25 Del. C. ch. 70 § 7052B
Rent increase; justified additional rent increase for allowed expenses
Operative Text
(a) A community owner may increase rent under this section, in addition to a rent increase under § 7052A of this title, if the community owner is in compliance with all of the following: (1) Sections 7051A and 7052A(b)(2) of this title. (2) In the notice of the rent increase, the community owner explains that the community owner is providing written documentation of the actual cost of each of the allowed expenses by doing all of the following: a. Providing a website where the documentation may be accessed and downloaded. b. Making paper copies available for review in the manufactured home community’s management office. c. Upon request of a homeowner, providing paper copies of the documentation at no cost. (b) For purposes of this section: (1) “Additional rent increase” means a rent increase under this section, that is in addition to the base rent increase. (2) “Aggregate total of allowed expenses” means the total dollar amount of all of the allowed expenses for the manufactured home community for a 12-month period. (3) “Allowed expenses” mean all of the following for the manufactured home community: a. Taxes. b. Insurance. c. Utility charges or service. d. Onsite employee costs, such as benefits and employment taxes, but not salaries or wages. (4) “Anniversary date” means the date of the most recent base rent increase. (5) “Base rent increase” means a rent increase under § 7052A of this title. (6) “Increase of the aggregate total of allowed expenses” means the difference between the aggregate total of allowed expenses for the previous 12-month period and the aggregate total of allowed expenses for the prior 12-month period. (7) “Onsite employee” means an employee whose primary job responsibilities are directly related to the operation and management of the manufactured home community. (8) “Previous 12-month period” means the most recent 12 months before the notice of the rent increase under this section. (9) “Prior 12-month period” means the most recent 12 months before the beginning of the previous 12-month period. (10) “24-month CPI-U” means the 24-month CPI-U as calculated under § 7052A(c)(1) of this title. (c) If a community owner is increasing rent under § 7052A(c)(2) of this title, the community owner may include an additional rent increase if the increase of the aggregate total of allowed expenses increased by a percentage that is larger than the 24-month CPI-U. (d) On or after the second anniversary date of the base rent increase under § 7052A(b)(1)c. or (d), the community owner may add an additional rent increase if the increase of the aggregate total of allowed expenses increased by a percentage that is larger than the 24-month CPI-U. (e) An additional rent increase is calculated by dividing the increase of the aggregate total of the allowed expenses by the number of recorded lots in the manufactured housing community and adding that sum to the base rent increase under § 7052Aof this title.
Section 7052B of Delaware's manufactured home community rent law establishes a secondary, "additional" rent increase mechanism that community owners may layer on top of the standard base rent increase permitted under § 7052A. This additional increase is only available when certain allowed expense categories—taxes, insurance, utility charges, and onsite employee costs (excluding salaries and wages)—have grown at a rate exceeding the 24-month CPI-U benchmark. The size of the additional increase is calculated by spreading the growth in those aggregate allowed expenses evenly across all recorded lots in the community, then adding that per-lot figure to the base rent increase. Homeowners are entitled to receive written documentation of the actual costs behind any such increase, either online, in the management office, or in paper copies provided at no charge upon request.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 7052B, operators of manufactured home communities who wish to pursue an additional rent increase beyond the § 7052A base increase must first confirm full compliance with §§ 7051A and 7052A(b)(2) before issuing any notice. The rent increase notice itself must explain that actual cost documentation for each allowed expense category is available through a community website, in paper form at the management office, and as free paper copies upon any homeowner's request. Compliant operators also track two consecutive 12-month expense periods carefully, since the additional increase is only permissible when the aggregate total of allowed expenses has grown by a percentage exceeding the 24-month CPI-U, and the per-lot calculation under § 7052B(e) must be applied correctly to arrive at a lawful increase amount.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 7052B gives manufactured home community residents the right to receive transparent, written documentation of the actual costs—taxes, insurance, utilities, and qualifying onsite employee costs—that a community owner uses to justify any additional rent increase beyond the standard base increase. If a community owner pursues this type of increase, homeowners can request free paper copies of all supporting documentation and review whether the allowed expenses genuinely grew faster than the 24-month CPI-U, as required by § 7052B. Residents who believe a community owner has not met the compliance requirements of this section—such as failing to provide documentation or improperly calculating the per-lot increase—may wish to consult a tenant-rights organization or explore complaint options available under Delaware's manufactured home community statutes.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 22, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References In
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation