Bills target utility overcharges for mobile homes

House Bill 2459 and Senate Bill 1558 are two bills that are linked to energy affordability for mobile home residents. These bills seek to prevent mobile home park landlords from charging their tenants more for their utilities than the park itself.

Typically, these tenants are the direct utility customer, which means they have fewer protections, can’t seek help from utility assistance programs and don’t have access to the bills. With an estimated over 1,000 mobile home parks, Arizona has a significant inventory of manufactured housing.

With approximately 29,300 mobile homes, Mesa is noteworthy, as it boasts the highest inventory in the country. Wildfire is a non-profit that addresses issues of poverty in Arizona through policy change efforts.

Kelly McGowan, Executive Director at Wildfire, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss more about their program and these upcoming bills.