When Park Mgmt "delegates" to unofficial Park "volunteers"
Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 6:09 pm
I have lived in a Senior Park in Northern CA for exactly 2 years. It has been a singularly horrible experience. I hope no one has to go through this.
The Park provides communication - such as it is - via a Mobile Home Newsletter in which the management has a "Managers Corner". Those involved with this newsletter - this "unofficial arm of Park Mgmt" - have been the bane of our existence, and when we dared complain, the harassment was racheted up to the point we've had to call the local police. Three times.
Examples of unprofessional and illicit activity:
1. They publish a phone book, and unbeknownst to us, included our name and address in it, without even asking if they could do so. Mgmt gave them our private information and they never bothered to contact us about inclusion or not. We didn't even know of their existence! These are long time residents who seemingly have nothing better to do that to mind everybody else's business. When you begin to see the identity theft and invasion of privacy - when you see how e,.g., Isearch.com and others have obtained this "neighbor" information - with phone numbers no less, and are mapping it on the Internet, you begin to realize how horrible it is to have your privacy invaded by people you don't know, except they have a line to Park Mgmt to publish your private information. Illegal, you bet! When we wrote them a cease and desist letter, the harassment truly began.
2. They'd also come by walking their dog and have the dog poop on our property. In one case the contents of an entire bag of dog poop was thrown on our house. We put up a sign about the dog poop (after telling the Park we were going to do so). They walked by our property yelling loudly, cussing at us. When we confronted them, we asked for their names, they said: "you don't think I'd give my name to you". Since we actually did know who they were, after seeing them e.g., live opposite the Park office (!) we contacted the police and our atty wrote a letter. Since we did not have video evidence, the Park atty said they could not evict. These people then denied they ever did such to us, and threatened us. However, lo and behold, the dog pooping instantly stopped. To this day these people are still the "unofficial arm" of Park mgmt.
3. The new next door neighbor has engaged in a variety of illegal and extreme activities (chopping wood with a sledgehammer on his concrete pad, shattering the pad) which they allowed to persist. After 6 months, our atty wrote the neighbor a letter copying the Park's atty, since this activity also jeopardized gas lines, he finally stopped.
4. The (new) Manager told us our MH was not "in compliance", and we had to correct these non compliant items (to the tune of thousands of dollars) when we asked for written itemized list of how it was not in compliance, given the Park had originally OK'd the sale, and there had been no comment on such for 18 months we'd had it, much less the 20 prior years the MH had been here - none showed up.
5. We - for thousands of dollars - did install a security system, and now we have video: of people who work "unofficially" with the Park illegally parking in front of our house. We had told the offenders two years ago, again one year ago, nicely, not to do that, and they keep doing such. Today we complain to mgmt they actually said: "deal with it yourself". We finally said: "that's your job, YOU deal with it, you're being paid to do that." The mgr replied: "Oh I have someone coming into my office now." Click.
6. This park has had a number of break-in's, thefts, security issues, so security is a big issue. We have motion detectors and a house alarm. When someone illegally parks on our property naturally the house alarm goes off. This can get pretty scary, if you're asleep.
7. A few months ago an owner up the road from us passed away. One day as I was working at my desk I saw a young man hurrying down our open patio. I was sitting at my desk two feet from the front door, there was no doorbell sound, and no knock at the door. I went out after him, and challenged him - it was the Park Management's one employee. I asked what he was doing - he said he was getting our MH registration decal number. I stated it was on the front, right where the State says to put it. He said the Park Manager ordered him to go to the back of our property as there was by law one on the back as well. I said there is none on the back, go check the online database. He barged passed me right to the back - looking under our back stairs - then he left. After inquiring with the State registration people, they said no, the one decal in front is all you need. When I went to the Park management with the email from the State said they wanted OUR DECAL because they thought the man who died lived at our address. They had realized their mistake but hadn't bothered to call us to explain their mistake. Now, had I not - BY CHANCE - caught this illegal entry to our property, they would have reported OUR MH registration as belonging to a dead man. I can just t imagine of the paper mess this could have caused.
8. The small children (under 10, under 5 for goodness sakes) still run wild, unattended by any adult, play on the street of this MHP, and this past Saturday night - traffic speeding - at least one car and one SUV - almost hit one of them in front of our hose no less. We have that on video. I suppose we are to "handle that ourselves" too, in this over 55 Park.
There is so much more but I think people get the point. We certainly do. We are planning on pulling our "ancient" doublewide out of this wretchedly run Park to private land or another facility- one that isn't run a bunch of self-described "rednecks with guns" - I kid you not, that's how they refer to themselves.
The questions I have:
(1) what is the legality (common practice?) of deferring, delegating Park duties to a bunch of people who are not legally any agent of the Park owners, but just a volunteer band- who of themselves have no legal classification, organization, but who Park Mgmt allows to conduct Park duties, such as communicating re important issues - instead of the Park having to do so. In our case, they use this unofficially sanctioned "position of power"get away with harassing us. We pay our money to the Park and we signed to obey rules of the Park like everyone else, so I expect the Park's legally appointed agents to deal with issues and to communicate about important matters directly with all tenants. Park Mgmt has never distributed a single informational flyer about anything.
(2) We need to find a reputable mover or movers of doublewides, one who can come in and advise us how to prepare for such a move, and get a quote for executing the move. The move will be within Northern CA. Do you have a link to such services?
Thanks in advance.
PS The why as to why this is happening?
That we rent one of the largest lots - if not the largest lot - on Park property is one possibility and they want us out. We work for a living, and so don't have a lot of spare time on our hands to think up ways to annoy others. But this has interfered with my workday as I work at home. We mind our own business. We bother no one. We want to be left alone. We pay our rent on time. We are outsiders to this bunch. We're the ONLY one of the very very few new buyers who do not come from this particular area, which is not know for their nice manners, in general.
