Belleville tenants say they couldn’t get repairs. Now landlord is ending leases
Matthew Clevenger and his family signed a rent-to-own lease on a mobile home at Greenmount Station in April because he said the property manager told them about a “new promotion” that would allow them to pay it off in half the time.
The owner, a limited liability company called Homes of America, would apply the $600 lot rent the family pays to lease the land, as well as their $500 monthly payment for the trailer, toward the purchase price, he said.
But Homes of America recently sent notices informing Greenmount Station tenants it is ending all rental leases. Renters can either buy their mobile homes from the company or will be required to move out at the end of their leases, according to the notices.
Clevenger said he, his fiancée Michelle Ramsey and their 2-year-old daughter, Gwendolyn, will have to leave, losing their months-long investment in the trailer because they cannot afford the remaining purchase price by April 2026, when the lease is up.
They are now expecting their second child. Clevenger said they found out they were expecting a few days before the notice was taped to their door.
“I just started getting disability; I can’t work. What am I supposed to do?” he said. “She can’t afford to keep providing for us.”
Homes of America has ties to so-called “vulture capitalist” Randall Smith and Alden Global Capital, his investment firm known for acquiring and reducing costs at distressed community newspapers.
The company did not respond to the BND’s emailed requests for comment about the decision to end rental leases in Belleville.
Its website advertises mobile homes for sale or lease in at least five of its other properties in Florida and Louisiana. Calls to the phone number listed on the website weren’t answered.
The news about leases in Belleville comes as residents say they have been complaining to property managers about unanswered requests for repairs to leaking roofs, holes in floors and walls, broken air conditioning and other problems since the company took over the mobile home park in 2022, according to interviews and court records.
At least one Greenmount Station family is contesting the notices in court. They allege in a Dec. 1 lawsuit that the move violates the Illinois Mobile Home Landlord and Tenant Rights Act.
The complaint argues that the law prohibits landlords from refusing to renew a lease for reasons other than tenant misconduct, unless they are ceasing operation of all or a portion of the mobile home park.
In the case of a park closure, tenants are entitled to at least 12 months’ notice, which residents at Greenmount Station did not receive, the lawsuit states.
The plaintiffs did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
Homes of America has not yet responded to allegations about its notices in court. No attorney is listed for the company in that case.
‘Wish I would have never moved’
Greenmount Station residents gathered on a recent Saturday to share their experiences under Homes of America’s ownership and discuss what they plan to do next.
Patty Totty, who has rented a home there for over 20 years, told neighbors she wants to leave but is having trouble finding another rental that meets her needs.
“I can’t find nothing because I’m handicapped; I have a muscle disease. I have a dog,” Totty said.
Resident Jim Hodgkins said he plans to leave, too, after renting at Greenmount Station for more than a decade. He took Homes of America to small claims court twice over damages in his home, including flooring that was rotting and growing mold because of a leak in his roof.
Clevenger said that before he signed his lease, a property manager told him the home’s roof did not leak. He said he recently discovered water damage in his kitchen and spent $1,000 patching it.
“I went to turn the light switch on next to the sink and the wall just caved in because it was soaking wet,” Clevenger said. “I had a subcontractor come out to look, put a camera up there. He said it’s an existing leak. It’s been doing that for a while.”
Another resident, Michael Montgomery, said he was not told about issues with flooding before moving in three years ago, and multiple floods in the park have ruined his vehicles.
Montgomery said he owns his home. Over the years, he said his lot rent has increased from $380 a month to $675. He also accused the company of refusing to give him the title to the home, proving ownership.
“I wish I would have never moved from where I was to over here,” Montgomery said.
This story was originally published December 15, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
