Tenants at Tradewy Village in Missoula said the park’s owner, Oakwood Properties, has nearly doubled lot rents since buying the community and residents have formed a tenants union to push for rollbacks and repairs.

Jackson, an organizer who identified himself with a tenants’ group, opened the rally saying the park was sold to an out-of-state owner in 2023 and that residents were “here to amplify the voices” of neighbors affected by rent hikes. "They bought this park in 2023 and raised lot rents from $395 to nearly $700 in the last 2 years," Jackson said.

The concern centers on recent rent actions by Oakwood Properties and its president, Steve Baxter of Dallas, Texas, according to speakers. "In June, we here at Tradewy Village were informed that the mobile home park's owner, Oakwood Properties, and its president, Steve Baxter, planned to increase our rent a $150 a month," said Eric Rills, who identified himself as a tenant at Tradewy Village and as handling administrative work for the tenants’ union. Rills said that increase followed a $200-a-month raise the prior year and that Oakwood later reduced the announced increase, "Oakwood walked back that $150 a month rent increase to $50 a month rent increase."

Rills described residents as largely on fixed incomes and said the rent trajectory risked forcing some people from their homes. "How could somebody think it was okay to nearly double rent in only 2 years, far outpacing fixed income cost of living increases?" he asked. He credited organizing with producing results: "What we needed was the Missoula tenants unit. It was reaching out to the MTU that started a process that enabled us to find each other… and it was the MTU that helped give us the tools to fight back."

Several residents described a decline in community upkeep after successive out-of-state ownership changes. A longtime resident who identified herself as Linda said the park once had on-site amenities such as a heated swimming pool but that maintenance and reinvestment declined after ownership left Montana. Linda criticized the owner personally: "Being a Christian, could someone explain to me how you take advantage of your fellow men and don't seem to have a backward stop? That's not right." She also said, "Missoula, at this time, has no alternatives for relocation," and framed union organizing as a response to limited relocation options.

Speakers said maintenance work has started in response to resident demands but that further progress is needed on both rents and repairs. No formal votes or government actions were reported at the event; the gathering was organized as a public rally and testimony forum.

Organizers said they plan continued pressure on Oakwood Properties and outreach to other tenants. Jackson closed by telling attendees, "In the weeks ahead, you can expect to see that we're gonna keep pressuring Oakwood to come to the table to negotiate that fair lease that we were just talking about."