LUDLOW, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Mobile Home Park Tenants in Ludlow fight against major rent increases Monday night in front of the town’s Rent Control Board.
Western Mass News went to the town meeting to speak with residents in attendance.
Residents of the West Street Village Mobile Home Park took the town’s rental control board to court back in 2024, opposing its decision to increase rent from 207 dollars a month to 503 dollars a month. That being an increase of over 140 percent.
Tenants won their appeal in Housing Court and a rent roll back earlier this year, however the judge deferred the decision back to the Ludlow Rent Control Board to...
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Residents of the West Street Village Mobile Home Park took the town’s rental control board to court back in 2024, opposing its decision to increase rent from 207 dollars a month to 503 dollars a month. That being an increase of over 140 percent.
Let’s first try to get a handle on why THE RENT CONTROL BOARD APPOVED THE $207 RENT INCREASE. It’s not hard to do. Here are the housing stats for Ludlow, Massachusetts:
Average single-family home: $293,000
Average apartment rent: $1,510 per month
So clearly, the rent control board was 100% correct approving a $503 per month lot rent.
But, to me, here’s the big issue: when the rent control board approves a rent you can’t then ask for a do-over because you don’t like the outcome. In that case, what’s the point of the rent control board?
This is going to end with the park owner suing the City of Ludlow and winning, or tearing the park down and putting up a higher use on that land. In no way are the tenants going to force the owner to remain open at a ridiculously low rent. Not a chance.