SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — State House Democrats are looking to limit the rent increases made on mobile homes.
Currently, even if mobile home owners own their homes, they still have to pay rent because someone else owns the land their mobile home is on.
A plan by State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid (D-Berwyn) would limit the yearly rent increase on mobile homes to three percent. Rashid said hedge funds and big investment firms are buying mobile home lots in bulk to gain a profit from mobile home renters.
"One prominent park investor Frank Rolfe infamously likened his tenants to hostages," Rashid said. "I'm quoting him. One of the big drivers to making money is the ability to increase the rent. If we didn't have them hostage, if they weren't stuck in these mobile home lots, it would be a whole different picture. We're like a Waffle House where everyone is chained to the booths."
While receiving support from his Democrat colleagues, some Republicans opposed the bill. State Rep. Mike Coffey (R-Springfield) said the limit on rent could make owning mobile homes nonviable in Illinois.
"I've got 32 mobile home parks in my district and a lot of them are really nice with flower beds and all that," Coffey said. "Is that an acceptable expenditure? There's just a lot of stuff missing that are putting a lot of handcuffs on these owners."
The plan passed out of the House housing committee on a partisan 10-6 vote. It now heads to the House floor where lawmakers could talk about it in the coming weeks.
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