MISSOULA — Mobile home parks have long presented an option for seemingly affordable home ownership.
But with large property management companies buying up parks across the country and subsequently raising rent, that affordability has come into question.
This is no secret to residents of one mobile home park in Missoula, Travois Village, as shortly after their park was bought, they immediately began seeing unaffordable rent hikes.
Residents organized and announced the formation of a supermajority tenants' union to combat the increases on Tuesday evening. A total of 194 units — 71% — in Travois Village are now union members.
Watch to learn more about the formation of a tenants' union at a Missoula mobile home park:
“To stand with our neighbors and to celebrate the fact that they are launching the first, the only, supermajority tenants' union in Missoula, Montana,” said Jackson Sapp, an organizer for the Missoula Tenants Union.
“It got to be too much. To watch my neighbors getting crushed like that,” said Travois Village resident and union organizer Erik Brilz.
The formation of the union comes after the Texas-based owner of the park attempted to raise the lot rent by hundreds of dollars.
“This fundamental sense of community is precisely what the Travois Tenants Union is trying to preserve, and at a fair price,” said one resident who spoke on Tuesday evening.
Oak Wood Properties owns 85 mobile home parks across the country and came into ownership of Travois Village in 2023. Shortly after, they began to raise the lot rent.
“Last year they increased our rent by $200 a month and earlier this year, in June, they attempted to increase the rent [by] another $150 a month,” said Brilz.
Travois Village residents began to organize shortly after the rent increase announcement and then negotiated the amount from $150 down to $50.
But still, with many residents being on fixed incomes, the increase in rent leaves many in a difficult situation.
“I was talking to him about the situation here because now he can't afford his heart medicine. And his reaction to me was, "Well, I'm old and I'm going to die anyway, so that's okay." But that's not right,” said another resident who spoke.
The demands of the union include a cap on rent at $580, increasing rent no more than 3% of the national cost-of-living-adjustments (COLA), increased maintenance on facilities at the park and allowing residents to be the first ones allowed to purchase their homes if they are put on the market.
But for some residents, like Terri Wood, the formation of the union seems unwarranted.
“They put in a playscape for the children. They've redone the basketball court. They're putting up a pavilion. There's a lot of work going on around here. Our maintenance crew does an awesome job. And so it's just not all about the rent and the sewer or the sidewalks or whatever,” said Wood.
The Power Group, which represents Oak Wood Properties, released the following statement:
"Travois Village values the feedback and concerns of all our residents. Over the past several months, revisions were made to the lease agreement based on resident input. The revisions were made by licensed Montana counsel, and the revised version has already been implemented and signed by over 100 households across the property.
At this time, no further changes will be made to the lease. Resident satisfaction, however, remains a top priority and we will continue to listen to feedback as part of our ongoing efforts to foster a positive living environment. Additionally, if tenants are confused or concerned with certain lease provisions, we are happy to discuss with them.”
With the list of demands brought forth to Oakwood Properties, the Travois Village Tenants Union hopes that the company will come to the bargaining table in good faith to try and resolve the issues of the tenants. However, the Travois Village Tenants Union says they are prepared for escalation.
