Petaluma mobile home park rent doubled, mistakenly set to auto-debit

PETALUMA, Calif. - Seniors on fixed incomes who live at a Petaluma mobile home park said Monday they feel bullied, harassed and stressed by their landlord and ongoing threats to double their rents.

Without notice, residents at Youngstown Mobile Home Park off North McDowell Boulevard said they had a $923 increase to their monthly rents, showing up on the online payment portal the day before Thanksgiving.

"I thought it’s either gross incompetence or retaliation and best wishes for the holidays," said Mary Ruppenthal who has lived at the park since 1987. "To me that’s strictly harassment."

It’s the latest frustration for a group of tightly-knit neighbors who gathered at one of their homes Monday afternoon. They sat in a circle on couches and chairs, each sharing their fears, struggles and worries that they may not be able to make ends meet.

"How am I going to buy groceries? How am I going to pay my PG&E bill?" said resident Sandy Shuteroff. "I think what they’re doing to all of us in this park is wrong."

For months, the group has organized and grown to fight the park owner, Three Pillar Communities, over the 100% rise in rent that was first announced in a letter to residents in July. The change unexpectedly showed up on their accounts last week.

Despite rent control, the issue is going to arbitration where a judge will decide what increase, if any, is appropriate. Arbitration is required under Petaluma’s rent stabilization ordinance if a property owner wants to push for a substantial increase in monthly rent.

It's not the only mobile home park in the Bay Area facing major rent increases. Little Woods Mobile Villa residents, also in Petaluma, received letters informing them of a 300% increase. And Avalon Mobile Home Park in Castro Valley, which is also owned by Three Pillar Communities is headed to arbitration over proposed increases. 

"I don’t understand why they think they need so much money to live on when we have so little to live on," Shuteroff said.

Youngstown residents have helped raise $50,000 in legal aid to pay attorney fees and cover costs linked to the arbitration hearing that’s scheduled for mid-January.

"Enough is enough," Ruppenthal said. "We are not sitting back."

While residents said they knew a hike could be an eventual reality, they were shocked upon finding the new rent amount was set to be deducted from their bank accounts Friday.

"People are going to get blindsided horrendously with a financial downfall," said resident Tim Porteous. "It’s a scare tactic to worry us. We’ve had people leave."

Neighbors quickly warned one another and confronted the landlord last week. They said Three Pillar Communities, which owns the park, admitted it was a premature change in rent and blamed it on a system error. It’s expected to be corrected by Tuesday.

The company did not immediately respond to KTVU’s request for comment.

Residents said they’re also worried over the park owner’s threats that it may soon open the property to more than just seniors, but all age groups. They want to keep their 55-and-over community together but said the company has already taken down signs and said it will rent spaces to whomever it wants.

While the city zoned the neighborhood as low-income, senior housing, some fear they could be wiped out financially, with nowhere else to go.

"People are afraid," said Shuteroff. "They don’t know if they’re going to have a place to live today, tomorrow, next week, next month. How would you feel if that was you?"

Petaluma officials told KTVU it is advising residents not to pay any rent increases until the arbitration process has been completed.

Brooks Jarosz is an investigative reporter for KTVU. Email him at  brooks.jarosz@fox.com and follow him on Facebook and X @BrooksKTVU