Clinton Eyeing Fair Rent Commission

CLINTON:

    Deb Gifford hasn’t lived on easy street for the last several years. She had breast cancer, three back surgeries, and two motor vehicle accidents. She was once employed by Electric Boat but is now on disability. She’s not asking for any special treatment–all she wants is a fair shake in life.

    But for Gifford, her roommate Diane Wiita, and friend Cindy Torres, the treatment they have received from the corporate owner of two mobile home properties in Clinton is forcing them to seek help from town officials.

    Gifford and Torres recently attended a Board of Selectmen meeting where they told their stories. In response, First Selectmen William “Willie” Fritz said the town will look into creating a fair rent commission, one that can oversee the mobile home and apartment properties in town.

    “There are two issues that need to be looked at: rents and the conditions of the parks,” said Fritz, who said he would involve the Consumer Protection Agency and the state Attorney General’s office.

    The properties in question include two manufactured or mobile home developments owned by RHP Properties of Farmington Hills, Michigan. They are Cedar Grove North (10 units) and South (50 units) on West Main Street, and Evergreen Springs (103 units) on Route 81.

    The residents’ complaints range from illegal and arbitrary rent increases, refusal by management to provide requested documentation, lack of maintenance on the properties including the absence of tree trimming, and the pile-up of junk and presence of unregistered vehicles by the maintenance crew. In addition, the lack of regular septic pumping, inefficient water pressure, and the presence of poison ivy are other concerns.  Other issues include a “constant parade” of different property managers (three in two years) and a disparity between what the owner says it will do and what actually transpires. 

    Gifford purchased her home at the Cedar Grove development in October ’06. Her rent on the property (land) was $418 a month for the one-year length of her lease. The following year she renewed her lease for $418/month. According to Gifford, she was then charged an additional $50 per month this May.

    “You cannot raise the rent in the middle of the lease,” said Gifford, who said that many of her neighbors have been charged $25 or $50 extra a month mid-lease.

    Because she is on a fixed income and couldn’t afford the rent increase, Gifford decided to put her home at Cedar Grove on the market and share another mobile home with roommate Wiita at Evergreen Springs.

    Similar issues began happening at Evergreen Springs. As Wiita explained, she signed a lease in March of this year for $448 a month. One month later, the rent was increased to $465. Wiita said that when she approached the manager about the rent increase, the manager stated that the prior owners were sent a letter in January that indicated that a rent increase was coming due to an “operational budget.” Both women have requested this “operational budget” from management and have yet to receive it.

    Cindy Torres, who has lived at Cedar Grove South since 1997, knows a little about the operation of the development since she was once the manager.

    “I co-managed and managed six different Rollar Chateau Communities,” said Torres, who left the position in ’02.

    RHP Properties purchased the Clinton sites from Chateau in 2004.

    Torres said that when she left her position, she equipped the incoming manager with all the records, septic schedules, and maps of the properties.

    “Today, the maps and records have all been lost,” said Torres.

    Torres adds that her former “community” style of management is long gone.

    “When I worked here, I lived here as well. I was a neighbor,” said Torres. “Today, managers come from all over and don’t live on the property. The owners just want someone to answer the phone and not spend their money.”

    Torres prides herself on how the development looked when she managed the property.

    “This was a beautiful park when I managed it,” she noted, saying that her home six years ago was probably worth $65,000. “I’d be lucky to get $40,000 today.”

    Torres, along with Gifford, has experienced rent increases.

    “Last year they started raising the rent arbitrarily,” said Torres. “It had nothing to do with the size of the property, water usage, or the number of people living in the home.”

    Another complaint from all three is that according to the owner’s website, www.rhp-properties.com, the company has a special “Newbury Awards Program” for residents, and is “committed to giving back to their community”–none of which they have experienced. On the website, the awards program is designed “to promote resident involvement in their communities, long-term lease loyalty, and neighborhood beautification.”

    According to the residents, they have never seen or heard of a reward from RHP. In addition, RHP says it is “deeply committed to the principle of community service.” On its website, it says they provide aid to “various charities.” Torres said she had never heard of RHP giving money to any non-profit in town.

    Joseph Carbone, regional manager with RHP Properties, addressed some of the women’s concerns in a phone call last week. He said that as he understood it, rents could only be increased at the end of the lease.

    “As far as I know we don’t have any outstanding issues with any of the residents,” said Carbone. “We try to address issues on an as-needed basis.”

    As to the lack of maintenance on the properties, Carbone said they routinely schedule for septic pumping.

    “No one has brought to our attention any health and safety concerns,” he said.

    Addressing other issues, Carbone said that to his knowledge, RHP has not donated money to any Clinton charities, but said when asked, the company has given in the past to other towns. He knew nothing about a rewards program and claimed information on it was not on the company’s website.

    As far as the succession of three managers in two years, Carbone, who has worked for RHP for two years, said he would not comment on this, other than to say the company tries to actively recruit quality people for the job.