Old Orchard Beach voters overwhelmingly approved a rent control measure for mobile home owners.

The referendum was drafted by residents who tried without success to buy their parks for more than $40 million last spring.

THE referendum caps annual lot rent increases for residents at 5 percent, with some exceptions. The measure also details a process for residents to challenge proposed rent increases through a municipal arbitrator.

Real estate investment firm Follett USA, which purchased Old Orchard Village and Atlantic Village in August, campaigned against the measure. The company registered with the Maine Ethics Commission as the “Committee to Protect Affordable Housing in Old Orchard Beach.” Reports show over $17,700 was devoted to the opposition campaign.

And he argued that rent control would be too costly to implement. The measure suggests residents would have to pay an administrative fee to cover the costs, which Follett described as a “tax” on affordable housing in signs placed around the city.

Atlantic Village resident Linda Cole said she and her neighbors want more protections against drastic rent increases under a new park owner.

And she said they offer a simple message to voters: “That we’ve lived here for a while.” There are many older people living here on fixed incomes. And that a large company bought the park for a very large sum of money. …And we were afraid that they would have us kicked out of our own homes, because of their history. »

Maine housing advocates say they could implement additional protections for mobile home residents next year, which could include rent control measures at the local or statewide level. State or more tools to help residents purchase their parks.

So far, only residents of the Linnhaven Mobile Home Center in Brunswick have managed to form a cooperative and bought their park under Maine’s relatively new “option to purchase” law.