Town backs residents in rent standoff
Residents of Edgeway Park say they won't pay the rent increase that their landlord is asking of them as of Feb. 1 -- a refusal that comes, unchacteristically, at the urging of the town's selectmen.
The standoff is the latest reflection of a bitter and ongoing battle over rent control. The battleground is not a gentrified city neighborhood but a sprawling mobile home park in this rural town.
Park owner Wayne Williams is deeply at odds with his tenants and the town. Officials from the planning and building departments have been pressing Williams for more than three years, and have a Superior Court case pending against him, to force compliance with several directives they say he has ignored -- including finishing roads, fixing improper drainage on the lots, and providing proper ventilation in the mobile units.
For the past two years, the selectmen, acting as the Board of Health, have refused to issue Williams a license for the park. Thus, Williams cannot sell any new units or lease any more lots because he is unable to obtain building or occupancy permits from the town.
But lack of the license has not compelled Williams to comply, according to Building Commissioner Robert Whalen. ''There had been a number of outstanding zoning violations," Whalen said, ''and nothing seemed to have been done."
Last week, the battle entered a new dimension. The selectmen, prompted by a letter of concern from the Edgeway Park Association, summoned Williams to their meeting Monday night to discuss notice of a rent increase the 50 mobile home owners had received. Williams told residents their rents were increasing to $350 per month as of Feb. 1. Park residents, who own their mobile homes but rent their lots from Williams, currently pay between $260 and $320 in rent.
Selectmen previously had assumed the town's rent-control bylaw, approved in 1985, didn't apply to Williams's park, since it was not in existence then. But after reviewing the bylaw at the residents' urging, the town's attorney decided otherwise.
The selectmen on Monday told Williams his proposed rent increase was illegal, and they instructed the room full of Edgeway residents not to pay the increase, even if they were billed for it.
Williams refused to comment to the Globe, citing pending litigation with the town.
According to the town's bylaw, to get a rent increase, Williams must first fill out an application to the selectmen requesting one, and documenting the need for it. Reasons could include increases in property taxes, major improvements done by the landlord, and unavoidable increases in maintenance costs.
The selectmen could deny requested increases, according to the bylaw, if the park owner has failed to properly maintain the park or comply with state or local requirements.
Town Planner Ruth Geoffroy said boards have tried to work with Williams in the past to correct the park's violations, but with no success. ''The problem with mobile homes is if someone else owns the land, the homeowners have little control," Geoffroy said.
''The poor homeowners are held hostage by the park owner. We're doing the best we can, but it's just taking time." Williams, she said, has punished residents who complained to the town by refusing to sign application papers they need to refinance their units.
Whalen, the building commissioner, is doubtful the selectmen will be any more successful at forcing Williams into compliance through rent control than past tactics have been, including the court case. ''Mr. Williams seems like a tough man to influence," Whalen said.
Still, park residents were happy to see Williams at least blocked from increasing rents. ''I think this is a giant step forward," said Wesley Circle resident Frank Sullivan, who has been outspoken for the last three years about problems in the park.
''It was very rewarding," Sullivan said. ''We finally got [Williams], and he's not happy."
If Williams submits an application with the required documentation, the selectmen will set a public hearing on the rent increase. They assured park residents on Monday that they would be notified of the hearing date.
Park resident Roland Crowley, another vocal critic of Williams, was also optimistic following the selectmen's meeting. ''I'm satisfied so far," Crowley said. ''It's a first step."
