‘It’s hell’: life under the American mobile home king who calls himself a ‘grave dancer’
D own Yonder mobile home park bills itself as “downright relaxing”. Located a few miles from the beaches of the Tampa Bay area, the 362-unit community touts numerous amenities for its residents such as a clubhouse, pool, hot tub, shuffleboard courts and warm weather.
These are what drew Colleen Gartner, 51, who moved to the park from Pennsylvania in November 2020 after being forced into retirement due to a disability. Like many Americans living in the north, she dreamed of getting away from cold winters and a retirement someplace warm.
“I came down here, looked at homes, loved the layout of the park, purchased and moved,” she said. “Expecting since my children were grown and I was single for the first time in my life, I thought I was going to retire and enjoy the sun for how many days, years, decades, I have left.”
She and two others now face eviction from the park.
Residents like Gartner complain their dreams have been dashed by the park’s billionaire owner. They say they face hikes in rent and fees, while amenities like the pool and clubhouse are intermittently closed, there are few ramps or other accommodations for the elderly, and property maintenance has been neglected.
The man they blame is Sam Zell, the property mogul who is the largest landlord of mobile homes in the US. He styles himself as a “grave dancer” for his business habit of buying up distressed assets, and serves as chairman of the board of Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS), which owns Down Yonder and more than 400 other mobile home parks across the US. Residents at other ELS properties across the country tell the Guardian that they have raised similar complaints.
“We’re withholding our lot rent because it’s the only voice we have and it’s the only thing Sam
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