Rent increase procedures.
Riverside Municipal Code § 5.75.130
in effect5.75.130 - Rent increase procedures.
Any rent increase not excluded pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall be unlawful and void unless it has been approved pursuant to the provisions of this section.
A. Application for rent increase review. A mobile home park owner shall submit an application for the review of a proposed increase in rent not excluded pursuant to the provisions of this chapter ("rent increase review") prior to the issuance of the written notice required by Section 798.30 of the Civil Code. Such application for review shall be filed with the City Manager. The application for review shall include a detailed explanation of the need for the increase and the names and addresses of the mobile home owners affected and shall be under penalty of perjury. The application shall be accompanied by such processing fee as may be set from time to time by resolution of the City Council.
1. An application for a rent increase review for a rent increase resulted from the cost of a new capital improvement constructed after January 1, 2026 may be filed with the Administrator, in accordance with the following provisions and the rules and regulations:
a. The work satisfies the definition of capital improvement set forth in Section 1.75.030, and in any applicable rules and regulations;
b. Fifty-one percent of the occupied spaces in the park, with one vote per space, have consented to the capital improvement;
c. No prior rent increases have been charged based upon or including the cost of the capital improvement; and
d. All documentation and other information required by this chapter pertinent to the requested rent increase have been provided by the mobile home park owner.
2. Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, a capital improvement rent increase shall not be granted if the proposed capital improvement rent increase is for any portion or all of a utility distribution system where the utility rates are set either by the Public Utilities Commission or the City and the approved rates took into consideration costs of repair, replacement, maintenance, operation and/or capital improvements to the system.
3. A application for a rent increase review which meets all requirements of subsection (1) of this section but has not been consented to by 51 percent of the occupied spaces may be granted when the capital improvement is necessary to protect the health and safety of the mobile home park, the mobile home owners, or neighbors as determined in accordance with applicable rules and regulations.
4. Any capital improvement rent increase granted under this section shall be amortized over the useful life of the improvement and apportioned equally among all spaces in the park by dividing the verified cost of the improvement by its useful life (in years), dividing that result by 12 and further dividing by the number of spaces in the park. Any increase granted under this section shall remain in effect only during the useful life of the improvement. Any such increase shall be included as a separate charge either on the residents' monthly rent statement or on a separate statement and shall not be included in the space rent for purposes of determining any other future rent increases under this chapter.
5. For purposes of determining the cost of a capital improvement, an interest cost of the lesser of either the current prime rate plus one percent, or the interest rate actually incurred by the mobile home park owner in financing the improvement, may be added.
6. An application for a rent increase review for a rent increase based on unforeseen assessment, special tax or general tax increase may be filed with the Administrator.
B. Notice of hearing. Within 30 days from the date the application for the proposed rent increase review is deemed complete by the City, the Administrator shall serve by mail notice of the date, time and place of hearing to the mobile home park owner and to each affected mobile home owner. The hearing shall not be set sooner than ten days nor more than 30 days after the date of the mailing of the notice unless a later date is agreed to by the mobile home park owner.
C. Hearings. All rent increase review hearings shall be conducted by the rent review hearing board and overseen by the Administrator in an informal manner consistent with due process of law. All parties to the hearing may have assistance in presenting evidence or in setting forth by argument their positions from an attorney or such other persons as may be designated by such party. The hearing may be continued by the Board from time to time as may be reasonable and necessary.
D. Standards for calculations of rental increases. The Board shall evaluate any request for rental increase based upon, but not limited to, the following guidelines:
1. The percentage of increase in the mobile home park owner's gross income from space rent on a per annum basis since the base year, which would be realized as the result of the proposed rental increase.
2. Changes in services or amenities in the mobile home park since the base year or since any such change has previously been considered in connection with a prior approved increase.
3. The percentage increase in the CPI from the base year to the date of proposed notice of the rental increase.
4. The net operating income ("NOI") of the mobile home park for the current and base year as compiled in accordance with generally recognized accounting procedures.
5. It shall be rebuttably presumed that the NOI produced by a mobile home park during the base year provided the mobile home park owner with a just and reasonable return. It shall further be rebuttably presumed that, where the NOI is less than 50 percent of gross income in the base year, the mobile home park owner was receiving less than just and reasonable return on the mobile home park.
6. Such other guidelines as established from time to time by resolution of the City Council.
E. Decision. The Board shall render a decision regarding the rent increase within 15 days following the hearing. The decision shall be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the mobile home park owner and by regular mail to the mobile home owners.
F. Appeal. The decision of the Board may be appealed by either a mobile home park owner or mobile home owners within 20 days to be heard by a hearing officer selected by the City by giving notice of appeal to the Administrator. An appeal by the mobile home owners must be signed by a majority of the mobile home owners that are subject to the Board's decision. The appealing party shall be required to pay for the cost of the appeal in accordance with any fees set forth by resolution of the City Council.
(Ord. 7702, § 1(Exh. A), 2025)
Source: City of Riverside, California, Municipal Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/ca/riverside/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_TIT5BU_CH5.75MOHOPARESTPR_5.75.130REINPRFetched: 11/1/2026