Sterling Heights Seniors Forced Back to Work by Soaring Lot Rents

Residents of Rudgate Manor say lot rent hikes to $786 are draining their fixed incomes and pushing them to take on jobs in retirement.

Published on Mar. 10, 2026

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Seniors living in the Rudgate Manor manufactured home community in Sterling Heights, Michigan say skyrocketing lot rents, which have climbed nearly 85% since the current owners took over, are forcing them to return to the workforce in their retirement years. Residents like 78-year-old Susanne DeRosa and 68-year-old Linda Grossman report having to pick up shifts at places like a laundromat just to afford the $786 monthly lot rent, leaving them with less than $100 left over each month after paying. Homeowners say the sharp rent increases began around 2012-2013 after the community was acquired by the large real estate investment trust Sun Communities.

Why it matters

The plight of the Rudgate Manor seniors highlights a growing national trend of investor-owned manufactured home communities sharply raising lot rents, leaving residents who own their homes but not the land underneath feeling trapped with few options. This issue has drawn the attention of Congress and state attorneys general, who are investigating the business practices of large corporate park owners that can leave retirees struggling to afford to age in place.

The details

Residents of Rudgate Manor say their monthly site fee has climbed to about $786, with this year's $40 hike the latest increase to budgets that were already stretched thin. Many own their manufactured homes outright but not the land underneath, and say that decades in the park have offered no protection from the recent jumps. Homeowners have kept meticulous records showing the lot rent has climbed steadily since the early 2010s, with an estimated 85% rise since the current owners took over. Real estate listings for homes in Rudgate Manor now advertise site rents in the high $700s to low $800s, meaning the lot rent alone can eat up a large share of household income for retirees on fixed incomes.

  • Susanne DeRosa paid $278 a month when she moved into Rudgate Manor about 46 years ago.
  • The sharpest rent increases at Rudgate Manor began around 2012-2013, after the community was acquired by Sun Communities.

The players

Rudgate Manor

A manufactured home community in Sterling Heights, Michigan that is listed as a Sun Communities property.

Sun Communities

A large, publicly traded real estate investment trust that owns hundreds of manufactured home communities across the United States.

Susanne DeRosa

A 78-year-old resident of Rudgate Manor who now has to pick up shifts at a laundromat to afford the $786 monthly lot rent, leaving her with less than $100 left over each month.

Linda Grossman

A 68-year-old resident of Rudgate Manor who says her most recent lot rent notice showed an increase of about $39.

Joint Economic Committee

A congressional committee that has sent formal questions to large corporate owners of manufactured home parks about rent growth and living conditions in their communities.

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What they’re saying

“We must not let individuals continue to damage private property in San Francisco.”

— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident (San Francisco Chronicle)

What’s next

Advocates and lawmakers are pointing to steps taken elsewhere, such as a recent pause on mobile home lot rent increases in Brunswick, Maine, as a possible model for local protections for residents of manufactured home communities like Rudgate Manor.

The takeaway

The plight of the Rudgate Manor seniors highlights a growing national crisis facing retirees living in manufactured home communities, where corporate owners are sharply raising rents and leaving residents who own their homes but not the land underneath feeling trapped with few options to afford to age in place.