Welcome To
AMHO: An Association of Mobile Homeowners
in Washington State
AMHO: An Association of Mobile Homeowners
in Washington State
In 2007, a community in Snohomish County was threatened with closure and nearly every resident in that community faced certain loss of what was their greatest investment of value: their home. The short story is that they were able to save their community from developers and preserved their park as an affordable lifestyle for the community’s senior residents. Realizing that their experience could help others to the same end, AMHO was born.
Today AMHO is a not-for-profit Washington State Corporation with an IRS status as a 501(c)(3) organization. Our stated purpose is to promote, represent, preserve and enhance the rights and interests of manufactured home owners in the state of Washington through communication, education, negotiation and preservation of our communities. Our major focus has been the education of elected officials and the general communities, to support the production of more affordable housing, and to strengthen the bargaining power of manufactured home owners living in communities.
ATTENTION AMHO MEMBERS:
**ANOTHER LEGISLATIVE WIN FOR MANUFACTURED HOMEOWNERS IN WASHINGTON STATE**
HB 1083 was signed into law by Governor Inslee on July 21, 2021, thanks in part to AMHO who supported it. This bill offers Relocation Assistance for low income Tenants of Closed or Converted Manufactured/Mobile Home Parks – and increases the maximum amount eligible tenants may receive in relocation assistance under the Manufactured/Mobile Home Relocation Assistance Program.
If you own your manufactured or mobile home and live in a community that’s closing in Washington State, you may be eligible for relocation assistance. Manufactured and mobile home relocation assistance is provided to eligible low-income households on a first-come, first-served basis, prioritizing tenants in communities closed due to health and safety concerns or community-owner fraud.
The Manufactured/Mobile Home Relocation Assistance Program (Relocation Assistance Program) provides cash assistance for both a single-section home and for a multi-section home (including single-sections with additional, built living space). Cash assistance is provided in two payments: the first when a household is determined eligible, the second when a household either signs over the home’s title to the community owner or upon removal of their home from the community. Both options must happen within 90 days of the eligible household receiving their first payment.
The Relocation Assistance Program is handled by the Washington State Department of Commerce. Households in closing communities may work with the Relocation Assistance Program Coordinator to ask questions about program eligibility, the application process, relocating from their community, or other resources. Please text/call (360) 515-8149 or email brooke.brooling@commerce.wa.gov.
HB 1582
New amendments to RCW 59.20
(Manufactured/mobile Home Landlord Tenant Act)
Here are the amendments we won and that will go into effect on July 29, 2019:
Proportionate reduction in rent if utility payments included in rent are subsequently billed to you separately:
Other parts of the new law:
Here are the amendments we need to keep pushing for:
**ANOTHER LEGISLATIVE WIN FOR MANUFACTURED HOMEOWNERS IN WASHINGTON STATE**
HB 1083 was signed into law by Governor Inslee on July 21, 2021, thanks in part to AMHO who supported it. This bill offers Relocation Assistance for low income Tenants of Closed or Converted Manufactured/Mobile Home Parks – and increases the maximum amount eligible tenants may receive in relocation assistance under the Manufactured/Mobile Home Relocation Assistance Program.
If you own your manufactured or mobile home and live in a community that’s closing in Washington State, you may be eligible for relocation assistance. Manufactured and mobile home relocation assistance is provided to eligible low-income households on a first-come, first-served basis, prioritizing tenants in communities closed due to health and safety concerns or community-owner fraud.
The Manufactured/Mobile Home Relocation Assistance Program (Relocation Assistance Program) provides cash assistance for both a single-section home and for a multi-section home (including single-sections with additional, built living space). Cash assistance is provided in two payments: the first when a household is determined eligible, the second when a household either signs over the home’s title to the community owner or upon removal of their home from the community. Both options must happen within 90 days of the eligible household receiving their first payment.
The Relocation Assistance Program is handled by the Washington State Department of Commerce. Households in closing communities may work with the Relocation Assistance Program Coordinator to ask questions about program eligibility, the application process, relocating from their community, or other resources. Please text/call (360) 515-8149 or email brooke.brooling@commerce.wa.gov.
HB 1582
New amendments to RCW 59.20
(Manufactured/mobile Home Landlord Tenant Act)
Here are the amendments we won and that will go into effect on July 29, 2019:
Proportionate reduction in rent if utility payments included in rent are subsequently billed to you separately:
- 14 days’ within which to pay rent (up from the current 5 days);
- 20 days’ within which to comply with a community rule (up from 15 days);
- 3 months’ “grace period” following the 30 days’ notice of a new or amended rule going into effect;
- 120 days within which to sell home, if you have been evicted for non-payment of rent, provided you stay current in rent during this period;
- Affordable housing advocates and others permitted to hold meetings in the community to educate home owners about their rights; and
- Landlord required to provide prospective home purchasers with:
- Accurate record of past five years’ rental history of space they want to move to, Complete copy of rental agreement, rules and regulations, prior to rental agreement being signed.
Other parts of the new law:
- Dept. of Commerce is required to staff a working group to evaluate several aspects of manufactured home living. However, there was no money budgeted for this work, so we are still waiting to see how this will progress; and
- Limited dissemination which, under certain circumstances, could keep the reason for an eviction silent, so that homeowners would not have any negative statement on their rental history that might prevent them from accessing other housing.
Here are the amendments we need to keep pushing for:
- 2 year, or longer, rental agreements for everyone;
- 3 year, or longer, notice of closure;
- Opportunity to purchase community when landlord chooses to sell; and
- Realistic compensation for homeowners who lose their homes due to the closure of their community.
AMHO GOES TO OLYMPIA: AMHO board members joined Washing Low Income Housing Alliance celebrate Advocacy Day at the Capitol on Thursday, February 28th. Thank you Halcyon Homeowners for joining in and Joanna Crocker for representing her group at Inglewood East. Together we will succeed!
AMHO stands in solidarity with the Firs HOA at the press rally at SeaTac City Hall.
AMHO supports Firs’ home owners as they fight to save their homes and their community in SeaTac.
Courtesy of Erika Schultz/Seattle Times
***BREAKING NEWS: JUDGE'S RULING BUYS MORE TIME FOR RESIDENTS OF SEATAC MOBILE-HOME PARK FACING CLOSURE, SALE BY CHRISTINE WILLEMSEN, SEATTLE TIMES***
“Firs HOA, created with AMHO’s help, wins big in court.”
Mobile-home residents won’t be kicked out yet: ‘It means everything to keep up the fight’
“Firs HOA, created with AMHO’s help, wins big in court.”
Mobile-home residents won’t be kicked out yet: ‘It means everything to keep up the fight’