Summary

Directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to investigate and monitor transactions in manufactured home communities to detect price manipulation of pad sites and excessive concentration of purchases by single buyers. HUD must publish reports: an initial investigation and long-term strategy within 270 days (including analysis disaggregated by race, gender, and socioeconomic status and study of institutional investor impacts), and follow-up reports after any investigation of a purchaser who bought more than 2,500 homes or pad sites in a market area since January 1, 2015. The law also defines "manufactured home" and "manufactured home community" broadly and exempts the required information collection from the Paperwork Reduction Act.

Key Points

• HUD must investigate whether pad-site prices in manufactured home communities are being manipulated or gouged.
• An initial HUD report and long-term strategy are due within 270 days and must use data disaggregated by race, gender, and socioeconomic status.
• HUD must monitor purchases of manufactured homes and pad sites and investigate any purchaser who bought more than 2,500 units in a market area since Jan 1, 2015.
• Investigations look for price gouging, rental increases well above local median rent increases, and failures to provide utilities.
• Reports of any purchaser investigation must be submitted to Congress and posted publicly within one year after the investigation ends.
• Information collection for the initial investigation is exempt from the Paperwork Reduction Act.
• Definitions broadened so manufactured homes count regardless of compliance with federal construction standards or manufacture date.
• No new appropriations or direct enforcement penalties are created by the text; the law focuses on research, monitoring, and reporting.

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