Priced Out

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Cascade PBS, 2023

In a string of pandemic-era purchases, mobile home management company Hurst & Son LLC have acquired 56 park communities in Washington state – and since then, its tenants have faced steep rent increases, threatening them with “economic eviction,” along with new alleged problems with upkeep and maintenance that did not exist before.

Hurst & Son’s growing presence in Washington state reflects a broader pattern in which investors increasingly purchase and centralize such communities, making one of the last reliable options for lower-income housing less and less affordable. Lawmakers opened the door in 2024 to expanding resident-led ownerships of park communities, but other proposals to regulate the industry and cap rising rents stalled.

We spoke with dozens of residents in Hurst-owned parks this summer about how they are fighting back to keep their homes. Read More