The Park provides communication - such as it is - via a Mobile Home Newsletter in which the management has a "Managers Corner". Those involved with this newsletter - this "unofficial arm of Park Mgmt" - have been the bane of our existence, and when we dared complain, the harassment was racheted up to the point we've had to call the local police. Three times.
Examples of unprofessional and illicit activity:
1. They publish a phone book, and unbeknownst to us, included our name and address in it, without even asking if they could do so. Mgmt gave them our private information and they never bothered to contact us about inclusion or not. We didn't even know of their existence! These are long time residents who seemingly have nothing better to do that to mind everybody else's business. When you begin to see the identity theft and invasion of privacy - when you see how e,.g., Isearch.com and others have obtained this "neighbor" information - with phone numbers no less, and are mapping it on the Internet, you begin to realize how horrible it is to have your privacy invaded by people you don't know, except they have a line to Park Mgmt to publish your private information. Illegal, you bet! When we wrote them a cease and desist letter, the harassment truly began.
2. They'd also come by walking their dog and have the dog poop on our property. In one case the contents of an entire bag of dog poop was thrown on our house. We put up a sign about the dog poop (after telling the Park we were going to do so). They walked by our property yelling loudly, cussing at us. When we confronted them, we asked for their names, they said: "you don't think I'd give my name to you". Since we actually did know who they were, after seeing them e.g., live opposite the Park office (!) we contacted the police and our atty wrote a letter. Since we did not have video evidence, the Park atty said they could not evict. These people then denied they ever did such to us, and threatened us. However, lo and behold, the dog pooping instantly stopped. To this day these people are still the "unofficial arm" of Park mgmt.
3. The new next door neighbor has engaged in a variety of illegal and extreme activities (chopping wood with a sledgehammer on his concrete pad, shattering the pad) which they allowed to persist. After 6 months, our atty wrote the neighbor a letter copying the Park's atty, since this activity also jeopardized gas lines, he finally stopped.
4. The (new) Manager told us our MH was not "in compliance", and we had to correct these non compliant items (to the tune of thousands of dollars) when we asked for written itemized list of how it was not in compliance, given the Park had originally OK'd the sale, and there had been no comment on such for 18 months we'd had it, much less the 20 prior years the MH had been here - none showed up.
5. We - for thousands of dollars - did install a security system, and now we have video: of people who work "unofficially" with the Park illegally parking in front of our house. We had told the offenders two years ago, again one year ago, nicely, not to do that, and they keep doing such. Today we complain to mgmt they actually said: "deal with it yourself". We finally said: "that's your job, YOU deal with it, you're being paid to do that." The mgr replied: "Oh I have someone coming into my office now." Click.
6. This park has had a number of break-in's, thefts, security issues, so security is a big issue. We have motion detectors and a house alarm. When someone illegally parks on our property naturally the house alarm goes off. This can get pretty scary, if you're asleep.
7. A few months ago an owner up the road from us passed away. One day as I was working at my desk I saw a young man hurrying down our open patio. I was sitting at my desk two feet from the front door, there was no doorbell sound, and no knock at the door. I went out after him, and challenged him - it was the Park Management's one employee. I asked what he was doing - he said he was getting our MH registration decal number. I stated it was on the front, right where the State says to put it. He said the Park Manager ordered him to go to the back of our property as there was by law one on the back as well. I said there is none on the back, go check the online database. He barged passed me right to the back - looking under our back stairs - then he left. After inquiring with the State registration people, they said no, the one decal in front is all you need. When I went to the Park management with the email from the State said they wanted OUR DECAL because they thought the man who died lived at our address. They had realized their mistake but hadn't bothered to call us to explain their mistake. Now, had I not - BY CHANCE - caught this illegal entry to our property, they would have reported OUR MH registration as belonging to a dead man. I can just t imagine of the paper mess this could have caused.
8. The small children (under 10, under 5 for goodness sakes) still run wild, unattended by any adult, play on the street of this MHP, and this past Saturday night - traffic speeding - at least one car and one SUV - almost hit one of them in front of our hose no less. We have that on video. I suppose we are to "handle that ourselves" too, in this over 55 Park.
There is so much more but I think people get the point. We certainly do. We are planning on pulling our "ancient" doublewide out of this wretchedly run Park to private land or another facility- one that isn't run a bunch of self-described "rednecks with guns" - I kid you not, that's how they refer to themselves.
The questions I have:
(1) what is the legality (common practice?) of deferring, delegating Park duties to a bunch of people who are not legally any agent of the Park owners, but just a volunteer band- who of themselves have no legal classification, organization, but who Park Mgmt allows to conduct Park duties, such as communicating re important issues - instead of the Park having to do so. In our case, they use this unofficially sanctioned "position of power"get away with harassing us. We pay our money to the Park and we signed to obey rules of the Park like everyone else, so I expect the Park's legally appointed agents to deal with issues and to communicate about important matters directly with all tenants. Park Mgmt has never distributed a single informational flyer about anything.
(2) We need to find a reputable mover or movers of doublewides, one who can come in and advise us how to prepare for such a move, and get a quote for executing the move. The move will be within Northern CA. Do you have a link to such services?
Thanks in advance.
PS The why as to why this is happening?
That we rent one of the largest lots - if not the largest lot - on Park property is one possibility and they want us out. We work for a living, and so don't have a lot of spare time on our hands to think up ways to annoy others. But this has interfered with my workday as I work at home. We mind our own business. We bother no one. We want to be left alone. We pay our rent on time. We are outsiders to this bunch. We're the ONLY one of the very very few new buyers who do not come from this particular area, which is not know for their nice manners, in general.