Tenants Still High And Dry

Theodore Trailer Park Almost a month after our original story about Bassenger's Mobile Home Park tenants still don't have water.

by Tiffany Craig

Published: Wed, May 20, 2009 - 4:55 pm CST Last Updated: Wed, May 20, 2009 - 5:22 pm CST

Almost a month has passed and people in a Theodore mobile home park still don't have running water.

Tenants at Bassenger's Mobile Home Park #2 on Old Pascagoula Road say something has got to give. They pay for water in their rent but the landlord says most tenants are months, if not years behind, on that rent.

In total, Cris Bassenger says he's owed more than 60,000 dollars in past due rent. So, Bassenger stopped paying the bill and the utility was shut off on April 27th.

Since then, the Mobile County Health Department has ordered Bassenger to turn the water back on in ten days or he'll face legal action. Bassenger tells us that he's off the hook with the health department after explaining his situation to them.

Bassenger says that he's in the process of selling the park and has stopped charging rent until the new owners step in. "I've recently gotten rid of this property, sold it and we're in the middle of changing hands so you know there's gonna be new owners. They'll be glad to pay the water or whatever the price is I'm sure but I don't know how long that could take. It could be a day, a month, it could be six months!

An employee at the Mobile County Water and Sewer Authority tells us their policy on providing service to mobile home parks is done under one bill. In other words, individual tenants can't get their own water turned back on.

Bassenger says the water at park #1 was never turned off and the service at park #3 was only interrupted temporarily as new owners took over that property.

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