West Stockbridge, Mass., Code of Bylaws ch 170 § 170-4
Rent adjustment proceedings (West Stockbridge Mobile Home Parks)
Operative Text
A. Adjustment of maximum rent. The Board shall consider an adjustment of rent for an individual or group of mobile home park accommodations for adjustment filed by the owner of the mobile home park or tenant(s) of such mobile home park accommodation(s). Such petition shall be made in a manner approved by the Board on forms provided by the Board. The petitioning party shall notify the owner if the petition was filed by the tenant(s). The tenant(s) shall be notified if the petitioning party is the owner. Notification shall be made 60 days prior to the date of proposed adjustment of rent. The petition must be in writing on the appropriate form. The Board shall schedule a hearing within 21 days of receipt of the petition. If a hearing is requested by either party, or if the action is undertaken on the initiative of the Board, notice of the time and place of the hearing shall be published once in the Berkshire Eagle or such other newspaper which has a general circulation in the Town, not less than five days prior to the hearing. The Board may consolidate petitions and actions relating to mobile home park accommodations in the same mobile home park, and all such petitions and actions may be considered in a single hearing. A hearing under this section shall be an adjudicatory hearing, following the procedures set forth in MGL c. 30A and 801 CMR 1.02 , Informal/Fair Hearing Rules, insofar as the procedures are relevant. B. General adjustment of maximum rent by regulation. (1) On its own initiative, the Board may make a general adjustment, by percentage or otherwise, of the rental levels for mobile home park accommodations, subject to such conditions, if any, as the Board shall determine. Prior to making such adjustment, a public hearing shall be held before the Board. Notice of the time, place, and purpose of such hearings shall be published one time in the Berkshire Eagle or such other newspaper which has a general circulation in the Town. Notice shall be published not less than five days prior to said hearing. There shall be no filing fee associated with a general adjustment, and the costs of publication and holding the public hearing shall be borne by the Town. (2) Except as the Board for good cause may otherwise determine, annually, in October of each year, the Board shall hold a public hearing on whether to make a general adjustment; if, as a result of the public hearing, the Board determines that a general adjustment should be made, the amount of the adjustment shall be based upon the increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the prior year for the Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA) where the Town is located.
West Stockbridge, Mass., Code of Bylaws CH. 170 § 170-4 establishes a formal process through which the local Rent Board can adjust the maximum rents charged at mobile home parks, either in response to a petition from a park owner or tenant(s), or on the Board's own initiative. Individual or group rent adjustment petitions must be submitted in writing on Board-approved forms, with the opposing party notified at least 60 days before any proposed change, and a hearing scheduled within 21 days of the petition's receipt. The Board may also make broader, regulation-wide rent adjustments—typically tied to the Consumer Price Index for the region—following an annual public hearing held each October, with publication notice in a newspaper of general local circulation.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under West Stockbridge, Mass., Code of Bylaws CH. 170 § 170-4, mobile home park owners who wish to seek a rent adjustment must file a written petition on the Board's approved forms and provide tenants with at least 60 days' notice before the proposed adjustment date. Compliant operators ensure that all required notifications are properly documented and timely, and they participate in any scheduled adjudicatory hearing, which follows the procedures outlined in MGL c. 30A and 801 CMR 1.02. Owners should also be aware that the Board may initiate a general, CPI-based rent adjustment on its own each October, which could affect rental levels across an entire mobile home park without a separate owner petition.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
CH. 170 § 170-4 of the West Stockbridge Code of Bylaws gives mobile home park tenants the right to petition the Rent Board directly for a rent adjustment, using forms provided by the Board at no filing fee for general adjustments. If a tenant or group of tenants files a petition, the park owner must be notified at least 60 days in advance, and the Board is required to schedule a hearing within 21 days of receiving the petition. Tenants who believe their rents are not in compliance with this provision may consider contacting the West Stockbridge Rent Board for guidance on the petition process, or reaching out to a local tenant-rights organization for general information about their options.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 11, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
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