Families evicted as mobile home company seeks growth
NASHVILLE - Residents say the bullying started two years ago, when the new company took over.
They were slapped with fines for letting the grass get too long or for parking the wrong way. A tow truck would cart off cars left parked with a flat tire. Children playing in the park were told to be quiet.
And then the eviction notices started coming.
The evictions from Holiday Village and Shady Hills, both off of Dickerson Pike in East Nashville, come as the New Jersey-based owner of the two mobile home parks has been executing an ambitious expansion plan, replacing older mobile homes with newer, modern versions.
But the moves by UMH Properties Inc. have not been without controversy and the evictions of several immigrant families have left the tenants with little recourse under housing law that favors landlords.
The residents, most of whom are Latino, argue the evictions are discriminatory. But UMH said they haven’t done anything against the law.
“Race, or any other protected class, is never a factor in any of UMH’s landlord practices,” company spokesman Ken Frydman said. “UMH strives to provide quality affordable housing. Enforcement of rules and regulations is necessary to maintain quiet and peaceful communities for all residents.”
While landlords are not required to provide a reason for evicting month-tomonth tenants under the law, Frydman said at least five of the evicted families violated community rules and regulations such as owning “menacing pit bulls, animal cruelty, illegal drug possession, illegal poultry farming, an illegal sublease and refusal to remove or fix a broken-down car leaking oil.”
UMH would not identify the accused residents, citing privacy concerns.
A total of 12 families were served with eviction notices over the holidays in what resident Jiovanny Fructuoso contends are only the most recent measures in the company’s effort to turn a profit.
Fructuoso has lived in one mobile home unit at the Shady Hills property on Dickerson Pike with his wife and two children for the past five years without incident, he said. His parents live in another unit with his two younger siblings, just one street over. Both families are being evicted.
At first, the tenants at Holiday Village and Shady Hills went quietly, Fructuoso said, but when he was served an eviction notice, he decided to fight back.
“My mom always told us that you should never let anybody punk you out,” Fructuoso said. “You should stand up for yourself.”
His family have been among the most vocal opponents.