HB 843 — An Act amending the act of November 24, 1976 (P.L.1176, No.261), known as the Manufactured Home Community Rights Act, further providing for closure of manufactured home communities.

PRINTER'S NO.   873

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 843
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY WEBSTER, SANCHEZ, PIELLI, HILL-EVANS, MADDEN,
        FREEMAN, HANBIDGE, CERRATO AND KHAN, MARCH 10, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT,
        MARCH 10, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of November 24, 1976 (P.L.1176, No.261),
 2      entitled "An act providing for the rights and duties of
 3      manufactured home owners or operators and manufactured home
 4      lessees," further providing for closure of manufactured home
 5      communities.
 6      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 7   hereby enacts as follows:
 8      Section 1.    Section 11.2(a)(1) and (b) of the act of November
 9   24, 1976 (P.L.1176, No.261), known as the Manufactured Home
10   Community Rights Act, are amended to read:
11      Section 11.2.    Closure of Manufactured Home Communities.--(a)
12   In the event of the closure of a manufactured home community, in
13   whole or part, the manufactured home community owner shall:
14      (1)   Provide written notice to the residents and tenants of
15   the community, to the resident association if one exists, to the
16   Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency and to the municipality
17   where the manufactured home community is located within 60 days
18   of deciding to close the community[.], at least 120 days prior
19   to the discontinuance of the use of the land as a manufactured
 1   home community or the proposed closing upon the sale of the
 2   manufactured home community, whichever is earlier. The notice
 3   shall include the estimated date residents and tenants will be
 4   expected to vacate the community, which shall be no less than
 5   180 days from the date of the notice, and the estimated date the
 6   community will be closed.
 7      * * *
 8      (b)    A manufactured home community owner shall consider any
 9   offer to purchase the community made by a resident association
10   representing at least 25% of the manufactured home spaces or by
11   a nonprofit corporation, including a community development
12   corporation, housing authority or redevelopment authority acting
13   at the request of the residents of at least 25% of the spaces
14   and shall negotiate in good faith with the entity submitting the
15   offer. The following procedures apply:
16      (1)    The resident association or authority representing the
17   interests of the residents, notwithstanding if the association
18   is formally recognized, may notify the owner of the manufactured
19   home community that it is interested in purchasing the
20   manufactured home community. The following apply to notice:
21      (i)    The notice must be made to the owner of the manufactured
22   home community within 30 days after the owner of the
23   manufactured home community notifies residents of the closure of
24   the manufactured home community.
25      (ii)    A copy of the notice may be filed with the municipality
26   in which the manufactured home community is located.
27      (iii)   If notice is given, the resident association shall
28   have 30 days after the notice has been given to purchase the
29   manufactured home community through negotiation, to reach an
30   agreement with the manufactured home community owner for

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 1   purchase of the manufactured home community and to close on the
 2   sale. Upon the request of the resident association, the
 3   Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency shall assist the resident
 4   association in developing financing for the purchase of the
 5   manufactured home community.
 6      (2)    If the resident association and the manufactured home
 7   community owner cannot agree upon a purchase price, the resident
 8   association shall have the right to purchase the property:
 9      (i)    if the resident association matches the essential
10   provisions of an existing bona fide offer to purchase the
11   manufactured home community made by another potential purchaser
12   which the owner is prepared to accept; or
13      (ii)   if there is no offer under subparagraph (i), the
14   manufactured home community owner shall sell the manufactured
15   home community to the resident association at a purchase price
16   to be established by an appraiser chosen by the resident
17   association and the manufactured home community owner.
18      (3)    A manufactured home community owner may not unreasonably
19   refuse to enter into, or unreasonably delay the execution or
20   closing on, a purchase and sale agreement with a resident
21   association that has made a bona fide offer to meet the price
22   and substantially equivalent terms and conditions of an offer
23   for which notice is required to be given under this subsection.
24      (4)    If the two parties cannot agree upon one appraiser,
25   either party may notify the other, in writing, of the
26   disagreement. The following procedures apply:
27      (i)    The resident association shall choose an appraiser, the
28   manufactured home community owner shall choose an appraiser and
29   the two appraisers shall choose a third appraiser.
30      (ii)   The three appraisers under subparagraph (i) shall

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 1   establish a value of the manufactured home community.
 2      (iii)     If the manufactured home community owner refuses to
 3   select an appraiser within 15 days of the notice, the
 4   Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency shall choose an appraiser
 5   for the manufactured home community owner.
 6      (iv)     The costs of appraisers shall be paid equally by the
 7   resident association and the manufactured home community owner.
 8      (5)    If, within 30 days from the mailing of the notice under
 9   paragraph (1), an agreement for the sale of the manufactured
10   home community signed by the resident association and the
11   manufactured home community owner has not been filed upon the
12   land records, or if the resident association has not filed a
13   certified statement to purchase the manufactured home community
14   at the appraised value which value shall also be certified on
15   the land records by the appraiser or appraisers, the right to
16   purchase the manufactured home community shall be void and any
17   recorded notice filed under paragraph (1) shall be void.
18      (6)    A resident association that has the right to purchase
19   under this subsection may, at its election, assign its purchase
20   rights to the municipality where the resident association is
21   located, the housing authority for its area, an agency of the
22   Commonwealth or a nonprofit organization for the purpose of
23   continuing the use of the property as a manufactured home
24   community.
25      (7)    The requirements of paragraphs (2), (3), (4), (5) and
26   (6) shall apply separately to each substantially different offer
27   to sell or purchase a manufactured home community.
28      (8)    Paragraphs (2), (3), (4), (5), (6) and (7) shall not
29   apply if:
30      (i)    the sale, lease or transfer is to a family member of the

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 1   owner or to a trust, the beneficiaries of which are family
 2   members of the owner;
 3      (ii)    the transfer is by gift, devise or required by
 4   operation of law;
 5      (iii)    the sale, lease or transfer is by a partnership to one
 6   or more of its partners;
 7      (iv)    the conveyance of an interest in the manufactured home
 8   community is incidental to the financing of such manufactured
 9   home community;
10      (v)    the lease is the lease of a lot within the manufactured
11   home community to a person who will live in a manufactured home
12   on the lot;
13      (vi)    the sale, lease or transfer is between joint tenants or
14   tenants in common; or
15      (vii)    the sale is made by eminent domain.
16      (9)    An owner of a manufactured home community who sells the
17   manufactured home community to residents of the manufactured
18   home community in compliance with the requirements of this act
19   shall be exempt from payment of State conveyance taxes otherwise
20   due based on the sale price of the manufactured home community,
21   provided that the entity purchasing the manufactured home
22   community is owned by at least 25% of the residents of the
23   manufactured home community or an organization exempt from
24   taxation under 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3) (relating to exemption from
25   tax on corporations, certain trusts, etc.), and that the sale
26   terms require the guaranteed maintenance of the property as a
27   manufactured home community.
28      * * *
29      Section 2.     This act shall take effect in 60 days.



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