Bugs and black mold: What some mobile home park residents see after investors buy in

Unaffordable AmericaBugs and black mold: What some mobile home park residents see after investors buy inNBC News interviewed 20 residents of mobile home communities in four states. They described worsening conditions and conflict after takeovers by big companies.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Aliea Brown and Mason Obradovich at their home in Robinsonville, Miss.Houston Cofield for NBC NewsShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 10, 2026, 6:00 AM EDTBy Gretchen MorgensonThis article is part of “Unaffordable America,” a series examining rising economic inequality in the U.S. and the policies that drive it.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Soon after Aliea Brown rented Unit 62 at the Buck Island Manufactured Home Community in northern Mississippi in 2023, it became clear she couldn’t stay.The front door was hung upside down, Brown said, black mold began growing throughout the unit and the windows weren’t sealed properly. Termites and ladybugs invaded. Then when it turned cold, a sewer pipe burst, increasing her water bill and causing putrid wastewater to collect under the unit for months.“The rancid sewage smell came up through the cracks in the edge of the floor in the bathroom,” said Brown, 41, who pays $675 a month for the two-bedroom home she shares with her partner, Mason Obradovich, 39. “Unfortunately, the closest scent that it could be compared to would be a dead body.”Lacking the funds to move out, Brown and Obradovich asked repeatedly for repairs while putting up with the harsh conditions as best they could. But this past February, Homes of America, the corporate owner of the park, sent Brown a letter saying the costs associated with repairing the mobile home “exceed the current value of the unit” and it was no longer available as a rental.Buck Island offered to sell the dilapidated unit to Brown for $1,000, funded partially with her security deposit. The park is transitioning from...