and the Commissioner a report 13 |
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| 68 | 68 | | signed by the mediator and the parties regarding the outcome of the mediation. 14 |
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| 69 | 69 | | The report shall not be admitted into evidence and the mediator shall not be 15 |
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| 70 | 70 | | competent to testify in any subsequent action regarding the proposed lot rent 16 |
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| 71 | 71 | | increase. 17 |
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| 72 | 72 | | Sec. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE 18 |
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| 73 | 73 | | This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. 19 |
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