Montana Trailer Park Tenants Launch Rent Strike Amid 11% Rent Hike and Maintenance Complaints

Benjamin Moore, 35, has lived in Mountain Meadows Mobile Home Park, just outside Bozeman, Montana, since he was 17. This month, he and his neighbors took unprecedented action: they are withholding rent.

On May 1, Moore received a rent bill for $947, an 11% increase from April and the second rent hike in nine months. The increases followed the park’s sale to an undisclosed buyer. Moore responded by placing a “RENT STRIKE” sign on his trailer.

He is not alone. Residents in Mountain Meadows and the nearby King Arthur Park, organized under the citywide group Bozeman Tenants United, are collectively withholding more than $50,000 in monthly rent from their landlord.

Why Trailer Parks Are Becoming Less Affordable

Trailer parks have long been an affordable housing option—a third of U.S. trailer park residents live below the poverty line. However, over the past decade, the cost of living in these communities has surged by 45% on average.

Living Conditions: Water, Power, and Neglect

Tenants report persistent maintenance failures. Tree limbs dangle dangerously over trailers, and water and power outages are frequent. Moore stated,

“I cannot recall a time in the past 20 years where we had three straight months of water and power working all day, every day.”

Shauna Thompson, another resident, described the water as

“atrocious… like a Milky Way, like you’re drinking skim milk. It’s very nasty and turned off all the time, without any notice.”

Tenants also allege retaliation for maintenance requests, punitive eviction attempts, and unsafe living conditions.

Fear of Displacement After Park Sale

For 40 years, Oakland Properties owned both trailer parks. When tenants learned of the sale, fears arose that the parks might be demolished or rents increased further, pushing residents out. Tenants attempted to buy the parks themselves but were outbid. The winning bidder imposed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

The sale is expected to finalize next month, according to park owner Gary Oakland. Yet, residents still do not know who will own the land they call home.

Oakland acknowledged that this month’s rent hike was “part and parcel” of the sale. For tenants, it feels like a catastrophe. In addition to the $947 lot rent—more than double the national average—many residents also pay mortgages on their trailers, as well as insurance and utility costs.

Landlord’s Response to Tenant Complaints

Oakland dismissed claims of broken utilities, saying,

“If it was such a bad place to live, why would the homes be selling for such high dollars?”

He also described the rent strike as

“just a group of people not paying their rent.”

Despite Oakland’s stance, the strike reflects growing tenant frustration over rising costs and deteriorating living conditions in Montana’s trailer parks.