Effective Date: June 30th, 2024
Key points:
Expanded Definition of "Home Owner": The term now includes residents under rent-to-own contracts, ensuring they receive the same protections as traditional mobile homeowners.
Language Accessibility: Landlords are required to provide essential notices and park rules in both English and Spanish, and upon reasonable request, in one additional language spoken by a resident. This measure ensures that non-English-speaking residents have access to critical information.
Rent Increase Restrictions: Landlords are prohibited from increasing rent or issuing rent increase notices if they have not fully complied with any government order or have been found by the Division of Housing or a court to have violated the act.
Tenant Protections Against Retaliation: The bill presumes landlord actions to be retaliatory if, within 120 days preceding the action, a homeowner requested communications in a language other than English, thereby strengthening tenant protections.
Regulation of Rent-to-Own Contracts: The act specifies the duties and rights of purchasers and sellers in rent-to-own agreements, including requirements for written contracts, disclosures, and maintenance responsibilities, to protect prospective homeowners from unfair practices.
