Norway officials will hold a special town meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, March 30, to vote on a proposed moratorium to pause mobile home park rent increases.

The meeting will be held at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School’s Forum meeting room, 256 Main St. in Paris.

The warrant will have two articles: to choose a moderator, and to vote whether to enact an ordinance establishing a moratorium on increases on rent for mobile home park lots.

If it passes, the moratorium will be in effect for 180 days and retroactive to Feb. 19, 2026.

Residents of Norway Commons mobile home park at 99 Town and Country Drive have lobbied the Select Board since January to freeze the rent increase announced by corporate owner Sun Communities that would begin April 1.

Homeowners claim that Sun Communities is using a loophole in Maine law meant to regulate mobile home lot rents to instead disproportionately inflate them.

The statute language reads that rent increases in mobile home parks are to be based on existing rents “in the area.” 

Sun Communities used an average lot rent of $741 to calculate the new rental fee. But no mobile home owner in Norway pays near that. 

During a public hearing on March 19, Lee May, a spokesperson for the residents, told the board that Sun Communities’ executives have refused to divulge supporting data or how they determined that $741 is a feasible average.

Since Norway Commons was purchased by the corporation, rental fees have steadily increased while park maintenance has eroded.

Another resident, Rita Myrick, said that when she started the process to purchase her home at Norway Commons the rent was $500.

“When I signed papers it was $525. Within a couple of months it was $550,” she said. “Within a couple of years, lot rent will be more than a house mortgage.”

“Affordable housing is a buzzword,” resident Wayne York said. “We had that until the corporate owners took over. They found this to be a good place to express their greed. 

“For new residents, rents have gone up 50% over three years, which impacts our resale value,” he said. “I figure I’ve lost $50,000 to $75,000 on my home’s value. With increased rent, people won’t be able to afford to buy. If their increase was reasonable we wouldn’t be here tonight.”

A six-month moratorium would be the first step of providing relief for mobile home owners, many of whom are elderly and live on Social Security. The town will then start developing a permanent ordinance that regulates how mobile home lot rents can be calculated.