It only took a few days for Brigitte Mullin and her family to lose everything.
They left their Bellevue mobile home at Paradise Lakes on March 15. When they returned, their belongings were ruined and the house was condemned. Early spring flooding brought water as high as their home’s roof, and by the time they were allowed back, everything they owned was riddled with mold.
“It’s tough because now the kids don’t have anything,” Mullin said. “When we got here everything was already moldy.”
As if losing their home and possessions were not enough, Mullin is fighting to receive her $1,150 security deposit from Paradise Lakes.
Fortunately, Mullin saw a Facebook post from another Paradise Lakes resident about Legal Aid of Nebraska’s Disaster Relief Project. Mullin called the hotline and is working with a Legal Aid attorney to get back the money she is owed. She said Paradise Lakes is also continuing to charge her for a storage unit she can no longer use.
The security deposit is important to Mullin because it cost her family almost $4,000 to move and she lost a lot of hours at work – her office was adjacent to Paradise Lakes and also flooded.
“It would help a lot to get the money back because we have so many people to take care of,” Mullin said. “There’s stuff we still need.”
Mullin is one of many displaced Paradise Lakes residents who have become Legal Aid clients because of issues regarding deposits, prepaid rent, and property removal costs. The Disaster Relief Project and Housing Justice Project are teaming up to manage these flooding cases.
“Natural disasters are difficult to predict, but even when disaster strikes, landlords still have an obligation to their tenants,” said Scott Mertz, Housing Justice Project managing attorney. “It is essential that even in the worst circumstances, tenants like Brigitte have their rights recognized by their landlords and protected in a court of law.”
Mullin says the most frustrating aspect of the ordeal has been the lack of communication from Paradise Lakes. Due to the inadequate response, Legal Aid has stepped up to help tenants like Mullin enforce their rights.
