We have a few handicapped folks in our community. So far we’ve accommodated them by building ramps up to their front doors for free. Our experience seems to indicate that such accommodation reduces turnover by about 2/3rds.
Q’s:
Should we be doing more? (Lowering kitchen counter tops, widening doorways, etc.)
Should we be doing less? (Will handicapped folks install this stuff themselves? Do handicapped folks just not move around as often as fully-abled folks, and maybe we are not reducing turnover at all …?)
If such accommodation does reduce turnover, does the impact vary by type of park (e.g. what is the turnover rate of accommodated handicapped folks in an all-ages community vs. in a seniors park?
I have also built handicap ramps in the past, with the same customer retention results. I have never altered the home, however. One concern if you alter the home would be that you might be creating liability for yourself, as the grab bars, etc. take a lot of load that the typical mobile home is not able to provide. The other issue is that the next tenant may not be handicapped, and would not like the “feel” of the altered home (the same effect you can get if you get a handicapped accessible room at a hotel vs. a standard room).
It’s no big deal to remove a ramp (in fact, I have left the ramps in the past and the next customer that moves in has no problem with a ramp vs. stairs), but it would be a huge deal to retrofit back to non-handicap styling.
This issue has recently come up for me at my park and i was wondering if others had any experience with this. Tenant moved in several months ago, with no mention of needing a ramp and no discussion of such. (Although they did inform me he receives a disability check.) Two months in, they are now informing me that he needs a ramp as his condition has deteriorated.
At first i told them i don’t have a problem with them building it at their own expense, providing they obtain a permit and meet all necessary codes. They agreed to do that. Now they’ve come back to me and are saying that they have consulted with doctors and a “few others” and are being told that because i “own the rental property i am required by law to provide to provide him as my tenant with the necessary accommodations for his disability.”
Anyone else come across this? If i build a ramp, can i then charge them for labor and materials? Can i refuse to do so? Can i invalidate the lease?
Assuming it is a TOH on your rental lot, you are not obligated to pay for the ramp but the tenant may not believe you. This happened to us. They took it up with the authorities and after a bunch of hassle we ended up exactly where we should have been.
You are obligated to make “reasonable accommodations” for the tenants needs, which would include making the site accessible and ramp-ready.
The overhead of coordinating the ramp installation with any surface prep (such as concrete pavement access) is something to consider, as well as the goodwill, so you might want to offer to perform the installation and ask the tenant to cover (some portion of the cost) – you’ll have more control and less friction.
If it’s a park owned home i.e. a rental unit then you need to provide reasonable accommodations to your disabled tenant, which definitely includes installing an accessible entrance (unless you have some incredible reason why that’s unreasonable).
Watch the specs on the ramp… do your research to make sure the ramp meets the ADA requirements so you have the lowest amount of liability with the ramp as possible.