Mobile Home Community Problems.

[wellgoll]

I live in a mobile home community in Texas. I had to pass a background check to move me and my home into this community. My problem is the first week I was here I was told by my neighbor that they were felons, just out of jail. I complained to the managers office about this and was told that it was being worked on. Here we are almost 5 years later and they are still living there but with more felons and a child molester. It seems they all have a vacation home in jail and when they get out they end up next door. They are intimidating, harrassing, drug dealers and I can't seem to find anyone to help me to be left alone by these people. I can't enjoy my yard or even have company they always seem to show up if I am outside. I have 3 pedigree dogs and put a fence up just for them to have a place to run and do their duties, the felons went so far as to let my dogs out of the yard not once but twice, so I had to put a lock on my gates. I called Police but they just tell them to stay away and about 2 days later they are back up to their old tricks again. I have been told by friends I should move, but why should I have to move because of management and these people not following rules. Do I have any rights? Can I hold management accountable for these people and the problems they are causing? I need some help and direction to settle this situation. Any help will be appreciated.

[David Oxhandler]

I am not very well versed in the laws for parks in Texas but a search of the internet makes It appear that the state has low regulation of mobile home parks.
Rising complaints about unfair rules and poor park maintenance across Texas prompted the passage in 2002 of HB 557, Up to that time, owners of manufactured homes have had little recourse if a park owner wishes to evict them, close the park, or simply raise their rent unexpectedly and often.

the law:

· guarantees lot-renters be offered a minimum initial lease term of six months
· requires landlords to notify tenants at least 60 days before the lease's expiration date if the landlord chooses not to renew the lease
· requires landlords to give tenants at least 90 days to comply with amendments -- necessitating expenditures of over $25 -- not declared in the lease
· requires proprietors to give a 120-day-notice if they choose to close the park.
· requires landlords to maintain a healthy, safe and functional community, and to make a diligent effort to remedy existing conditions materially affecting the health or safety of renters.

Your lease and published park rules for residency are your contract with management and the best source you have for any recourse. Read everything that you were given by management when you applied for residency to see if there is any contradiction from reality that would not permit the jail-birds from being in the park.

The only watch dog group for MHPark tenant right that I could find:
Austin Tenants’ Council
1640-B East 2nd Street, Suite 150
Austin, TX 78702

You can contact them for telephone Counseling: 512 474-1961 (Monday through Friday: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.)

Please return here and share any additional info you uncover

Best of luck

[wellgoll]

It's been 5 months since my last post and to keep you up to date, nothing has changed, it has only gotten worst. The felons and the child molestor are still there. Legal services didn't help at all, they made me feel like I should mind my own business. The neighbors now have a pit bull, which it states in the community policy that they are not allowed. But these people think they actually own the park, and with management turning their heads more reason for them to think this. It's hard to believe this is a Sun Communities Property, I always heard great things about their commnities, I guess they turn their backs on my community because its only going downhill. I am ready to throw in the towel, and let the felons and child molestors win. It's hard to stand up for your rights when the only people that have rights are the law breaking felons and child molestors.

[David Oxhandler]

Perhaps if you give us the name of the park the owners will see it and get a message and/or you will be helping others to avoid that place 'till it gets reformed.

[wellgoll]

Boy would I love to, but you see this mobile home park has the reputation of evicting the complaining tenant and thats when the white notes get left on your fence for every little thing that you get so sick of it you just leave. I just find it amazing that you have to go through a background check and may I add pay for it just to move in here and next door to felons and child molestors, it's unreal. Am I missing something here????

[David Oxhandler]

I would be scared to move in anyplace that did NOT do a background check today. It is the correct thing for any landlord to insure that he is aware of who is on his premises. It is common for park owners or apartment renters to pass the cost of the background check to the prospective tenant. You would do best to stick to the issues that are making your daily life difficult and not a one time fee that you paid five years ago.

Why they would do the check and then rent to ex-cons? That I cant answer. My only guess would be that local managers were having trouble renting and were willing to drop their standards to fill that unit. Unfortunately, the fact that you had to pay for a background check in no way binds the park management to any standard as to who will be permitted to live in the park. You are in a difficult position unless your rental agreement (or lease) included a clause that ex-cons would not be permitted in the park.

