Watchdog report lays out policy fixes to curb corporate landlords in manufactured housing

A new PESP and Manufactured Housing Action report says private equity ownership is reshaping manufactured housing communities and driving rent hikes, fees and maintenance problems for residents. The analysis outlines state and federal policy steps aimed at protecting tenants and slowing consolidation in the sector.

Why it matters: - Manufactured housing residents face rising risk as private equity and other corporate landlords buy more communities. - In some states with heavy private equity ownership, those firms now control as many as one in four manufactured housing lots. - The report argues that short-term return pressure can translate into higher rents, deferred maintenance and weaker tenant protections.

What happened: - The Private Equity Stakeholder Project and Manufactured Housing Action released a new report, “Protecting Manufactured Housing From Private Equity.” - The report is the fifth installment in PESP’s Tools for Tackling Corporate Landlords policy analysis series. - The analysis draws on resident experience and identifies policy strategies to protect manufactured housing residents from corporate landlords. - The report was released in Washington on Oct. 29, 2026. - A report link is available here.

The details: - Just 23 private equity firms own more than 1,900 manufactured housing parks in the United States. - Those parks contain more than 400,000 home sites. - Residents in corporate-owned communities have reported rent increases of as much as 100% after private equity-owned landlords took over their parks. - Tenants have also reported serious maintenance problems after ownership changes. - Sam Garin, spokesperson for PESP, said policymakers need to “think bigger” to address the crisis facing manufactured housing residents. - Garin said justice for manufactured housing residents means regulating egregious rent hikes, unjust evictions and retaliation against tenant organizing. - Paul Terranova, Midwest Community Organizer at MHAction, said manufactured home parks can again become vibrant communities if legislators rein in predatory companies.

Between the lines: - The report says federal housing policy has not fully addressed private equity ownership of manufactured housing, even as the recently passed 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act focused on single-family housing. - State-level protections are moving faster than federal action in some places. - The policy menu reflects an effort to combine tenant protections with ownership limits, transparency rules and support for resident-owned communities. - Resident organizing is central to the strategy, suggesting policy change is being shaped by tenants rather than only by advocates and lawmakers.

What's next: - The report calls for rent stabilization, eviction protections, cooperative ownership tools, better disclosure rules and stronger enforcement. - It also recommends limits on how large private equity portfolios can grow in manufactured housing. - The analysis urges tenant protection provisions in federally backed home loans. - MHAction and PESP say they will keep working with residents organizing to defend their communities. - State and federal lawmakers now face pressure to translate the report’s recommendations into policy.