First—I own a mobile home in a rural, 40 lot, central Wisconsin park; that at one time, had a waiting list of people who wanted to move their homes into. NOT ANY MORE!
While I (and others) pay our rent on time, are quiet and respectful of our neighbors, follow the last set of rules handed out years ago, maintain our homes and lots (i.e., don’t use empty beer cans, used car parts, dog feces and assorted crap as lawn decor),–we are dismayed with the continuing downward spiral of the park. The current management appears to be only interested in getting the rent. Any problems with the park are not dealt with in a timely manner, if at all. Calling the park’s business phone number very rarely gets a human response, and messages are often unanswered. The managers have “day jobs”, so calling their home numbers is not an option either.
Assorted problem examples:
*Last fall, a lightning strike tripped a switch on the wellhouse, and we went most of the day without water as we couldn’t contact management. While some tenants were playing phone tag with assorted governmental agencies, one tenant finally got through to her daughter, who is employed at the same place one member of the park management works and she notified him.
*The park is full of unlicensed (and presumably unvaccinated) , barking, and often loose dogs (one of which backed a tenant up against her home before being called off by the owner). Management’s answer is to tell anyone complaining about the dogs “to call animal control”. Of course most folks back off from doing so for fear of retaliation from some of the rougher, menacing dog owners.
*The junk, unlicensed vehicles are building up again. Looks like the tenant who finally got fed up and called Planning/Zoning the last time (when 21 junkers were strewn around the park) will have to do it again.
*Unpainted, hastily constructed and obviously not to code (even to the untrained eye) decks, mudrooms and sheds have been built–(some may be over gas line right of ways), and apparently management doesn’t care.
*Until recently, people were burning all manners of trash, building and demolition materials on their lots, often unattended and within close proximity to other’s homes. Management finally sent out a letter asking people to stop, after a tenant threatened legal action if loss, damaged or injury occured to her property (as one of the original park rules in the sign in lease clearly stated “NO OUTSIDE BURNING.”)
*One tenant was raising retail/wholesale quanities of rabbits. Multiple cages up against her home and around her lot, with feces/urine soaked bedding materials and animal attracting food spilled everywhere. At some time, she got rid of the rabbits and started raising RATS. I kid you not. Her immediate neighbor took me to his back yard and I saw this for myself. Management had been called by numerous neighboring tenants and was told they didn’t have a problem with it, even though at times both rabbits and then rats had gotten loose from their outdoor cages. By the time animal control and Planning/Zoning got involved, she was getting rid of the rodents and moving out of the park.
I’ve read every page of this forum and realize that you park owners are in the money making business to provide tenants with a service. Hopefully a clean, quiet, safe place to park or rent a mobile home. I realize that for whatever reason, why I’m living in a mobile home park is not your concern, as long as I pay my rent, keep my home in good repair, mind my business and not cause you or anyone else any trouble. I can vote with my feet (which I’m in the process of planning now), but will probably have to practically give my home away due to the lack of rules being enforced and the eyesores in every part of the park. And while my home is older (1978)—it’s been maintained, kept painted, any problems repaired-- it’s too old to meet the qualifications of the “nicer” parks in the area. The parks with the enforced rules and protective covenants.
Granted, there are low life tenants that can cause you a lot of problems. The managment of my park “inherited” a lot of the problems. They started off with a lot of good ideas, and it looked promising that they were going to turn the park around. At least one of the managers suffered a heart attack and perhaps his health problems caused him to give up. While I understand the problems, I do resent management pushing off their duties of rule enforcement on me and others who have complaints or problems. We’re told to take care of problems ourselves, and while I have done so in the past, other tenants are too afraid of retaliation from other tenants or even the management.
What I wonder is why the hell state and local government agencies don’t enforce the laws regarding mobile home parks, health and safety violations in them, etc. that are on the books? Everybody loves to make snarky comments about “trailer court people”, but in some instances isnt the management and government at fault for not forcing, at the very least, basic compliance?