STEWARTVILLE, Minn. (KTTC) — Two mobile home parks in Stewartville were sold last month, leaving many residents blindsided and forced to face the reality of higher fees under the new ownership.
Back in March, Sun Communities residents were notified that the Southern Hills and Northridge Place mobile home parks were being sold to an unknown buyer, but they heard nothing since then until the sale became official on July 19.
Even then, residents said the buyer was still unknown. Several residents did their own research and found that Havenpark Communities, a Utah-based investment company, is the new owner.
“I also tried to see if there were any contact numbers for Havenpark because I believe their main business is in Utah and there are no numbers,” said resident Erin Milz. “I can’t find anything, there are no emails.”
Milz and her family have lived here for seven years. One of the biggest shocks of the change, Milz said, is that rents on some properties are going up. She learned in a letter from the property manager that rent for new residents is going up from $514 to $895. Existing residents are subject to tenancy rules, but they fear they will see an increase at some point.
“I’m afraid if they keep raising rents like this, I know we’ll have to pay rent or food,” Milz said. “That’s too much. And I know we couldn’t afford that on top of our mortgage.”
This week, residents received a letter from Southern Hills outlining the new plans for Havenpark. It said new services will include tree trimming, pool improvements, clubhouse improvements and road improvements. It also announced a rent increase for residents in 2025 that will be less than 10%.
Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said that increasing property rents would hurt the park as a whole and that people might be trapped in their homes and unable to move out if they wanted to.
“If we wanted to move to another area, we would have to find someone who would be willing to pay a mortgage on the trailer and the parking space rent of about $800 a month, which is over $2,000 a month,” said an anonymous resident. “And that’s even though most houses cost about that amount anyway. So who’s going to pay for it?”
The community of Southern Hills and Northridge has started a petition to stop the rent increases.
Havenpark Communities issued the following statement to KTTC:
“Havenpark is excited to be part of the Southern Hills Community, a great trailer park in the greater Rochester area. We have plans to make the community even more enjoyable for residents and visitors through new landscaping, pool repairs, road and infrastructure improvements, and new signage that will further enhance the beauty and accessibility of Southern Hills. Southern Hills Community Managers shared the news of our improvement projects in an official letter to residents this week, which also addressed concerns about alleged rent increases for existing residents.
Our goal is to create a community where all Southern Hills residents can be proud to call home.”
KTTC called several mobile home parks to compare pitch rental prices and found the following:
-Rocky Creek, Rochester, $475/month
-Oak Terrace, Rochester, $535/month
-Hallmark Terrace, Rochester $440/month
-Willow Ridge, Rochester, from $420/month
KTTC also called mobile home parks outside of Rochester, but the calls were not answered.
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