Rising rents raise worries for some at Sun Aire Estates

When Johnnie Landis read the April 8 letter from Sun Aire Property LLC., she wasn’t happy. 

It said that on May 1, the market rent for her lot at Sun Aire Estates in Hayden was going up. 

“The new market rent for your lot is $1,010, plus the trash removal of $21,” the letter said. “This is only the rent that will be charged to new, incoming residents into our community for your lot. This is not the amount that you will be paying.” 

Landis found little comfort knowing that she would not have to pay the higher rent because she’s been trying to sell her 2,000-square-foot triplewide mobile home of seven years. 

It was initially offered at $285,000, but she dropped it to $260,000. A recent open house attracted a family, but as Sun Aire is a 55-plus manufactured home community, they couldn’t buy it, anyway. 

And lately, when those old enough have checked it out, they're put off by the lot rent of more than $1,000.

“I’m stuck," Landis said.  

Which leaves her in a tough spot. As her husband is having health challenges, Landis is finding it difficult to care for their property.

“But I can’t sell it either,” she said. “I can’t buy anything else if I don’t sell it.” 

Sun Aire Estates is a peaceful, quiet senior mobile home park with about 75 homes. Trees stand tall and American flags flutter in the wind on wide streets with names like Minnesota and Kentucky. 

Most homes are well-kept, with tidy lawns and yard decorations. A few are for sale, and one recently sold, but Landis said the owner had to agree to pay lot rent for a year as part of the deal. 

“That's what people are having to do,” she said. 

A July 26 letter notified residents that Sun Aire Estates had been purchased by KH Sun Aire Property, LLC, and would be managed by Community Operating Solutions. 

Linda O’Reilly, another Sun Aire resident, said the lot rent keeps climbing. In March 2023, it went from the $400 range to $500. Last year, it rose to $625. Her latest notice said it will increase to $655, plus $21 for trash collection. 

O’Reilly said she lives on Social Security and a small retirement account.

“This is a senior park,” she said. “Almost everyone is on a limited income.” 

O’Reilly has lived in her clean, cozy singlewide in Sun Aire Estates since 2008. She likes it and said it’s a place where retirees look out for each other. 

“It’s close-knit,” she said. “Everybody knows everybody.” 

While O’Reilly doesn’t plan to move, she’s worried about what will happen if she tries to sell down the road.

“What person is going to buy a mobile home knowing they will pay $1,000 for rent?” she said.  

Landis fears it will hit some harder. 

“It’s going to cause a few people in here to be homeless,” she said. 

A regional manager with Community Operating Solutions could not be reached for comment.

But a July 28 letter from Jordan Taylor, a previous owner of Sun Aire Estates, cited reasons for its sale, including family health issues. 

“I do understand your concerns regarding the sale. Sun Aire will remain a mobile home park. You will not be asked to move so they can build new homes or apartments. This rumor has been going around," he wrote.

Sun Aire Estates has been family-owned and operated for more than 30 years. Taylor wrote that they tried to keep the lot rent low, but costs have soared. 

Trash service went to $1,975 per month from $635. Maintenance costs tripled over the past three years and infrastructure costs climbed nearly 30%. 

Rather than increase lot rent, the Taylor family, “after long debate,” opted to sell. 

“I have always tried to do the right thing by all the residents in the park,” Taylor said. 

There are homes for sale in Sun Aire Estates. 

A three-bedroom, two-bath, 1,560-square-foot unit is offered at $179,000. A 924-square-foot two-bedroom, one-bath home is listed at $86,900 and a 1,680-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath home is priced at $115,000. 

The new owner says they plan to make park improvements, including updating the community center, which isn't important to O’Reilly and Landis. 

“I’d rather have my money,” O’Reilly said. 

She said many of the mobile homes are older. 

“How are you going to spruce those up?” O'Reilly asked. 

Landis said she would like to see rent remain low and perhaps some minor park improvements made.

“That would be the best thing to do,” she said. 

Sun Aire residents aren’t alone in facing rising lot rents for mobile homes. 

In 2022, Havenpark Communities in Utah purchased Oak Crest, a manufactured home community in Coeur d’Alene with nearly 500 residents. 

Residents said rent for existing tenants quickly jumped from $365 per month to $447 per month, a 23% increase. 

Today, homes for sale there list HOA fees of $1,095. 

The Urban Institute reported that over the past two decades, the number of senior households considered severely cost burdened — those spending more than half their income on housing — has nearly doubled, rising from 5.2 million to nearly 11.7 million, according to American Community Survey data. 

“Survey data suggest that most older adults want to remain in their current homes and communities as they age. But affordability and accessibility present challenges,” the institute reported. 

Landis was not surprised. 

“It’s happening all over,” she said. 

O’Reilly is hopeful she will be able to live out her retirement at Sun Aire Estates. She would like to continue to eat dinner out occasionally and go on road trips to Missoula with family. 

“The higher this rent keeps going up, I’m not going to be able to do that," she said.

But O’Reilly remains thankful. 

“I know I’m better off than some,” she said. 

    A resident walks down a street in Sun Aire Estates in Hayden.
  

    The sign on for Sun Aire Estates on Wyoming Avenue in Hayden.