The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Iowa Senate Bill 2225 Restricts Manufactured Home Park Rent Increases, Evictions, and Fees
Last action · February 10, 2026: Subcommittee: Webster, Dickey, and Weiner. S.J. 244 .Sponsors: Zach Wahls and 12 others
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
Senate File 2225 reforms property law for manufactured home communities and rental properties by restricting rent increases, limiting late fees and utility charges, and establishing new tenant defenses against eviction. The bill requires landlords to provide 180 days' notice for rent increases, prohibits on mobile homes starting July 1, 2026, and creates capital gains tax exclusions for park sales to tenant associations or housing authorities.
Manufactured home and rental tenants gain stronger legal protections against unexpected cost spikes, while park owners face strict regulations on rent hikes, utility billing, and lease terms, backed by consumer fraud penalties for violations.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Manufactured home community tenants
Tenants receive expanded protections regarding rent increase notices, eviction defenses, utility fee caps, and caps on late fees.
Residential landlords
Landlords must comply with stricter notice requirements for rent hikes, restrictions on utility charges, and limitations on lease terminations and late fees.
Tenants' associations
Tenants' associations and resident groups gain capital gains tax exclusions when purchasing mobile home parks.
Key Facts
- A landlord shall not terminate a tenancy in a manufactured home community or mobile home park unless there is material noncompliance, a rule violation, a legitimate business reason, or a change in land use.
- A violation of chapter 562B by a landlord or agent constitutes an unlawful practice under consumer fraud laws.
- Landlords cannot increase rent without providing written notice at least 180 days before the effective date, and rent increases cannot occur more than once per year.
- Rent increases exceeding the Midwest Consumer Price Index average must be justified by specific factors such as capital improvements, property taxes, or utility and insurance increases.
Show all 12 facts
- Late fees for rentals over $1,400 per month are capped at 2 percent of the rent per day or 10 percent of the rent per month.
- The manufactured home program fund is expanded by removing language restricting it exclusively to homes on leased land.
- Tenants facing eviction for nonpayment of rent may counterclaim for recoverable amounts and pay accrued rent into court.
- Landlords providing utilities cannot charge tenants more than the actual cost of the utility plus a monthly utility administration fee not to exceed $5.
- If a landlord unlawfully excludes a tenant or interrupts essential services, the tenant can recover up to two months' periodic rent, twice actual damages, and attorney fees.
- Tenants may deduct the reasonable cost of correcting landlord deficiencies—up to one month's periodic rent—from unpaid rent amounts during a possession action.
- Mobile homes are excluded from nonjudicial foreclosure actions initiated on or after July 1, 2026.
- Net capital gains from the sale or exchange of a mobile home park to a tenants' association, nonprofit, or housing authority are excluded from state income taxes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much notice must a landlord give before increasing rent in a manufactured home community?
What is the maximum utility administration fee a landlord can charge?
Can a mobile home be subjected to nonjudicial foreclosure under this bill?
What constitutes a tenants' association eligible for tax-exempt park sales?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 10, 2026SenateSubcommittee: Webster, Dickey, and Weiner. S.J. 244 .
- Feb 5, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced, referred to Judiciary. S.J. 212 .
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 8 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Comprehensive Overhaul of Manufactured Housing Law
The bill systematically amends multiple sections of Chapter 562B, shifting legal power toward tenants by capping fees, regulating rent increases via CPI metrics, and adding tax incentives for resident-owned park acquisitions.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.iowa.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools