Homeowners Win, Park Owners Lose
Santa Barbara County Supervisors Pass Mobile Home Park Closure Ordinance in Favor of Tenants
People residing in Santa Barbara County mobile home parks — where people tend to own their structures but rent the land they live upon — breathed a sigh of relief on Tuesday when the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an ordinance that protects those owners’ financial investments in the event that the owner of the entire park decides to close the property. That left such park owners, however, feeling a bit ignored by the supervisors, as the new ordinance — which requires that park owners provide moving assistance and, if that’s not possible, actually pay their tenants the full “on-site” market rate for the mobile homes — makes it nearly impossible to close a park due to the high cost.
