Manufactured (Mobile) Home Lot Rent Price-Fixing 

Lowey Dannenberg, P.C. is investigating claims that owners of manufactured (mobile) homes were overcharged on lot rent between August 31, 2019 and the present.

A recent class action lawsuit alleges that nine of the largest manufactured home community operators that rent lots to owners of manufactured homes illegally conspired to raise home lot rents in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.  The Sherman Antitrust Act prohibits competitors from agreeing to fix prices.

According to the lawsuit, each of the manufactured community operators named in the action shared non-public, competitively sensitive information about manufactured home lot rental prices and occupancy rates with the data company, Datacomp Appraisal Systems, Inc., a large provider of mobile home data. Datacomp Appraisal Systems used this sensitive information to generate detailed reports that were then sold and provided back to the mobile home community operators. Manufactured home community operators used this valuable market data to collectively and simultaneously raise rents across the nation, causing higher lot rent prices to be charged to owners of manufactured homes in these communities.  According to economic data, mobile home lot rental prices increased by 9.1% per year during the period covered in the lawsuit – significantly greater than the 1.8% increase per year seen in years prior.

The nine manufactured home community owners and operators are:

• Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc.
• Hometown America Management LLC
• Lakeshore Communities, Inc.
• Sun Communities, Inc.
• RHP Properties, Inc
• YES! Communities, Inc
• Inspire Communities, LLC
• Kingsley Management, Corp
• Cal-Am Properties, Inc.

If you own a manufactured or mobile home and have paid rent to one of the mobile home operating companies listed above, Lowey Dannenberg is interested in learning more about your experience.  Please contact Lowey Dannenberg for a free evaluation of your rights in this matter by contacting Nicole Veno at nveno@lowey.com or (914) 733-7286.