BOURBON CO., Ky. (LEX 18) — Residents of a mobile home park at 5000 Bryan Station Road in Bourbon County continue to face challenges stemming from a months-long water issue. As the crisis unfolds, over a dozen residents have received eviction notices.
On Tuesday, an unusually crowded Bourbon County eviction court saw 14 cases from one landlord – all a product of the ongoing mess at 5000 Bryan Station Road.
Attorney Cara Stewart noted the volume of cases was substantially higher than usual, “14 from one landlord is completely out of the norm,” she said.
Among those affected is Alba Mauriz, who, like many residents, has failed to pay rent over the last several months, all the while, begging her landlord to address the water issues.
But on Tuesday, those residents shared a sigh of relief. The judge dismissed all of their cases because the landlord filed the evictions prematurely.
“I'm happy,” said Mauriz. “We had the support, and I'm glad someone listened.”
WATCH MORE: Issues Ongoing at Mobile Home Park
Stewart explained that the tenants are on oral leases, and the law stipulates a one-month notice for eviction, a requirement the landlord failed to meet.
While today's legal decisions provide temporary relief, tensions between the tenants and property owner Maple Grove MHC LLC remain unresolved. According to Stewart, this scenario is part of a larger trend throughout Kentucky, where tenants often find themselves unprotected against eviction actions and inadequate living conditions.
“I think this is really something that's happening in a lot of places, where private equity firms and companies know that we’ve got very weak laws in terms of protecting mobile home owners and tenants, and they’re exploiting that,” said Stewart.
Kentucky lacks a "Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act" (URLTA) in most areas, which would normally offer essential protections and standards. Stewart highlighted that in counties without URLTA enforcement, like Bourbon County, landlords can legally charge rent for properties that may not meet basic living conditions.
“It's true, these places don't have to be habitable in order to charge market rent legally. Now, that's wrong, but that's legally correct,” Stewart explained.
It’s a harsh reality for many low-income tenants who face a precarious choice between inadequate housing and homelessness. Despite today's victory, the broader issues of tenant rights and landlord responsibilities remain unresolved.
As residents head home without the threat of eviction for now, the struggle for better living conditions and legal protections continues to loom over their future.
