SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) — Continuing a story we first brought you in February, when residents of a Ludlow trailer park learned their rent would be increased by well over 100 percent, tenants gathered outside housing court in Springfield Wednesday morning.
There was quite a large crowd outside the courthouse as tenants waited to appeal the rent increase.
“We have a lot of people on fixed incomes, but also a lot who feel like they’re not getting what they pay for, even if they can afford it,” says local resident Ethan Fields.
Residents of the West Street Mobile Home Park in Ludlow gathered outside Western Housing Court in Springfield Wednesday morning ahead of an appeal hearing where tenants could present their side of the story following a large rent increase.
We’re told the rent for the property where their mobile home sits has gone up from around $207 to $503 a month, an increase of about 150 percent. This comes after residents claimed that the Ludlow rent control board didn’t follow protocols in the first place.
“They didn’t check the numbers, they took estimates and promises literally,” local resident Amanda Sturtevant told us.
Western Mass News reached out to Amanda Sturtevant, a tenant we spoke with in February when we first learned of the rent increase. According to Sturtevant, they had about a month to pass the large rent increase.
““Most of us are on welfare, most of us are senior citizens, none of us are disabled. We can’t afford $503.06 for a house we already own. We have the same bills as regular homeowners, but we pay $500 for the land our house sits on,” Sturtevant claimed.
State Senator Jake Oliveira and State Representative Aaron Saunders say this rent increase could adversely affect many West Street Village residents. We spoke with both of them, who attended both the rally and the hearing, to make these residents’ voices heard.
“I’m just here to show my solidarity with the residents of the West Village. Assemblyman Saunders and I first learned about the rent increase over the winter and were able to see firsthand the improvements Lennon allegedly made to improve the quality of life and justify a nearly 150 percent increase,” Oliveira said.
““I am very pleased to see so many residents here in Housing Court today standing up for their beliefs and what I believe is unconscionable greed and neglect on the part of Tom Lennon and the owners of this park,” Saunders added.
We reached out to the mobile home’s landlord, Tom Lennon, for comment, but he did not respond. However, when we spoke to him on the phone in February, he argued that the increase was necessary for the park’s upkeep because the rent had not been increased in years and was past due. Senator Oliveira’s office told us the next court date is set for September 11.
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