RHP Properties, the largest privately held owner and operator of manufactured home communities in the United States, is facing two active class actions and has already lost a Massachusetts appellate case over its park policies. The RHP Properties lawsuit picture, as of mid-2026, centers on a nationwide antitrust case alleging coordinated lot-rent increases and a Colorado case over vehicle towing that produced a proposed $850,000 settlement.
The Nationwide Antitrust Case Over Lot Rents
RHP is one of ten manufactured-home community operators named in In re Manufactured Home Lot Rents Antitrust Litigation, Case No. 1:23-cv-06715, before Judge Franklin U. Valderrama in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Six original suits filed in September 2023 were consolidated in October 2023, with DiCello Levitt LLP and Hausfeld LLP appointed co-lead class counsel.1DiCello Levitt. DiCello Levitt and Co-Counsel Uncover Corporate Landlords’ Alleged Price-Fixing Scheme to Inflate Housing Costs
What the Plaintiffs Allege
The complaint centers on Datacomp Appraisal Systems, a Michigan firm that publishes “JLT Market Reports” covering rent, occupancy, and sales data for more than 42,000 communities.2Datacomp. Rent and Occupancy Data Plaintiffs allege that RHP and the other operator defendants used those reports to exchange non-public, competitively sensitive pricing data and coordinate artificially high lot rents beginning at least August 31, 2019.3Grabar Law Office. Manufactured Home Lot Rental Price-Fixing Investigation
Between 2019 and 2021, the complaint says, manufactured-home lot rents rose 9.1% per year, outstripping inflation and rent growth elsewhere. The affected residents skew lower-income, with a median household income of roughly $35,000, and include many seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities.4DiCello Levitt. DiCello Levitt, Hausfeld File Significant Lawsuit Against Corporate Landlords Over Nationwide Price-Fixing Scheme
Dismissal in December 2025
On December 4, 2025, Judge Valderrama granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss, but without prejudice. He found that the complaint offered no direct evidence of a conspiracy and not enough circumstantial evidence of coordination. The defendants collectively held roughly 30% of the market, which the court said undercut claims about barriers to entry. Wanting higher profits, the judge wrote, is not itself proof of illegal coordination, and the allegations were “merely consistent with, rather than suggestive of, a price-fixing conspiracy.” The unjust enrichment claim fell with the antitrust claims. Plaintiffs had until January 5, 2026, to amend.5Legal Newsline. Rent Collusion Suit Tossed vs. Manufactured Home Community Operators6Justia. In Re Manufactured Home Lot Rents Antitrust Litigation, Memorandum Opinion and Order
The Murex Settlement and Amended Complaint
On January 26, 2026, plaintiffs announced that co-defendant Murex Properties had agreed to settle. The deal, still subject to court approval, requires Murex to hand over information and documents. That same day, plaintiffs filed a Second Amended Consolidated Class Action Complaint built partly on the Murex evidence. The amended version strengthens allegations of direct competitor-to-competitor communications rather than relying mainly on Datacomp’s reports and parallel pricing, and it adds detail about rent hikes and deteriorating conditions after corporate acquisitions.7Manufactured Home Pro News. Antitrust Case Amended Pleadings
Where the Case Stands and What Residents Should Know
As of May 2026, the case remains active before Judge Valderrama, with both sides demanding a jury trial. Docket entries continued through at least May 20, 2026. Public records do not yet show whether the remaining defendants have moved against the amended complaint or whether discovery has begun.8CourtListener. In Re Manufactured Home Lot Rents Antitrust Litigation Docket
The statute of limitations has been tolled since the original complaint was filed, so residents of affected communities do not need to file their own suits to preserve their rights. There is no claims process open right now. If a settlement or verdict is reached, class members will receive notice with claim instructions.9DiCello Levitt. In Re Manufactured Home Lot Rents Antitrust Litigation
The Colorado Towing Class Action and $850,000 Settlement
In Elizabeth Aguilar v. Harmony Road, LLC and RHP Properties, Inc., Case No. 2022CV030492 in Larimer County, Colorado, plaintiffs alleged that RHP and its affiliate Harmony Road adopted Community Guidelines requiring towing of residents’ vehicles for expired registrations, flat tires, or being inoperable, in violation of the Colorado Mobile Home Park Act.10RG/2 Claims Administration. Amended Class Action Settlement Agreement, Aguilar v. Harmony Road
Who’s Covered and What They Get
The class covers primary residents (leaseholders) at any RHP-branded Colorado park between July 26, 2019, and April 15, 2024, roughly 11,363 people. The $850,000 fund is split three ways:11RG/2 Claims Administration. Aguilar v. Harmony Road Long Form Notice
- Group 1, general residents (about 11,363 people), receive an automatic pro-rata share of 44.47% of the net fund with no claim form needed.
