BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — Residents at a 55+ Hernando County mobile home park say they are feeling upset.

What You Need To Know

  • Residents at the Southway Villa mobile home park are upset over a $100 lot rent increase, forcing some to rethink their finances
  • Lot rental increases have gone up in price every year, according to one resident, but nothing as quite significant as this
  • It's forcing residents to change the way they think about their finances, some of whom have had to move out because they can’t afford the upkeep

It’s all to do with a lot rental price increase, charging owners an additional $100 a month. An increase that has some renters rethinking their finances.

“I’ve got plenty of nature here. I love the house and I’m going to stay here until the day I die,” Stephen Fucheck said.

For Fucheck, the view from his porch is home. It’s been that way for the last few years since he first bought his mobile home at Southway Villa Mobile Home Park. But an oncoming change is making him rethink that decision.

“I don’t mind a little bit of an increase each year, but $100 is a lot of money,” he said.

Fucheck and his neighbors have been hit with a rental hike. He says he’s had to pay a lot rent increase every year, but nothing as significant as this one.

“They’ve been raising the rent every year, and we just got a notice the other day that they’re going to raise it another $100 a month, so it’s a struggle,” he said.

The price hike has even prompted him to speak with management. Only that has proven to be complicated.

“Rent has been going up and we keep asking why and we really don’t get any answers,” said Fucheck. “They want us up to a certain amount of money, probably $600 or $700, so that every year there’s an increase and they really don’t give us anything for it.”

Fucheck has even had to change the way he thinks about his finances, along with his neighbors, some of whom had to move out because they can’t afford the upkeep.

“When they can’t sell their house and they can’t afford the lot rent, they just walk away from it,” says Fucheck. “Then the owners take it over and they sell them.”

It’s a situation that Fucheck wants to avoid altogether. With his home paid off, he says he does not want to have to be forced to sell.

“If I sell my house, which is paid for, I’d still have to get a mortgage, so I’m in the same boat,” he said.

Hoping that he can keep calling the place he loves ‘home.’

Legacy Communities released a statement where they say, in part, “Legacy works diligently to mitigate costs to keep rent increases reasonable and to keep residents in our communities. Our business model is reliant on keeping our existing residents in-place and we are willing to work with residents who may have temporary challenges paying rent due to job loss, illness, and unforeseen medical bills.”