Moss Hill Apartments resident speaks out, investigation launched, over 300% rent increase
SALISBURY, Md. – Moss Hill apartments tenant Jamie Brumbley was gearing up for the holiday season, budgeting for Christmas and shopping for her daughters when she found a letter in her mail from her apartment complex, notifying her the rent she was paying would be going up.
“We got a letter and I got a phone call saying we needed to come in our rent was going to be increased and we needed to sign papers to approve if we were going to stay or vacate the property,” Brumbley said.
The letter, detailed that the rent that the tenants had been “enjoying” was the result of a miscommunication on the part of Moss Hill and HUD; who had been subsidizing the cost of rent at the complex since 1995.
The letter said that a recalculation would take place, and raise rates to 30 percent of tenant income. For Brumbley, her rent on a 3 bedroom apartment went from $389 per month to $1034 per month.
“It’s like a slap in the face like we are the ones getting penalized,” she said.
Brumbley told 47 ABC she has until the end of the month to decide to pay the rent or move out in an area already struggling to support affordable housing.
“We only have until December 31st to turn in our letters stating whether or not we are going to stay there or vacate the property, so we don’t really have any options, either we stay there and pay, and hopefully we can pay the first month and then after that I don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said.
Brumbley tells us she is not just concerned for herself and her family. Many of her neighbors are senior citizens who live on a fixed income. She’s worried the rent spike would leave many of them, unable to pay.
“What do you do when you have children and you are older and you don’t have anywhere to go?” she said, adding “I feel bad for these tenants that have been there for 20, 30 years.”
Brumbley contacted Senator Ben Cardin, Speaker Pro Temp Sheree Sample Hughes, and Salisbury Mayor Jake Day, looking to find answers on what caused the HUD money to be pulled from the housing, and what could be done to either lower or delay payments at the bumped rate.
A spokesperson for the Speaker Pro Temp told 47 ABC that she had spoken to Burnley and had transferred the complaint and documents Brumbley compiled including her rent agreement, and a copy of the original letter notifying residents of the change to Senator Cardin’s office, which had launched an investigation into the incident.
“I had to come forward, I had to say something,” Brumbley said.
Moss Hill Apartments Management was contacted for this story but declined to be interviewed or comment.
