Bill > S990

This bill establishes a new regulatory framework for manufactured housing communities in Massachusetts by creating a local board with specific powers to oversee use and occupancy payments. The board can make adjustments to rental rates and has broad investigative and regulatory powers, including requiring community owners to register information, compelling attendance of persons for hearings, and issuing binding orders. The bill limits rent increases to no more than the Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) in a 12-month period, with exceptions for increases that can be justified by factors such as property tax changes, capital improvements, or operating expense fluctuations. The board can authorize rent increases beyond the C-CPI-U if they determine the increase will yield a fair net operating income. Violations of the board's ordinances or orders can result in fines up to $5,000, and the board of health may suspend or revoke a manufactured housing community's license for such violations. The bill also provides judicial review mechanisms and grants district and superior courts jurisdiction to enforce the act, while ensuring the board's personnel are not subject to standard civil service regulations.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S990