Lincoln mobile home park owners lied, tried to evict residents. Now they owe $800K
Blue Beach Bungalows, owner of the Pine Haven mobile home park in Lincoln, has been ordered to pay over $800,000 in penalties and rebates for violating the state's Consumer Fraud Act and other laws, the Delaware Department of Justice said Thursday.
The Justice Department said Blue Beach repeatedly told residents — many of whom lived there year-round — that the park was actually seasonal, and used that false claim to threaten to evict residents and destroy their property. Blue Beach continued to do so even after a cease-and-desist motion was issued by the Consumer Protection Unit on April 3, 2023, according to court documents.
Blue Beach also imposed rent increases on Pine Haven residents who did not move out by the new "seasonal" deadline, which violated state law, court records show. Blue Beach must provide rebates to residents who paid this charge as part of the Department of Justice's ruling.
Former residents testified that the Pine Haven community owners locked them out of their homes, evicted them and in one case destroyed their mobile home, according to an opinion published on April 4.
The opinion concluded that Blue Beach "willfully violated" both the Consumer Fraud Act and the cease-and-desist order. The order is not final until the window for appeal is closed.
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Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on X at @h_edelman.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Pine Haven mobile home park owners lied to residents, must pay damages
