Last year’s General Assembly split over a bill to resolve a long debate to oversee rental increases in leased land home communities. This complex problem has been difficult to understand, and so very hard to resolve. Most contract law issues are solved by comparing similar cases and reviewing judicial records, but not this problem. There are no truly parallel contracts and thus no guidelines for a legislative remedy.

After the Delaware Senate voted for an innovative solution in 2012, the House of Representatives felt the bill, SB 205, was not good enough and voted it down. The Senators worked with parties from both sides of the issue and after hours of study, many meetings and debates, and hundreds of emails and phone calls, a new bill evolved, SB 33.

An act to oversee the rental increase in land-lease home communities, was born of serious discussions and diligent research. A new review process and a qualified review authority has been identified. An allowance for unusual rental assistance situations, and reasonable guidelines based on a three year average of CPI increases, combine to make this bill a major improvement over previous attempts.

Senators Ennis and Bushweller and others have done yeoman work on SB 33. Two major issues, fairness for the homeowners who cannot move, and fairness for the landowners who needs a profit, have been addressed. Ask your representatives in the House and the Senate to vote yes on SB 33.

Peter Couming

Camden