You did not mention if you own the home and are renting the lot or renting the home. If you own your home you can contact your states MH Owners association to learn what the best local remedy might be.

In Texas that would be:

Recreational Vehicle/Mobile Home Owners Association
of Texas (RVMHOAT)
P.O. Box 37
La Feria, TX 78559-0037
Phone / Fax: 956-831-8502
www.rvmhoav.org [email protected]

If your reading this and want to contact the Mobile Home Owners Association in your state you can find the contact info at http://mobilehomeowners.org/assoc.php

It is critical that anyone considering moving to any new location, rented or owned, make every possible effort to learn the nature of the neighborhood and the neighbors. There are thousands of mobile home parks across the country. Among them you will find the good, the bad and the ugly... Do your homework. This is not always easy but as we see here you can find yourself a nightmare situation if you dont make important discoveries prior to making any commitment.

Any landlord that fails to make and keep a standard for who he will permit to reside at his property is making a terrible business mistake. As a former park owner I can tell you that I learned the hard way that dropping standards for a quick sale or rental opportunity can make good tenants flee and the only possibilities for replacements become folks who are less then desirable as neighbors. This can start a death spiral for any community. It only takes one unchecked unruly tenant to bring the cash flow from a great property to its knees.

If the owner is Sun Communities I would be very surprised that top management is aware of your problem and not actively tending to it. It is not unheard of communication breakdowns between large companies and local employees. Connect with the national level of management via their website contact form at http://www.suncommunities.com/corporate/contact or by writing to 27777 Franklin Rd., Suite 200 Southfield, Michigan 48034 or Phoning (248) 208-2500. You may be surprised at the reaction you start.

[wellgoll]

I would love to call Sun Communites and let them know what is going on here, but I am afraid of the retaliation from the managment here.

About the felons and child molestor next door, I don't think that the park managment wants them here (they do know that they are here), but I don't see the managment doing anything to get them out of here, also they are not the renters here, it is a relative that allows them to dwell there. But c'mon the same incidents keep happening, no one is moving out. It's actually like a jail here. I cannot go out in my backyard without being approached or watched by these people, I can't even open my window blinds without one of them up against my fence looking in my windows. So now I am having to put locks on my gates (because of them letting my dogs out) and now closing my blinds so I don't have to watch them looking in my windows.

I own my mobile home but rent the land. Rented land I can't even enjoy, never could never will. Well thanks for all your help and a place to vent... keep up the good work.

P.S. I also looked at my lease and it does state in there that no convicted felons are allowed. But I guess that changed.

[David Oxhandler]

If you wont tell us the name of the park or contact the owners the or your state MH Owners association than you are electing to continue to be a victim.

If you will not stand up for yourself then there is nothing that anyone can do to help you.

YOU need to decide of you are going to c ontinue to live your life in fear, stand up for your right to enjoy your home or just give up and move on....

[wellgoll]

I guess its true that every cloud has a silver lining. The neighbors next door, the WHOLE CREW moved out the middle of the night. I don't know what happened, I just know that they moved in the middle of the night. Now I can start enjoying my home. Once again thanks for letting me use this forum to vent.

[alexgma]

i live near a sun community mobile home park for years the managment was doing things behind there backs moving old mobil ein and not running the credit app well just last dec corp office flew in seems like every other home had felonys are molestors in it.

some one send a none signed letter detailing what was going on in park,how bad it was getting and she now is jobless.they come in threw the whole staff out got there company person in and they are throwing them out,givng them time enought to not only move but get homes out

so you dont have to live in fear main company may not know you dont have to sign letter but your part of the problem if you dont do something to help your own community.maybe sun didnt even know they was all in there maybe someone like your self chose to speak up

no matter glad its empty but dont run hide duck be part of your community sun communitys is agood company.they do care

this park they own in missouri,its looking good,and cleaned up.

i would like to seen her face when corp flew down just to fire her she worked there over 16 yrs.