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Residents of Shady Oaks Mobile Home Park in Arundel are bracing for a sharp rent increase set to take effect December 1, raising fears that dozens of seniors and low-income homeowners could be forced out after the town declined to intervene.
Roughly 70 households own their mobile homes but rent the lots beneath them, currently paying between $530 and $680 a month. Tenants say they were notified that rents will rise by as much as $130 per month – a jump many say they simply cannot afford.
Longtime resident Jennifer Moreau, who relies on a fixed income, warned that “a whole other group of our population is about to be homeless.”
Residents...
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The situation at Shady Oaks mirrors a broader trend across Maine, where mobile home parks purchased by out-of-state investment firms have issued steep rent increases.
You know when you see any article coming out of Maine that the theme will always be that private equity groups are inherently evil and all parks should be owned by non-profits and tenants – the usual socialist take on America. The only thing I ever wonder is how Maine got so screwed up politically. Apparently consuming too much lobster and maple syrup turns you into a raging idiot.

