The Golden Estates Trailer Court in Helena was purchased by an out-of-state property management company in February.
Tenants say in the six months since the change in ownership, conditions have taken a turn for the worse.
In April, the tenants' lot rent increased from $400 a month to nearly $600.
That week, the water shut off for 24 hours.
From July 13-18, tenants lost access to water twice. On July 20, a boil-water advisory was placed on a traffic cone on the outskirts of the park. Through those five months, no one was able to reach out to their new property management.
The company, Capital Communities, is based in Tennessee. It also purchased the Dakota Valley Mobile Park in East Helena under the name "Achieve Communities" last year. Dakota Valley residents reported contaminated water, burst pipes and rental hikes following the ownership change.
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Dakota Valley residents told KTVH-TV that no one was sent out to maintain the property once ownership changed. Tim Hall, a former resident, began filling potholes, shoveling snow and mowing the lawn himself.
"My family and I left Dakota Valley about six months ago," Hall, 62, told the Independent Record. "The unkempt grass was a fire hazard and they never did anything to fix the water. I heard that they have increased the rent again."
REI Management owned the Golden Estates Trailer Court at 2995 Prospect Ave. for 15 years. Following Capital Communities' purchase of Golden Estates, tenants said they received a letter attached to their doors with blue painter's tape announcing everyone's rent would soon be increased.
Officials at REI Property Management told tenants over text: "Please take the letter you received on your door from the new owners as your proper notice. Please note that we are no longer your property manager, effective immediately. While we will do our best to assist with questions, please understand that we have limitations on the information we can provide."
The Independent Record failed to receive comment from REI despite multiple calls and emails.
Lewis and Clark Public Health sent a water inspection officer to Golden Estates on July 18 to restore the water. They considered the issue resolved and did not send out official complaints against the property management company. The water shut off again on July 23 and July 24, residents reported. After the boil-water advisory, the water was tested for contaminants and made available on July 25.
Since then, tenants say access to water has been cut off as recently as this week.
Change in management
The letter was signed by "Big Sky Meadows," with an inactive email address and a 1-800 number as a source of contact.
Tenants called the number listed on the paper, confused at the abrupt change. The line rang until it was sent to an answering machine.
On Montana Cadastral, a database that catalogues property ownership across the state, Golden Estates is owned by Helena MHC, LLC, listed as a "Domestic Limited Liability Company." While its mailing address is in Kalispell, the primary owner is in Tennessee -- the same address listed for Capital Communities and Achieve Communities.
The Independent Record often abstains from using anonymous sources, but most Golden Estates residents refused to comment or would only comment anonymously for fear of eviction.
"I have no new lease agreement. None of us have new lease agreements," a resident said. "A lot of my neighbors are elderly or on fixed incomes and require governmental assistance to pay rent. Some of them don't even know how to use the internet. I'm worried they can't tell that something is going on, and they can't do anything about it."
The Montana Drinking Water Watch is a part of Montana's public health department that catalogues water systems across the state. The water system page for Golden Estates Trailer Court has yet to update its name to Big Sky Meadows.
The site lists the email [email protected], and a Montana phone number that tenants said never picks up.
New owner
Abraham Anderson, a 29-year-old real estate investor, is listed as the owner of East Helena's Dakota Valley Mobile Park, managed by Achieve Communities. Anderson's phone number on the park's water system matches the number on the Golden Estates water system.
"I have my best day ever multiple times a year. When I get a park and a contract, when I buy it, when I raise the rents, and when I refinance it," The Tennessee native said during an interview for Mobile Home University, a website offering courses and guides for purchase on investing in mobile home parks.
The Independent Record was unable to reach Anderson despite attempts at contacting him through multiple phone numbers and emails connected to Capital and Achieve Communities and the rental payment site.
Once the water returned, concerns were quieted until Golden Estates residents noted the state of their mailroom.
"Every so often someone from property management would come to trim the grass outside of the mailroom, sweep the floors, and remove all the junk mail from the tables and trash cans inside," A tenant said. But the next time they went to pick up a package, they saw the mailroom in utter disarray. The grass was tall and wild, the floor covered in debris, and discarded mail was pouring out of the trash can and onto the floor.
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On July 13, the water shut off again.
