Residents of a mobile home park in southern Maine are suing its former and current owners, claiming they were denied their right under the state's fair trade statute to organize and make an offer to buy the park themselves before it was sold last year.
Residents want to undo the sale and are seeking monetary damages, WGME reported.
What happened?
Shady Oaks residents claim they have dealt with huge rent hikes because the park was sold. Under Maine's fair trade statute, the state requires mobile home park owners to notify residents before accepting an offer to sell the park. A 2023 amendment added that the notice period is required to be 60 days before the owner can give final acceptance of the sale offer.
During those 60 days, mobile home owners can make their own offer to buy the land.
Through their attorney, the defendants said the transaction "did not involve the sale or transfer of a mobile home park under the applicable law" and argued that the company that held the property before the deal "still owns it today," WGME reported.
Why does it matter?
For many families, mobile home parks represent one of the few remaining forms of lower-cost housing. Residents often own their homes while leasing the land beneath them, leaving them especially vulnerable to rent increases and rule changes they have little power to challenge.
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That pressure can extend well beyond monthly housing costs. Across the country, landlords and property managers have also been known to prevent renters from adopting money-saving lifestyle changes, including gardening and hanging clotheslines to dry their laundry.
What's being done?
The residents are seeking monetary damages along with a chance to purchase the park themselves. If they win, the case could bolster the ability of tenants in similar communities to organize and pursue resident ownership when parks change hands.
For renters and homeowners dealing with restrictive property rules elsewhere, it may help to organize with neighbors and learn what rights already exist under local or state law. People who want to work with landlords or associations to revise outdated restrictions can also check out TCD's guide to changing community rules.
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