This isn’t the retirement Ann Hartley imagined.
“At 76 years old, I’m cleaning homes and substitute teaching,” Hartley said. “I love to garden… and I’m just not here to do that because I have to work. That’s very sad for me because that’s not what I thought my final years of enjoying my grandkids and living my life out would be like. This is not what I had in mind.”
Standing between Hartley and the vision of her golden years are rising rent prices. She lives in Leisurewoods, a community in Taunton composed of manufactured homes, also known as mobile homes. The model is designed to offer affordable living, but now some say they are being priced out.
“It’s beautiful, the birds. It’s just a wonderful community, so I’d hate to leave,” Hartley said.
But, Hartley said, she and others may not have a choice.
Residents in Leisurewoods own their units but must pay rent for the land, and that rent continues to rise.
“A good portion of the people here are seniors, and some are handicapped. We cannot just do extra hours of work or ask the boss for overtime. We are locked into an income, our social security and it doesn’t go up,” Hartley explained.
A big concern for Hartley and others is that rent is not equal despite state laws saying it should be.
Leases shared by Leisurewoods residents show that some homeowners are paying nearly $300 more in rent than their neighbors. Those facing the higher bills are often newer residents, who are also hit with steeper annual rent increases.
“Everyone should be paying the same rent. You are renting the land, not the houses,” said Jeff Waite, another Leisurewoods resident.
Massachusetts has laws designed to protect the affordability of manufactured home communities. One of those laws states that rents must be the same regardless of when people move in.
The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Guide to the law stated, “owner/operators may not be able to charge new residents entering the community a different rent than residents already living in the community.”
“It helps preserve the affordability of these communities,” explained Ethan Mascoop, the chair of the Commonwealth’s Manufactured Homes Commission.
Around 30,000 Massachusetts residents live in manufactured homes across more than 200 communities.
Mascoop said that when rents become unaffordable for residents in these communities, they can’t just leave because they own their homes and despite their name, many are not actually mobile.
“They are a target, they are a financial target,” Mascoop said. “You have people who are basically trapped and they cannot move and that is such an easy target to take advantage of.”
Hometown America owns Leisurewoods and five other similar neighborhoods in Massachusetts.
Two of the other communities are suing Hometown America for charging newcomers more.
This isn’t the first lawsuit the company has faced.
A Massachusetts judge already ruled Hometown America could not charge “additional rent for essentially the same lots.”
Despite this, the disparities in rent continue.
Data that Hometown America submitted to state lawmakers in 2022 shows rent varies across almost all its MA communities, with the highest disparities found at Leisurewoods.
“All we want is what’s fair. We’re not asking for a free ride. We aren’t asking for anything free we just want to be treated fairly and everyone should be treated the same, is what the law says,” Waite said.
A Hometown America spokesperson told 7 Investigates that it “values all its residents.”
The company did not directly address the rent disparities but pointed to long-term residents who have lifetime leases, “which must be respected and honored.”
“We value all of our residents, including our long-term residents who comprise the majority of the community. These residents have lifetime leases, which must be respected and honored in accordance with the terms agreed to in their original lease. We believe that this is the right and fair thing to do,” a Hometown America spokesperson told 7 Investigates.
Residents in Leisurewoods said they can’t afford to hire an attorney to sue the company and don’t think they should have to.
“Hometown America is getting away with this because they have. Nobody has held them accountable for their actions,” said resident Stuart Briggs. “I’m tired of them getting away with it. Something has to change.”
Ultimately, enforcing state laws falls to the state’s attorney general.
Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell’s office said it is reviewing complaints from the Leisurewoods community but refused to comment on if any further action will be taken.
Mascoop said his commission has tried to get the AG’s office to act in the past.
“I think it is very difficult to enforce everything all the time and it takes a lot of resources to fight these battles in court,” he said.
However, that answer doesn’t cut it for people living here on fixed incomes and where $300 more a month would go a long way.
“I don’t even know how much longer I can stay here, but I will continue with the fight because this is just not right. It’s not right that people are enjoying their lives and then coming to the end and having to find another place to live because they can’t afford to live here anymore. It just doesn’t seem right,” Hartley said.
For many, these communities are one of the last affordable options. If these rents continue to rise and protections erode, many fear that manufactured home communities could disappear and leave vulnerable residents with nowhere else to go.
“They are significant sources of homes and affordability, and I think if we lost that, we would lose a valuable part of society and it would be another source of homelessness,” Mascoop said.
Mascoop recommends that residents living in communities with concerns should continue to reach out to the AG’s office, contact MA Legal Help and the Commission for Manufactured Homes.
Source:: News – Boston – whdh
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