This time, it didn't take as long to return, with one tenant noticing it was not working at 6 a.m. and it coming back on again at 2 p.m. on the same day.
"We were all going crazy," A resident said. "My spouse and I had just got back from camping, and we were filthy. We desperately needed showers and drinking water. It's a violation of our rights."
Two residents have found rust and mineral sediment clogging their filters once the water turns back on, causing them to repeatedly change water filters.
Anderson has been featured on podcasts and Business Insider, where he is hailed as a young prodigy in the real estate business.
"We try to place no more than a $50 increase in rent once we acquire a lot," Anderson said during an interview with the Passive Mobile Home Park Investing Podcast. "I've had residents tell me that they're so happy I took over, because the property looks so much better and they feel like they can play outside with their kids."
Andrew Keel, the host of the podcast, agreed with Anderson. "When you come in and fix up a community, a lot of the residents really appreciate that."
Yet, some residents at Golden Estates are not appreciative. Multiple mobile home parks across Montana have had similar experiences with property owners raising their rent and ignoring living conditions, including in Missoula, Great Falls and Billings, where parks owned by one company have faced similar issues. Billings residents sued the company in 2022 after nearly two years of contaminated water.
"We were told our streets would be fixed and there would be a place for our children to play," a Golden Estates resident said. "But now we're all stuck here, and we don't have the financial means to just up and leave."
Minot Daily News reporter Charles Crane found this negligence in a North Dakota mobile home park owned by Abraham Anderson.
"They would much rather not spend anything on these communities. They just want to get money out of it," Crane told KTVH.
"I have a checklist I go through with all my properties," Anderson said in another interview with The Mobile Home Park Lawyer Podcast. "How are living conditions? How are the utilities set up? You have to do your due diligence. If it's an issue that can be solved, go to the park and try to figure it out."
In multiple interviews, Anderson mentions he is reachable at "Capitalcashflow.com," a website that no longer exists.
Tenants seek solutions
Many living at Golden Estates called officials at Lewis and Clark Public Health, as no one from Anderson's company reached out to apologize or explain the lack of water.
"Overall, we've received three complaints of the tenants not having access to water," Nina Heinzinger, a Lewis and Clark Public Health licensed establishment supervisor, said on July 18.
Water began flowing again at around 9 a.m. that day, but it didn't subside the Golden Estate residents' frustration over losing water twice in one week.
Another resident said many people have kept jugs of water on hand to sponge-bathe and packs of bottled water to drink. "Sometimes I debate going over to my friend's house nearby to take a shower. They live so close to the park, yet they have water," they said.
According to Heinzinger, the park operator is required to follow the Administrative Rules of Montana under title 37, Chapter 111, subchapter 1207, which states "The establishment shall always provide an adequate and potable supply of water, as approved by the local regulatory authority."
They are also "responsible for ensuring that the requirements of this subchapter are met. The licensee must have a manager on duty or on call to maintain the establishment and its facilities," as stated in subchapter 1203.
On July 20, a sign was posted to a traffic cone on the lot with highlighted, bolded letters that read: "Boil Water Advisory."
"The Golden Estates Trailer Court public water supply has experienced a loss of pressure due to electrical issues. It is unknown if contaminants could have infiltrated the distribution system," the sign read. "As a precaution, boil your water before consuming. Fecal coliform and E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at increased risk."
One resident only saw the cone through photos sent by a tenant on the opposite end of the trailer court.
"The cone was on a street that isn't frequented by the majority of park tenants, so I don't even know if everyone has been made aware," they said.
"I tried calling the 1-800 number five times before someone picked up the phone," a resident and parent of two said. "I wish I stayed polite and calm, but I just couldn't. I said, there are hot kids in a hot trailer and it reeks of feces and sweat because we can't flush our toilet or take a shower. And we can't do laundry because we don't have water, and when we do, we have to boil it."
Another resident missed work for three days due to illness, hoping their symptoms weren't related to the potentially hazardous water.
"This is one of the last places in Helena where low-income people can survive," they said. "But how can we survive if we have to pay more for our rent yet lose access to clean water?"
Montana Legal Services Association recommends reaching out at https://www.mtlsa.org/ if you have concerns regarding your rights as a renter.
Katy McCumber is a news intern at the Helena Independent Record.
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