BUCKS COUNTY – September 23, 2026 − State Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-10) will introduce legislation establishing an Office of Manufactured Housing Ombudsman to help Pennsylvania manufactured home residents understand their rights and resolve disputes with community owners.
Sen. Santarsiero’s legislation, Senate Bill 1446, will serve as a Senate companion to House Bill 2098, sponsored by Rep. Joe Ciresi (D-146) and co-sponsored by Rep. Tim Brennan (D-29), which would establish an Office of Manufactured Home Ombudsman and a Manufactured Home Hearing Board. The legislation would provide residents and community owners with a dedicated process for resolving disputes involving lot rent, community rules, leases, residency approvals, evictions and other issues affecting manufactured home communities. The proposed office would also educate residents about their rights and address environmental, health and safety concerns.
“Manufactured home communities provide an important path to affordable homeownership for Pennsylvanians, but residents can face difficult disputes with community owners while having few places to turn for help,” said Sen. Santarsiero. “Many manufactured homeowners own their home but lease the land it sits on, leaving them with nowhere to turn when landowners hike their rent unfairly. Our legislation would give manufactured homeowners a dedicated resource to understand their rights, resolve disputes and ensure that their concerns receive a fair and impartial review. We need to make sure that people who have invested their savings in their homes have meaningful protections and a voice when decisions affecting their communities are made.”
The legislation is particularly relevant in Bucks County, where manufactured housing communities such as Buckingham Springs provide homes to hundreds of residents. In August, the offices of Sen. Santarsiero and Rep. Brennan met with roughly 200 Buckingham Springs residents to discuss proposed legislation and hear directly about their experiences as manufactured homeowners.
Residents shared concerns about rising lot rents, transparency and the challenges they face when disputes arise with community owners.
“Too many residents are struggling to keep up with steep and repeated lot rent increases, and the General Assembly needs to step up and make sure people who have worked hard to own their homes are not priced out of them,” said Bob Besecker of the Coalition of Manufactured Home Communities of Pennsylvania. “The Coalition views SB 1446 favorably because this bill will help our state government protect the rights of manufactured homeowners through an Ombudsman. However, with only 11 legislative session days left in the 2025-2026 legislative session, the Senate must act on House Bill 1250, which is currently awaiting action in the Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee, and continue advancing the comprehensive protections manufactured home residents deserve.”
“We’ve invested our hard-earned money into this community—we own and care for our homes, check in on our neighbors, and pay our taxes,” said Ingrid, a Buckingham Springs resident. “But our peace of mind is being destroyed by predatory corporate greed. These companies offer zero transparency into how these arbitrary, ridiculous rate hikes are calculated, and they are actively pricing hardworking residents right out of their homes in an already tough economy. We need accountability, predictability, and transparency.”
Sen. Santarsiero said the Ombudsman legislation is one part of a broader effort to strengthen protections for manufactured home residents in Pennsylvania.
House Bill 1250, sponsored by Rep. Liz Hanbidge (D-61), would establish protections related to rent and fee increases, disclosure of fees, resident associations and group meetings. The bill passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 144-59 on June 10, 2025, and was referred to the Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee on June 18, 2025. Rep. Brennan is a co-sponsor of the legislation and voted for the bill in the House.
House Bill 843, sponsored by Rep. Joe Webster (D-150) and cosponsored by Rep. Brennan, would give residents of manufactured home communities an opportunity to purchase their community when the owner seeks to sell. The Senate version, Senate Bill 746 sponsored by Senator Judy Schwank (D-11), is still in committee. Sen. Santarsiero is a co-sponsor of SB746.
“I’ve spoken with many residents at Buckingham Springs about these concerns, especially over the past year, and what stays with me is how much uncertainty they’re being asked to live with. These are seniors on fixed incomes who chose their homes because they believed they had found a place they could afford and stay for the rest of their lives,” Rep. Brennan said. “What also stands out is how much these neighbors look out for one another, supporting each other through the stress of not knowing whether they’ll be able to remain in their own homes.”
“This is a problem we need to address quickly, given the seriousness of the consequences. We’re seeing people in fear of losing their homes because, right now, the state doesn’t provide us the means to protect them. No one, especially seniors, should be at the mercy of unrestricted corporate excess and rules that change on a landlord’s whim,” Rep. Brennan continued. “People who planned responsibly for their future should not have to worry about losing their homes because someone else sees them as an unguarded resource from whom they can squeeze out every last dollar.”
Sen. Santarsiero said advancing HB 1250 remains an important priority as the current legislative session approaches its conclusion. He and Rep. Brennan sent a letter to McKee Villages, the owner of Buckingham Springs, explaining the contents of HB 1250 and asking them to voluntarily comply with the bill before it is enacted into law to protect residents.
“When Rep. Brennan and I met with Buckingham Springs residents this summer, we heard firsthand about the challenges manufactured homeowners are facing,” said Sen. Santarsiero. “Those conversations reinforced the need for an Ombudsman who can help residents understand their rights and resolve disputes, but they also made clear that we need broader protections and rent stabilization for residents now. With just 11 legislative session days remaining, we need to move forward on HB 1250 and the other legislation that can give manufactured homeowners greater transparency, stability and a voice in decisions affecting their homes. McKee Villages, the owner of Buckingham Springs, can also act before legislation is passed to be more transparent and fairer to residents now and I hope that they do so.”
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