Bozeman mobile home tenants keep rent strike going at two parks

BOZEMAN, Mont. — Tenants at two Bozeman mobile home parks are still refusing to pay rent after they said another increase took effect just before the properties changed hands.

Rent was due May 1, and the strike reached day 12 as residents at Mountain Meadows Mobile Home Park and King Arthur Park pushed back against the latest increase.

Between Mountain Meadows and King Arthur Mobile Home Parks, more than half the residents are taking part in the strike.

Residents on strike said mobile home lot rent went up 11% last month without an explanation and just before the sale of the properties to a new owner.

“The largest rent hike that we've ever experienced. Less than eight months after, or about eight months after the last largest rent hike, we've ever experienced. We weren't told anything, just, 'Pay it or we'll evict you,'” said Benjamin Moore, a member of the Mountain Meadows tenant union.

Tenants at both parks said they formed a union last summer after the parks were put up for sale because they wanted a voice in what happened next and hoped to avoid being priced out.

Moore said tenants were left out of sale details until the deal was finalized last week. He said residents spoke with the new property manager, but had not had direct contact with the new owners and did not know exactly who the new owners were.

Moore said that uncertainty raised more concern for residents.

“That's extremely worrying, because we have all seen and heard of what happens when private equity, some secret investor buys out some place and decides they're going to just change everything,” said Moore.

NonStop Local reached out to the previous owner, Billings-based Oakland and Company, for comment but had not heard back. We also reached out to the person tenants believed is the new owner, but have been unable to verify that information.

“It hasn't been a healthy system and there's no reason for it to have been this way. So, we just want to we just want to course correct,” Moore said.