Mobile home lot rent increases trap owners who can't afford to move

Mobile home owners who own their unit but rent the lot underneath it face annual lot rent increases averaging 7.1% nationally — nearly double general inflation — with zero negotiating power. Moving a manufactured home costs $5,000-$20,000 for a single-wide and up to $30,000+ for a double-wide when you include transport, permits, utility hookups, and site prep. Because the home is physically bolted to the ground and connected to utilities, the owner is effectively captive. If they can't afford the rent increase, they can't afford to move either. Many abandon their homes entirely, losing their largest asset. This is not a market failure — it's a structural power asymmetry. The park owner holds a monopoly over the only viable location for a resident's home, and there is no competitive pressure because the "switching cost" (moving the home) is so catastrophically high relative to the resident's income that it functions as a lock-in. Census data shows lot rents have risen 45% in the past decade, with documented cases of rents doubling from $260 to $540 or $450 to $840 within a few years.