I was driving some MHPs the other day and ran into something I haven’t seen before. A large (for Montana) park with over 100 slots, I’d rate it a B- in terms of overall appearance. This park had a gated entry with a security key code and two gates. One for ingress and egress. I got the impression that during the day the gates were kept open, and in the evening they come down. It seemed to me to be a fairly slick way to cut down on trouble, there was a video camera out in front also.As someone looking to get into the business, and a part-time amateur sociologist, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with gating a MHP?Thank You
No, but depending on the cost it may be worth it if you want to see who is going in and outWhat is the lot rent, do they offer a clubhouse and amenities, over 55 or all age.Just wondering.
I’ve only seen a few gated MHPs - of course Point Dume and Paradise Cove in Malibu (with manned guard shacks), and a few seniors parks in/around Sacramento (un-manned guard shacks, and the gates up - at least by day). I think such gates are overkill, and would not install such on my properties. Frankly any nefarious element in society is going to be able to hop over a gate. Defense needs to be at the home-level, not at a gate hundreds or even a thousand feet away.Good luck,-jl-
Might just be for curbside appeal to get suckers to pay more for the park. I’ve seen a couple flips around here where the buyer put in the gate.
There’s a small RV park near my family’s vacation home in the western NC mountains with a fancy iron gate, but that’s the only one I’ve seen. I’ve run apartment deals with gates, and on Class B/C properties, they cost too much to maintain. You’d be surprised how often people run into them, how long they take to fix, and how large the repair bill is. I had a controlled access arm at one deal in Atlanta and a resident took a machete to it. Luckily he was easily identified in the video.Think about your needs, what you’d want the gates to achieve, and if there are better alternatives.Will
I own a community with an un-manned gate. For 80% of the residents, the community is their second home. They like the sense of security the gate provides while they are away.
We looked at gates at one time on a certain park. Benjamin Franklin once said “it’s not the cost to built the fireplace, but the cost to keep it in wood”. Same thing with the gate. You can build one for about $10,000. But they break down ALL the time. And then residents hit them ALL the time. And then you end up taking it down after you have had enough of the hassle and expense. The gate companies won’t tell you this, But talk to others who have them, and you’ll soon find that they don’t even bother to close them because they can’t afford to keep them running. Of course, then the tenants complain that they are not closed. It’s basically a nightmare.Sorry gate salesmen out there, but that’s the truth.
Just wanted to add that Shath is probably 100% correct with his “second home” community. I’m talking your standard family park. They clearly work in senior parks, fancy condo parking lots, and gated SF communities. I’m talking about Roger and his pickup truck here.
We have a 140 unit multifamily property in Texas, and someone just drove through the gate a few weeks back! Gates might give a false sense of security, but they only give tenants more reason to complain when the gate is broken…(off its tracks, or crashed into in the middle of the night!) They are great for a single family community with responsible tenants, but not a great idea for parks.
If you are considering installing a Gate, please check with your Zoning. It makes a difference if your streets are private or public.One of our neighboring MHPs has a nice, black Gate with one Ingress/Egress.This MHP is:- 65 Lots- 8 Acres- Family MHP- Extremely Well Kept- Black Top Streets- No Swimming Pool- No Clubhouse- Locally Owned & Managed- 98% Occupied- In The City But Zoned Through The County- Private Streets (NOT Public Streets)In the past we owned a lot in a subdivision (single family housing) with public streets. This subdivision went through a lot of hoops (financially and regulatory) to install a Gate. In order to get permission from the Government to install the Gate the subdivision had to promise to permanently keep the Gates open once 75% of the homes were built in the subdivision.We wish you the very best!