A Tennessee renter who thought she had finally found stable footing in a mobile home community instead opened her mail to find a stunning 70% jump in lot rent after a new investor bought the park. Her experience captures how a form of housing long marketed as the affordable edge of the American dream is colliding with aggressive ownership models and a legal landscape that offers residents few protections.
Her story is not an isolated billing dispute but a window into a national shift. Over 22 million Americans now live in mobile homes, and as more outside capital flows into these parks, the balance of power between residents and landlords is tilting in ways that can turn a modest rent bill into an existential threat.
The Tennessee shock: a 70% jump and a silent landlord
The Tennessee woman at the center of this case lives in a mobile home park where she owns her home but rents the land beneath it, a structure that leaves her vulnerable when the park changes hands. After a new investor took over the community, she received notice that her monthly lot rent would rise by 70%, a spike that would blow up any careful household budget. Reporting on the case describes the new owner as effectively incommunicado, with the tenant unable to get anyone on the phone to explain the math or negotiate terms, even as she disputes being labeled late on prior payments. The lack of a human response is as destabilizing as the number on the page, because it signals that decisions about her housing are being made far away from the people who live with the consequences.
County records show that the park is part of a cluster of properties in Blount County that recently changed hands. In that area, County documents identify Volunteer Runway Communities as the buyer of three mobile home parks in Blount County, a sign that this is not a one-off mom and pop purchase but part of a larger portfolio strategy. Since the new owner stepped in, residents describe a pattern of steep increases and thin communication, a combination that leaves people like this Tennessee renter scrambling to understand not only what they owe but who, exactly, is calling the shots.
Inside the Louisville lot where Russell’s bill exploded
The Tennessee case echoes another jarring increase in the same region, where Russell, a hairstylist, has lived in a mobile home community in Louisville for nearly 13 years. She owns her home outright and pays only for the lot, a model that should, in theory, keep her monthly costs predictable. Instead, she opened her latest statement to find that her lot rent would also jump by 70%, a figure that would be eye catching in any market, let alone in a small Tennessee town. Russell told investigators that she has tried repeatedly to reach someone in charge to talk about the increase and the late-fee claims attached to her account, but she has received no meaningful response.
Video from the same community shows another resident, Sherry, describing how she has called and emailed about the new charges and heard nothing back. In the clip, Sherry says it is “not even about the money” so much as the feeling that no one on the ownership side is willing to explain what is happening. A second posting of the same footage on another channel reinforces that point, with Sherry repeating that she will pay what she needs to but wants basic answers. The pattern is striking: residents who have sunk their savings into homes on these lots are being treated as line items rather than neighbors, and the silence from the landlord’s side is deepening the sense of powerlessness.
Why mobile home parks are such attractive targets
To understand why a Tennessee park can suddenly produce a 70% rent spike, it helps to look at the broader economics of manufactured housing. Over 22 million Americans now live in mobile homes, drawn by lower upfront costs and simpler construction compared with site-built houses. In many of these communities, homeowners own their units but rent the land underneath from a park owner, a structure that gives landlords a steady stream of lot rent while residents shoulder the cost of maintaining their own homes. A national analysis of this sector notes that in such communities, homeowners often face a stark choice between paying higher rent and abandoning their home if they cannot afford to move it, since relocating a manufactured unit can cost thousands of dollars and is not always feasible.
That imbalance has caught the attention of large investors. A detailed report on the sector describes how private equity firms and other financial players have converged on manufactured home parks because they see them as stable, cash flowing assets with limited competition and high switching costs for tenants. In these communities, homeowners own their homes but rent the land, and for most residents the cost and logistics of moving mean they are effectively captive. That dynamic helps explain why a company like Volunteer Runway Communities can buy three parks in Blount County and then test how far it can push lot rents, knowing that many residents have limited alternatives.
The legal vacuum in Tennessee’s rent rules
What makes the Tennessee woman’s 70% hike legally possible is not a loophole but the basic structure of state law. Tennessee Rent Control Laws are among the least restrictive in the country, and Tennessee Rent Control explicitly state that the state does not have any rent control and does not allow local governments to create their own rent stabilization programs. That means cities and counties cannot step in with caps or emergency protections even when residents face sudden, extreme increases in essential housing costs.
The same legal overview notes that Tennessee law does not limit how much a landlord can raise the rent when a lease term ends or the rental agreement is otherwise up for renewal. A separate legal Q&A aimed at tenants underscores the same point in plainer language, explaining that Tennessee has no rent control and that, in general, a landlord can charge whatever rent one party is willing to pay and the other is willing to accept. That Hello from an attorney on Just Answer may be cold comfort to someone staring at a 70% increase, but it accurately reflects the power imbalance baked into state law.
What limited protections mobile home residents can still use
Even in a state with no rent caps, mobile home residents are not entirely without tools. A Tennessee legal aid booklet on manufactured housing explains that landowners can make park rules, but those rules must be fair and applied consistently, and tenants retain basic rights around notice and due process. The guide encourages residents to Ask for Legal materials on Renter Rights and to push back if they believe a park owner is not following the law. A more detailed version of the same booklet, titled “What You Need to Know,” spells out that the land owner can make fair park rules but must give proper written notice and cannot retaliate against tenants for asserting their rights.
Attorneys who specialize in mobile home disputes say the process for raising rent is often technical, and that can give residents leverage. One analysis of mobile home park rent gouging notes that the silver lining is that owners must follow the increase process to the letter or risk having the hike invalidated. That piece urges tenants to document every notice and timeline and to consult counsel if they suspect errors, because a flawed notice can be the starting point for challenging a rent increase. A companion discussion from the same legal team emphasizes that the rent increase process is technical and that park owners who misstep may not be able to enforce the higher amount, a point they repeat when advising tenants on how to fight gouging.
More From The Daily Overview
*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
Elias Broderick specializes in residential and commercial real estate, with a focus on market cycles, property fundamentals, and investment strategy. His writing translates complex housing and development trends into clear insights for both new and experienced investors. At The Daily Overview, Elias explores how real estate fits into long-term wealth planning.
