Mass. AG sues mobile home park owner, alleging ‘unfair and retaliatory’ rent hikes
The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office is suing a California-based investment firm over allegations that it instituted "unfair and retaliatory" rent increases at a Taunton mobile home park.
On Monday, the state attorney general's office filed a lawsuit against BoaVida Communities , accusing it of violating state laws and regulations regarding manufactured housing communities through its management of Willow Terrace Mobile Home Park, the attorney general's office said in a press release .
BoaVida Communities did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon.
Since purchasing the 74-lot manufactured housing community in November 2022, the investment firm has unlawfully raised rent prices without offering tenants five-year leases three times, the attorney general's office said. Over the last three years, BoaVida increased monthly rent at Willow Terrace from $302 to $535 — a 56% jump.
Residents of the mobile home park reported concerns about the rent hikes to the state attorney general's office, which, in turn, investigated the complaints, the attorney general's office said. State prosecutors notified the investment firm about its potential state law violations in March 2025.
Two months later, BoaVida informed the attorney general's office that it had lowered rents at Willow Terrace back to $302 per month, the attorney general's office said. But the following month, the investment firm terminated tenants' existing leases and issued new ones that demanded $703 in monthly rent beginning Oct. 1.
"The AGO's lawsuit asserts that the lease terminations and the rent increase — 133% more than the current $302 per month rate — were made in retaliation against the tenants for reporting violations to the AGO," the release reads.
The lawsuit against BoaVida asks the court to order the investment firm to pay restitution to affected Willow Terrace tenants, as well as civil penalties, and begin complying with state laws and regulations.
"As our residents living in manufactured housing communities continue to grapple with rising costs, the last thing they need is community owners violating their rights and our state laws by raising rents as a form of retaliation," Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said in the release.
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