Bozeman Trailer Park Tenants Strike, Withholding $53K in Rent

Tenants from King Arthur Park and Mountain Meadows Park in Bozeman voted unanimously Tuesday to authorize the rent strike, which began May 1 and involves over 60% of units across both parks. The collective action withholds about $53,000 in May rent payments from Oakland Companies, the outgoing landlord who announced $97 monthly increases in late March, pushing King Arthur rents to $947 and Mountain Meadows to $967. Debi Rooks, a King Arthur tenant and elected member of the park’s tenant union bargaining team, called the hike a 70% jump since she moved in 2021.

Bozeman Tenants United (BTU), organizing the strike through its King Arthur and Mountain Meadows chapters, gave Oakland until Thursday evening to negotiate, but company spokesperson Landy Leep said no meetings or talks are planned. Leep warned that non-payment notices will issue, followed by eviction proceedings if rents go unpaid. The group describes this as Montana's first rent strike in nearly 50 years, with the last known action also by trailer park residents. A May Day rally kicked off the defiance, timed with nationwide protests.

Beyond the hikes, tenants seek a new lease with timelines for infrastructure repairs, protections against punitive evictions, a right of first refusal if the parks sell again, and freedom to sell their homes to buyers of their choice—currently controlled by park management. Finegan, a BTU founding member, noted the strike addresses long-brewing issues in Bozeman's trailer parks, where surging housing costs amid the city's growth are displacing workers. As an anonymous investor eyes purchase, the standoff tests tenant power in Montana's tightening rental market.