Sanford has become the latest Maine municipality to limit rent hikes at mobile home parks.

The City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday to enact a 90-day moratorium on rent increases at mobile home parks in the city.

Sanford passed its moratorium in response to the “ever-increasing” rent for mobile home residents in the city, City Manager Steven Buck said at Tuesday’s meeting.

Rent for residents of Marsh Brook Estates, a manufactured housing park in Sanford owned by New York-based Phillips International, has nearly doubled over the past five years.

The moratorium cites significant rent increases in recent years and acknowledges that they mainly target people 55 and older on either fixed or low incomes.

A resident of Marsh Brook Estates told a Press Herald reporter that he has taken up work as a school bus driver, despite retiring a few years ago, to keep up with rent increases there. Another said she is planning to move out because of the higher bills.

The council can decide to extend the moratorium if deemed necessary or allow it to expire on Dec. 17.

Councilors said they will be working on a long-term, local solution in the meantime.

“I’m concerned a lot of the damage from out-of-state owners has been done at this point,” said Councilor Ayn Hanselmann.

Hanselmann said it will be important to have a local ordinance in place by the end of the moratorium in case of hiccups surrounding the new law.

Councilor Maura Herlihy said the moratorium is warranted because “this is a very predatory situation right now.”

Councilor Jonathan Martell, the sole councilor to vote against the moratorium, said he does not want the city to fall into a “trap” with rent control. He noted it can result in a “cat and mouse game,” chasing down landlords who find loopholes, such as surcharges for simple upkeep like mowing the lawn.

“I don’t believe we should be getting involved in rent control of any kind and messing with the free market,” Martell said.

Sanford is not alone in addressing rent increases at manufactured house and mobile home parks.

Old Orchard Beach residents voted in November to approve a rent stabilization ordinance for mobile home parks, capping annual increases at 5%, except under special circumstances.

The Waterville City Council approved a temporary moratorium this month on lot rent increases while it develops a rent stabilization ordinance. Brunswick also recently approved funding to study a possible ordinance after hearing from mobile home park residents that rents there are making a previously affordable housing option unsustainable.

In Gorham, residents of the Friendly Village mobile home park are hoping their town council will approve ordinance changes that restrict excessive rent increases.