Governor Shapiro Calls for Reform to Protect Pennsylvanians Living in Manufactured Home Communities from Greedy Out-of-State Management Companies During Visit to Berks County Neighborhood

There are 56,000 Pennsylvania households in manufactured homes and thousands have been subjected to significant increases to their monthly lot rent in recent years.

In his budget address last month, Governor Shapiro called on the legislature to pass legislation limiting lot rent increases for manufactured homeowners.

Governor Shapiro’s visit to Douglass Village highlighted his budget proposal and his Housing Action Plan to meet Pennsylvania’s housing needs and make housing more affordable.

Douglassville, PA – Today, Governor Josh Shapiro visited a manufactured housing community in Berks County to call for reform to protect Pennsylvanians living in manufactured home communities from predatory practices often used by out-of-state property management companies. In his 2026 Budget Address, Governor Shapiro called on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass legislation limiting annual lot rent increases for manufactured housing communities. This legislation, coupled with reforms included in the Governor’s 2026-27 proposed budget and Housing Action Plan, would protect manufactured homeowners and help make housing more affordable across the Commonwealth.

Residents who live in manufactured housing communities own their factory-built homes, but rent the land beneath them. These homes are often one of the most affordable options for homeownership and in Pennsylvania, there are 56,000 households in manufactured home communities. However, many of these households have seen across the board increases to their monthly lot rent in recent years. Forcing Pennsylvanians to pay out-of-state companies more in rent while still being responsible for paying local school and real estate taxes – and in some cases, additional utility fees.

“Owning your own home is the American dream, but in recent years, we’ve seen greedy out-of-state corporations buy up our communities, increase costs to unaffordable levels, and take advantage of Pennsylvanians, especially our seniors,” said Governor Shapiro. “I wanted to visit Douglass Village today to hear from the Pennsylvanians who are pushing back against these out-of-state companies and call for real reforms to protect tens of thousands of homeowners like them. My Housing Action Plan lays out a comprehensive plan to reduce housing costs and protect Pennsylvanians, and I’m calling on the General Assembly to take action by limiting annual lot rent increases for manufactured housing communities.”

In Douglassville, residents and manufactured housing advocates from across Southeastern Pennsylvania shared their experiences living in manufactured homes with Governor Shapiro at Douglass Village. Legislation, HB1250 sponsored by Reps. Liz Hanbidge, Melissa Cerrato and Joe Webster, has already passed the Pennsylvania House — and in the Pennsylvania Senate, Senator Judy Schwank has introduced legislation to establish commonsense protections for manufactured homeowners and limit steep lot rent increases in manufactured housing communities, helping ensure residents can remain in their homes and communities.

Douglass Village is a 55+ manufactured housing community with 333 homes and a community clubhouse with a private banquet room, exercise facilities, a library, and a pool. In 2022, Kingsley Management, a Utah-based property management corporation that owns dozens of similar communities throughout the country, purchased the Village. Since Kingsley’s purchase, Douglass Village homeowners have seen sudden and unaffordable spikes in rent.

“I have been trying to stay in my home on a single, fixed income since my husband passed away, but as my lot rent continues to increase, it’s been hard — and people in manufactured home communities across Pennsylvania are dealing with the same challenges,” said Christine Ziemer, a Douglass Village manufactured homeowner. “We look forward to the day when the Governor can sign legislation that helps stop the ongoing lot rent increases that make housing unaffordable for so many people.”

After their meeting, Governor Shapiro highlighted reforms in his 2026-27 proposed budget that take the necessary steps to support manufactured homeowners and invest in Pennsylvania’s housing needs:

• Protecting Renters: The Governor’s budget proposal establishes a statewide cap on rental application fees tied to the actual cost of screening and prohibits fees before a property is viewed.
• Promoting Housing Stability: The Governor’s proposed budget affirms a tenant’s right to terminate a lease due to domestic violence without financial penalty, seals eviction records for individuals who were not actually evicted, and advances fair-chance housing reforms to regulate when and how criminal history may be considered in rental decisions.
• Modernizing Local Planning and Permitting: The Governor’s budget proposal calls for updates to the Municipalities Planning Code to reduce regulatory barriers to residential development, improve permitting processes, and incentivize county and regional planning that reflects the diverse housing needs of Pennsylvania’s communities.

Introduced last month, the Commonwealth’s first-ever Housing Action Plan also lays out Governor Shapiro’s proposed, additional reforms to modernize Pennsylvania’s housing regulations and support manufactured homeowners:

• Provide residents with the right of first refusal to purchase land in their manufactured housing communities.
• Require community lot owners to notify residents and local governments of any pending sale or land use change.
• Support manufactured housing quality and affordability through funding work with Pennsylvania’s federal partners.
• Cut red tape and streamline development to make it easier and more affordable to build or finance manufactured homes across the Commonwealth.
• Connect Pennsylvanians to resources that prevent displacement and give residents the stability they need to grow and thrive.

The Shapiro Administration remains committed to ensuring every Pennsylvanian has the dignity and security that comes with a safe, affordable place to call home.

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