Dena Long

My name is Dena Long and I live in Country Club Estates in Salt Lake City, UT. I bought my home in 2020, but couldn’t move in until 2023 due to construction defects. I moved here because it was a good location and I needed a place I could put a ramp after having surgery.

Our community is owned by RHP Properties. We’ve had issues with them since the beginning. They said they rarely raise the rent, but in reality they raise it 6-18% a year! We also get charged for gas based on square footage instead of a meter, so we end up paying even if we don’t use anything. There are tons of infrastructure problems they refuse to repair. The water lines are constantly broken and we end up with dirt-colored water. One time we were on a boil alert for 2 weeks. They let snow build up to the point where people can’t drive out of the community.

The previous property manager wrote people up for everything – even having Christmas decorations, grills, or smokers. We always felt like we were being watched. They went as far as trying to evict us. A lot of people moved and some even had mental breakdowns. Now they won’t even hire an on-site manager. They still refuse to acknowledge our residents association.

We deserve to have a safe and enjoyable community! We won’t let them bully us! We’re working with the health department to make sure they keep the electrical, sewer, and water lines up to code. We’re also working with our elected officials on legislation to address the affordable housing shortage here in Utah. On a personal note I decided to take matters into my own hands and become a state and county delegate, which has given me a great platform to make a difference in my community.