Tax and fee amnesty available for California mobile home owners
In the often paycheckto-paycheck world of mobile home living, many homeowners lack proper title and registrations for their dwellings.
Some may owe thousands of dollars in fines and fees. But the state has opened up an amnesty program allowing mobile home owners to register their trailers and waive back taxes.
Representatives from the state Department of Housing and Community Development visited San Jose Wednesday to help residents through the process.
As many as one-third of California’s 500,000 mobile homes lack proper papers. Santa Clara County has about 15,000 mobile homes in about 40 parks.
“It’s been an ongoing challenge over the years,” said Ben Metcalf, director of the state Department of Housing and Community Development. “Sometimes, the owners of these homes don’t realize it.”
Failing to have a proper title can shut owners out from obtaining insurance, passing along property to heirs, and protecting it during eviction proceedings. The program has reached more than 1,000 mobile home owners and waived about $400,000 in fees since it started last year, Metcalf said.
At the Seven Trees
“It’s been an ongoing challenge over the years. Sometimes, the owners of these homes don’t realize it.” — Ben Metcalf, director of the state Department of Housing and Community Development
Community Center in San Jose Wednesday morning, workers offered advice and paperwork to help mobile home residents navigate the steps to properly registering and getting a title for their property.
David Dong, a 20-year resident of Sunshadow Mobile Home Park, came to see how to get a fresh title for his home.
After a 10-minute conversation with a clerk, Dong had the right paperwork to get in compliance.
Although he didn’t have any unpaid taxes to wipe clean, he was happy with the service and might share the information with his neighbors, he said. “If I see a crowd in the street,” he said, “I may tell them.”
The amnesty offer lasts for two years. More help can be found at the state website — www.hcd. ca.gov — or by calling 800-952-8356. Operators are available for all languages.