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Kiki, Costa Mesa, CA
Mobile home parks, often seen as an affordable housing solution, have become a breeding ground for corporate greed and predatory practices. My firsthand experience with mobile home park management and the legal systems that support them has left me deeply troubled. The system is ruthlessly designed to exploit vulnerable residents—especially seniors, disabled individuals, and low-income families—leaving them trapped, voiceless, and financially devastated. One of the most worst injustices is the requirement for park management to approve potential buyers of mobile homes. If the home isn’t brand new or if the management sees an opportunity to undercut the seller, they will reject the buyer. Worse, residents are often told their mobile home cannot be moved due to arbitrary rules or fabricated risks. This leaves them with no option but to sell their home to the park owners—at a fraction of its value. Once acquired, the park owners rent the home out for significant profit, further exploiting their former tenants. The lack of protections against exorbitant space rental increases only exacerbates this issue. Many residents seek to sell and move due to relentless rent hikes, but when the system blocks their way out, they are forced into financial ruin. As someone who worked briefly at a law firm representing mobile home park owners, I witnessed heartbreaking cases of eviction. Seniors on fixed incomes, families with no safety net, and caregivers stretched to their limits all fell victim to this predatory cycle.
One case stands out vividly. A woman in her 70s, caring for her terminally ill husband, begged the law firm to allow her to stay until he passed. She had no time, resources, or energy to pack and move while providing 24-hour care. Her desperate pleas went unheard, and the eviction proceeded, even as her husband lay dying. Her story broke my heart—and I couldn’t stomach being part of a system so devoid of humanity. I declined a lucrative job offer from that firm and walked away.
This isn’t just about isolated incidents. It’s a widespread, systemic problem rooted in greed. I’ve seen park management harass owners to sell, using every tactic from manufactured code violations to outright intimidation. One friend, unable to sell or move his mobile home, was forced to accept a paltry $1,000—a single month’s rent at the time—to leave. The park then rented out his former home for far more, turning a profit from his misfortune.
These exploitative practices disproportionately harm those least able to fight back: seniors, disabled individuals, and families living paycheck to paycheck. Corporate owners of mobile home parks act with impunity, knowing the law often sides with them. Meanwhile, their residents face rising rents, eviction threats, and the constant fear of losing the roof over their heads. I fear for these people. They need protection. Caps on space rental increases, and close loopholes that allow park owners to deny sales or force buyout. Since it only affects a small population, their fight against big corporations is substanial. More people need to become aware of the greed and to help pass laws preventing this exploitation.
Mobile home parks, often seen as an affordable housing solution, have become a breeding ground for corporate greed and predatory practices. My firsthand experience with mobile home park management and the legal systems that support them has left me deeply troubled. The system is ruthlessly designed to exploit vulnerable residents—especially seniors, disabled individuals, and low-income families—leaving them trapped, voiceless, and financially devastated. One of the most worst injustices is the requirement for park management to approve potential buyers of mobile homes. If the home isn’t brand new or if the management sees an opportunity to undercut the seller, they will reject the buyer. Worse, residents are often told their mobile home cannot be moved due to arbitrary rules or fabricated risks. This leaves them with no option but to sell their home to the park owners—at a fraction of its value. Once acquired, the park owners rent the home out for significant profit, further exploiting their former tenants. The lack of protections against exorbitant space rental increases only exacerbates this issue. Many residents seek to sell and move due to relentless rent hikes, but when the system blocks their way out, they are forced into financial ruin. As someone who worked briefly at a law firm representing mobile home park owners, I witnessed heartbreaking cases of eviction. Seniors on fixed incomes, families with no safety net, and caregivers stretched to their limits all fell victim to this predatory cycle.
One case stands out vividly. A woman in her 70s, caring for her terminally ill husband, begged the law firm to allow her to stay until he passed. She had no time, resources, or energy to pack and move while providing 24-hour care. Her desperate pleas went unheard, and the eviction proceeded, even as her husband lay dying. Her story broke my heart—and I couldn’t stomach being part of a system so devoid of humanity. I declined a lucrative job offer from that firm and walked away.
This isn’t just about isolated incidents. It’s a widespread, systemic problem rooted in greed. I’ve seen park management harass owners to sell, using every tactic from manufactured code violations to outright intimidation. One friend, unable to sell or move his mobile home, was forced to accept a paltry $1,000—a single month’s rent at the time—to leave. The park then rented out his former home for far more, turning a profit from his misfortune.
These exploitative practices disproportionately harm those least able to fight back: seniors, disabled individuals, and families living paycheck to paycheck. Corporate owners of mobile home parks act with impunity, knowing the law often sides with them. Meanwhile, their residents face rising rents, eviction threats, and the constant fear of losing the roof over their heads. I fear for these people. They need protection. Caps on space rental increases, and close loopholes that allow park owners to deny sales or force buyout. Since it only affects a small population, their fight against big corporations is substanial. More people need to become aware of the greed and to help pass laws preventing this exploitation.