Colorado House committee advances bill to boost mobile-home park sale transparency and resident purchase rights

A state House committee on Monday advanced House Bill 12-24, a measure that would tighten transparency in mobile-home park sales and strengthen residents' ability to compete to buy the land under their homes. The committee adopted two sponsor amendments — one setting disclosure thresholds and another delaying the bill's effective date to Jan. 1, 2027 — and sent the bill to the Committee of the Whole by a 7-4 vote.

The bill sponsor, speaking to the committee, framed HB 12-24 as an effort to make residents' opportunity-to-purchase rights "real." The sponsor said the bill requires a more transparent sales process, mandates that sales be conducted at arm's length and in good faith, and strengthens disclosures so residents can evaluate offers. "If residents are gonna be told they have a chance to compete to buy in their community, that chance should be real," the bill sponsor said.

Nut graf: Supporters said the bill responds to recent market changes in which parks are sold through complex or bundled transactions and prices often exceed appraised values, leaving resident groups unable to assemble financing or match offers. The committee heard testimony from nonprofit housing groups, the Division of Housing, the Department of Law and legal services that represent residents, all of which urged the panel to move the bill forward.

Kinsey Hastet, director of state and local policy for Enterprise Community Partners, told lawmakers HB 12-24 would require notice of sale, disclosure of the significant factors used to set sale price, prompt delivery of requested information to homeowners and time for due diligence. "This bill will better ensure that residents' efforts to purchase the land underneath their homes aren't supported by falsely inflated pricing," Hastet said.

Christina Pazdolowski, program manager for the mobile home park oversight program in the Division of Housing, cited market data and said sales and prices have surged, describing "an average aggregate proposed price of $1,260,000,000." She said most proposed prices significantly exceed appraised values, making resident purchases difficult and often requiring substantial public grants to preserve affordability. Pazdolowski also said about 80 parks currently fall under restrictions that temporarily prohibit rent increases when a park is out of compliance with certain government orders.

Jeffrey Reeser of the Colorado Department of Law said clearer statutory language would help the department advise agencies and, when necessary, pursue enforcement. Jack Raganbogen, deputy director at the Colorado Poverty Law Project, representing mobile-home park residents, said the bill would "bring sunlight and basic accountability to transactions" and urged lawmakers to support it.

During the amendment phase, sponsors offered L3, which sets a 51% approval threshold for homeowners to allow homeowner groups to access certain transactional disclosures while preserving resident privacy by permitting confidential votes and limiting disclosure to transaction-related terms. A committee member moved L3 and Representative Stewart seconded; Representative Garcia asked whether the identities of voting residents would be exposed. The sponsor replied the process mirrors other resident-vote procedures and can protect voter privacy. The committee adopted L3 without objection.

Sponsors also offered L4, which pushes the bill's effective date to Jan. 1, 2027, giving park owners and stakeholders time to adapt to the changes. The committee adopted L4 unanimously in the amendment vote.

A committee member then moved to send HB 12-24 as amended to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. The roll-call vote recorded seven yes votes and four no votes (Yes: Camacho; "See you."; Marshall; Stewart; Zocher; Titone; the chair. No: Brooks; Gonzales; Ortsook; Weinberg). The motion carried 7-4.

The committee's actions do not change the bill's core purpose: supporters say HB 12-24 does not prevent sales or deny fair market value to sellers but aims to ensure the sales process is transparent, fair and workable for current residents. The committee adjourned after the vote; the next step for the bill is consideration by the Committee of the Whole.