EAST TROY — Mobile home residents in East Troy fear eviction after being given a one-week warning to fix issues on their property.
“Why did you guys reach out to TMJ4?” Lighthouse reporter Ben Jordan asked.
“Because I’m kind of at a loss as to who else to reach out to,” said Veronica Sikraji.
Watch: Mobile home residents fear evictions after being given 7 days to fix issues
Inspectors went from mobile home to mobile home at Skyview Terrace this week after sending warning letters that caught several residents by surprise.
“They never bothered us up until new management came in,” Sikraji said. “They’ve complained about the skirting in this area.”
Sikraji said she received several notices. One alerted her “an eviction may be filed against you.”
“What’s your biggest fear?” Jordan asked.
“Losing my family,” Sikraji replied. “Losing my kids. It terrifies me.”
The mother of four said she was ordered to fix several issues in a week. A timeline she said was impossible to meet.
“It’s unethical in a way, is the best way to put it,” she said. “I’m purchasing skirting for my house. It was $600 and that doesn’t include my rent and I work at a local gas station. Like I don’t know what they really expect for me to do.”
Joseph Hahl said he received a similar property violation letter last month.
“One of the things they complained about was the fascia and soffiting,” he said.
Flash forward to this week and Hahl fears he’s being forced out despite doing his best to address everything he was asked.
“All of this costs money, and we live here because we can’t afford to live anywhere else,” he said. “I work at Walmart, not a great paying job. My wife is disabled. My kids are special needs so that’s why we’re here. We would be living somewhere else if we could afford it.”
Jordan approached one of the managers as they were out inspecting properties. One of them replied, "no comment" to his question.
The president of RHP Properties, the company that owns Skyview Terrace, sent TMJ4 a statement that reads in part:
“Rule reminders are issued for violations and residents are encouraged to contact the office within 7 days to provide a plan and timeline for completion,” said Joel Brown. “Violations are typically in response to notices from the Village of East Troy and their inspectors determine if repairs are adequate. We recognize the requests could present a financial hardship and we regularly work with residents on timelines and assist with some repairs. We are willing to re-evaluate certain circumstances to help residents bring their homes into compliance.”
The statement made no mention of threats to possibly evict certain residents found to be out of compliance like Sikraji who own their mobile homes, but rent the property.
“What would you ask this management company to do?” Jordan asked.
“Just to be human,” Sikraji replied. “Be human. Give us a little bit of leeway. A lot of us are low-income, fixed-income. Some people are on oxygen or have COPD and can’t even make it out of their house.”
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