New manufactured housing regulations move through Michigan legislature
May 26, 2026
On May 19, 2026, Michigan’s Senate passed a bill package with bipartisan support and both resident and industry backing that seeks to overhaul Michigan’s manufactured housing regulations.[1] If passed in the house, SB 934-939 would be the first major revision to the state’s mobile home laws in nearly 40 years.[2] As of May 21, the package is on its way to the House for consideration.
Residents of manufactured housing communities, alongside advocacy organizations like PESP partner MHAction, have spent years organizing and campaigning for stronger protections. Their sustained efforts have helped move these policy changes forward, with meaningful reforms now potentially within reach.
The bill package includes the following components[3]:
Resident opportunity to purchase
Establishes a time period for tenants to band together and collectively purchase their parks in the event that they go up for sale, incentivizes park owners to sell to residents, and creates a state loan fund to support resident purchases.
Enforcement of regulations
The state inspects and licenses parks annually. Parks would be blocked from renewing their licenses until the violations are fixed, and there would be steeper fines for parks without licenses. Violations of regulations would be publicly posted online.
Twelve month lease requirements
Parks must offer one year written leases with automatic renewals, and would be forced to provide physical copies.
Fee limits and disclosure requirements
Limits fees, fines, and penalties, and requires that these are disclosed in leases and posted publicly. Prohibits excessive utility billing.
Extended park closure notice
If a park is shutting down or being changed to a different use, the owner must give residents at least one full year of notice.
Protections against landlord theft of homes
If a resident is evicted, they will have the right to choose from a number of options including moving their home, selling it within 90 days, having the court appoint an independent agent to sell it, or having the court order a sheriff’s sale. If none of these happen and the landlord gets the title, residents get the sale value minus what they owe.
Ownership database
The state government would maintain a database covering ownership information, building deficiencies, and a form for tenants to report landlords.
Bill package significance
These changes represent a major upgrade to current Michigan manufactured housing regulations, and could set a national precedent for protecting this vital source of affordable housing.
“I’ve seen residents struggle with unsafe conditions. I’ve seen yellow drinking water. I’ve seen orange drinking water. I’ve seen gray drinking water. I’ve seen potholes. I’ve heard stories about sewage running through yards. I remember a story of an uncapped gas line in one community, which could have caused a real explosion,” Holly Hook, a leader with MHAction and a resident of Swartz Creek Estates, testified during a committee hearing. “These bills will give residents recourse and direction when facing safety issues and other unfair practices.”[4]
While these laws would apply to all manufactured housing landlords, the regulations especially help to protect residents from predation at the hands of private equity and related large landlords. Over the past 20 years, manufactured home communities increasingly have gone from “mom and pop” enterprises to ownership by private equity firms, hedge funds, and large, multi-state corporations that seek to capitalize on manufactured-home owners’ inability to easily relocate.[5] Michigan has about 200 properties containing 50,000 lots that are private equity-owned, comprising about one in every four manufactured homes in the state.[6] Private equity’s business playbook means landlords are especially incentivized to skirt regulations, cut corners on maintenance, raise rents, evict people who fall behind on rent, and engage in financial and legal abuse.
Commenting on the bill package, one news source noted that it “would address longstanding concerns from residents who say they have faced unsafe conditions and sudden displacement from their communities,” referencing the 2025 case of the private equity-owned Kristana Mobile Home Park where Michigan residents were sadly displaced on very short notice by their private equity landlord.[7] The new legislation is an opportunity to prevent similar situations from unfolding in the future.
These policy changes have only progressed so far through the tireless work of manufactured housing residents and advocacy organizations such as PESP partner MHAction. Through the organization, residents have tirelessly campaigned for these changes. Their hard work may soon pay off.
[1] https://www.crainsdetroit.com/politics-policy/cdb-michigan-mobile-home-regulation-20260519/?utm_term=na&utm_campaign=aware%3Aupr%3Apgv%3Aall%3Aalways&utm_medium=soc-own&utm_content=twt%3Aread&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1779215835
[2] https://www.wilx.com/2026/05/12/major-changes-michigans-mobile-home-laws-could-be-coming-first-time-decades/
[3]https://actionnetwork.org/letters/protect-michigan-mhc-residents-support-sb934-939-2?source=direct_link&
[4]https://michiganadvance.com/2026/05/12/michigan-senate-committee-unanimously-passes-bipartisan-bills-to-reform-manufactured-housing-laws/
[5] https://pestakeholder.org/pesp-private-equity-manufactured-housing-tracker/
[6] https://pestakeholder.org/pesp-private-equity-manufactured-housing-tracker/
[7] https://www.wilx.com/2026/05/12/major-changes-michigans-mobile-home-laws-could-be-coming-first-time-decades/