- Group 2, residents whose vehicles were towed for reasons other than the challenged rules (about 1,680 people), receive $150 each, or a pro-rata share of 19.76% of the net fund if claims exceed that amount. A claim form is required.
- Group 3, residents whose vehicles were towed under the challenged rules (about 720 people), receive $450 each, or a pro-rata share of 35.76% of the net fund. A claim form is required.
RHP also agreed to modify its Community Guidelines on vehicle towing for 24 months after the settlement takes effect. Unclaimed funds go to the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.10RG/2 Claims Administration. Amended Class Action Settlement Agreement, Aguilar v. Harmony Road
Approval and Deadlines
The court preliminarily approved the amended settlement in January 2025. The claim filing deadline was extended to May 21, 2025. As of the most recent available information, the court had not granted final approval and no payments had been distributed.12RG/2 Claims Administration. Aguilar v. Harmony Road Settlement
The Massachusetts Fuel Tank Ruling
In Rosa Layes v. RHP Properties, Inc., No. 18-P-218, the Massachusetts Appeals Court ruled in 2019 that RHP had violated the state’s Manufactured Housing Act and consumer protection laws. The court found RHP maintained an illegal policy requiring residents to pay for maintaining, repairing, and replacing privately owned exterior fuel oil tanks, work that under Massachusetts regulations is the park operator’s responsibility unless the resident’s negligence caused the damage.13FindLaw. Rosa Layes v. RHP Properties, Inc.
The court also held that RHP’s removal of a temporary heating fuel tank during winter, which left the plaintiff’s home without heat and effectively uninhabitable, violated the state’s quiet enjoyment statute. The trial court awarded three months’ rent plus attorneys’ fees and permanently barred RHP from enforcing the maintenance policies. The appeals court affirmed the individual judgment and reversed the denial of class certification, sending the class question back to the trial court.13FindLaw. Rosa Layes v. RHP Properties, Inc.
Regulatory and Political Scrutiny
The litigation sits inside a wider pattern of official attention. In 2020, a group of New York state senators criticized a 4.34% lot-rent increase at RHP’s Huguenot Estates in the Town of Deerpark, citing residents’ reports of ignored maintenance, including a broken septic pipe that had gone unrepaired for roughly a year.14New York State Senate. Senator Metzger Calls on RHP Properties to Address Maintenance
A 2022 Colorado state legislative report, cited in the federal antitrust complaint, identified RHP along with Equity Lifestyle Properties and Kingsley Management as the operators drawing the most complaints in the state. That Colorado effort produced new resident protections, including a right of first refusal when communities are sold.15Courthouse News Service. Townsend v. Datacomp Appraisal Systems Class Action Complaint
At the federal level, Senator Maggie Hassan opened an investigation in December 2025 into corporate mobile-home park owners, sending letters to six investment firms. RHP was not among the six that received letters in that round, though the investigation continues, with a resident survey launched in New Hampshire in April 2026.16NBC News. Investment Groups in Trailer Parks17Joint Economic Committee. Senator Hassan Invites New Hampshire Mobile Home Park Residents to Share Their Experiences
The Company Behind the Cases
RHP Properties was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan. It describes itself as the nation’s largest privately held owner and operator of manufactured home communities, managing 375 communities across 31 states with more than 80,000 home sites and asset value above $10 billion.18RHP Properties. About RHP Properties Its capital comes from institutional investors including the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Macquarie Group, and UBS Group.19Private Equity Stakeholder Project. Private Equity Manufactured Housing Tracker