Residents of a North Bay mobile home park claim their landlord is taking revenge on them for their assistance in Petaluma’s new rent control rules’ passage. Senior citizens who are all tenants claim they are scared of being forced to live on the streets because of the Petaluma mobile home rent hike.
Petaluma Mobile Home Rent Hike
The current Petaluma mobile home rent control law sets annual rise limits at 70% of San Francisco’s June Consumer Price Index, or 2%. Therefore, the idea of having to pay an additional $923.41 is out of the question for the residents, the majority of whom are on fixed incomes and many of whom are in their 80s and 90s. Rudy Maglenty, resident at a North Bay mobile home park, received a package informing him that his monthly Petaluma mobile home rent would increase from $1,300 to about $2,300. The 81-year-old, who only moved here two years ago, claimed to have been the recipient of numerous threatening messages.
According to Larissa Branes, the property owners’ lawyer who was contacted by KPIX, the park is a private business, and the Petaluma mobile home rent control statute is unconstitutional. US property owners have a fundamental right to receive a fair and reasonable return on their investment.
Even though Petaluma mobile home rent increases exceed the cap, arbitration must take place within 60 days. To potentially challenge Petaluma mobile home rent control, the homeowners are offered free legal counsel from attorneys and expert witnesses. Property owners are making senior citizens defend the problem instead of suing the city.
Petaluma Mobile Home Renters Worry About Being Evicted
Petaluma mobile home renters are concerned that they would soon have to live on the streets. Mobile homes are frequently an excellent deal in the Bay Area, but there is a drawback. The property owners claim they are thinking about closing the parks, leaving the inhabitants with few good options. Homes are owned by their occupants, while the land they are situated on belongs to the landlord.
Although KPIX was unable to reach the park’s owners on Sunday, a meeting is planned at Petaluma city hall for the following month. At that point, both parties are anticipated to submit their arguments. There is no time limit, and the letter explicitly said that it wasn’t a formal notice of closure. The owners are merely considering it and providing locals with food for thought.
