Cindy Hoage

My name is Cindy Hoage, and I live in Galvin’s Mobile Home Park in Ontario, NY. I moved to my community in August of 2015, due to health reasons. Also, it was less expensive than paying rent on an apartment and it was close to my parents.

Cindy stands outside of a home. She is wearing a black sweatshirt that says "Wayne Central".

KDM Management has been the owner as long as I’ve lived here. Before they bought us out, the previous owners paid for water and worked with residents if we were behind on rent that month. None of that happens anymore.

Now, lot rent goes up yearly. If we are behind on lot rent, we have ten days to pay. If we miss a rent or water bill, KDM sends questionable eviction notices to scare us. If we don’t have it, they tack on late fees, send eviction notices, and harass us until we pay.

About three years ago, we suddenly started having issues with the septic pipes. Turns out, every pipe was completely packed, and one wasn’t even attached. Everything we flushed and let down our drain was just draining under the trailer. Sewage was puddled outside of my skirting. We later found out our entire house wasn’t hooked up to the septic tank. KDM took zero responsibility - I had to take out a loan to pay to replace the pipes.

The current park manager is one of us. Since he took over in October, the community dynamic and park maintenance have improved. We’re grateful because he sticks up for us and works with us when KDM won’t.

Our park looks great thanks to our park manager and neighbors, but who we’re dealing with is a different story. It’s all the stuff that people on the outside don’t see.

If we can get enough people to start a tenant’s association, I’m hoping that management starts listening to us and taking us seriously, instead of treating us like we’re just a number. I just want to stop the harassment and be treated with respect.