Shasta County mobile home rent hike paused, but residents want lasting protections

A temporary pause on a disputed rent increase is giving residents at two Shasta County mobile home parks more time, but it has not settled their concerns about keeping their homes affordable.

Harmony Communities has agreed to suspend the disputed $300 rent increase and accompanying $300 monthly credit until March 1st, 2027, according to Supervisor Allen Long’s report at the November 10th Board of Supervisors meeting. Long said negotiations would continue during the three month pause.

The dispute involves Bixby Knolls and Riverland mobile home parks in the Anderson area. Residents own their homes but lease the spaces beneath them, leaving their housing costs tied to rents charged by park ownership.

During public comment at the November 10th meeting, a homeowner questioned why residents or their representatives had not been included in negotiating the pause. She called for written protections, greater transparency and permanent rent stabilization.

The unresolved question is what happens when the temporary agreement ends.

The disagreement also involves how Harmony structures its rent increases and credits. Earlier reporting described some residents facing a December 1st increase from $625 to $985 per month. A proposed $300 credit would reduce that payment to $685. Rent amounts vary, and those figures should not be treated as a single rate applying to every household.

At an October 19th community meeting, Harmony CEO Matt Davies said the company intended to keep the credit in place for current residents throughout their tenancies. However, the credit would not transfer to a buyer, heir or new resident, according to reporting on that meeting.

For homeowners concerned about future costs and the value of their homes, the terms of any lasting agreement remain important.

County supervisors have also been considering broader rent protections. On October 27th, the board voted unanimously to revisit the issue within 30 days if negotiations did not produce an agreement between residents and park ownership. Tehama County Supervisor Greg Jones presented his county’s approach to mobile home rent stabilization as a possible model.

The pause announced November 10th provides temporary relief while those discussions continue. It does not establish that the disputed increase has been permanently canceled or that Shasta County has adopted a rent stabilization ordinance.

Sources

Shasta County Board of Supervisors, November 10th meeting record

Shasta Scout, October 20th reporting on the community meeting and rent credit

Shasta Scout, October 28th reporting on the county’s rent stabilization discussion