Housing (Community Development)

This bill creates a state-funded mobile home park emergency relocation account to help tenants who must move due to a park's change in use (e.g., redevelopment). Tenants renting mobile homes in Montana can receive up to $10,000 for single-section or $15,000 for multi-section mobile homes to cover moving costs, or 50% of that amount if abandoning the home. The account is funded by annual $1.50 assessments per $100 of a mobile home's taxable value (paid like property tax) and campground license fees. Eligibility requires the tenant to be notified before a change-in-use notice and not to have already relocated within the park. The Department of Commerce manages the account and disburses funds per the bill's rules.

HB 873 aimed to establish a Mobile Home Park Emergency Relocation Account. This account would provide financial assistance to mobile home owners who are required to move due to a change in use or redevelopment of their mobile home park. Eligible tenants could receive funds for relocation expenses, up to $10,000 for a single-section or $15,000 for a multi-section home, or an abandonment payment. The account would be funded by an annual assessment on mobile homes whose owners do not own the underlying land, along with other revenue, with the assessment waived if the account exceeds $1 million.