Know Your Rights: Mobile Home Park Residents

Need some advice.

 

My sister owns a trailer in PA and on the 4th of November she notified her Landlord that her power was flashing on and off. After an electrician came out they said it was on the lanlords side and his responsibility to repair.  This he did not do and the week of Thanksgiving the power box blew and burned up her furnace and computer! Her computer was really nice and she cant afford to buy a new on or a furnace. The furnace needs to be replaced and she is living without heat and electric for weeks now! She has a young child and doesnt know what to do, or what the laws say. I live in FL and cannot help her. What can she do what do the laws say, can anyone give us some advice.

We live in the Lancaster area in a double wide manufactured home in a community park.  There are two parts to the park. One the old side with mostly single wide homes and the new part with doublewides. In our section about 95% of the residents are over 55. We take good care of our area. We have no maintance people here and so we take care of everything ourselves. There is a man who mows a few areas of grass and that is it. If we need anything repaired or need assistance there is no one. We were told if we don't keep our grass mowed or keep things clean they will come in a take care of it and we would be charged $50 an hour and it would be added to our lot rent. Now they have come up with a new annual home inspection. We are to have an appointment for them to come by and inspect our homes outside. We were given a check list of the things we are to have in order that they will be inspecting. What I would like to know is, do they have the right to treat us like this? This park looks really good and it is because of the residents not the people who run the park. They are supposed to take care of the sidewalks and the other maintance of the park. My elderly neighbor cought her cane in a big crack in the sidewald in front of the mailboxs the other day and fell into the mailboxes. Thankfully she just has a few black and blue marks. We have gone to the manager about our problem with stray cats urunateing in our flower beds and on our porches, and bring dead animals on the porches or throwing up on the porches and walks. Her answer was for us to call somone and pay to have them removed or feed them like she does.  A few months ago we were told we have to pay for our dogs now. I have been here for 8 years now and have never had to pay for my dog. I will gladly pay for him but she won't charge anyone with cats. She says they don't scratch and bite. That is just bull. One woman has at least a dozen cats in and out of her house and that is ok. Since she is here we now have to fill out a paper every year and give a copy of our home title and give them our social secruity numbers among other personal information. We have always had on ongoing lease here but now she thinks we should sign one every year. I'm sorry but I am not comfortable giving out all that personal information. You never know who is in that office getting into the files. We are confused about our rights here. If we don't do as they say they said we will be evicted. And if we can't sell our home and can't afford to move it she said they will take it over and sell it or rent it out.  They have done this to several people on the older side. Do we have any rights in refusing this inspection? Or are we living in a Nazi Germant camp here. This woman seems to think she can do anything to us and so does the company that owns the park. They are supposed to give us 60 days before raising our lot rent. They send us a letter in December to raise the lot rent on Jan 1. When we moved into this park in Nov. 2004 we paid $279 a month lot rent. Now we pay $447 a month. They have raised our rent $20 a year for the past several years. They tell us it either fir the ammenities we get. The ammenities is a small playground that is tucked in the corner of the new side and no one has used it for the past 5 years. There are no children on this side. The other reason is because of comparible rates in this area. We did a survey of parks in this area. There is only one that is around the same price and that is in Lancaster and it has a community building to do things in and a pool and other ammenities for the residents. We have nothing. Absolutely nothing. I am not sure there is anything that we can do but I surely wish there was.

Thank you for your time and if there is anything you can advise us with please do.

I live in a mobile home park in mechanicsburg the owner Stanley Dye has turned off our outside light poles more than a year ago and the roads have large pot holes everywhere the tennants are unable to contact him in case of an emergency we are over run with stray cats and the owner allows tennants to leave there dogs off leashes and go to the bathroom on the streets not to mention he allows people to live here that are $2,000 behind or more while others have to pay they sent a letter around threatning us a year ago about lot numbers being on your home if theres no lights whats the purpose?he is renting some of the homes on a rent to own basis and theres no heat and no working stoves is this legal?he allows shady people to move in and some of them are on megans law yep sex offenders there are lots of children also some of the people that live here there lots are all junked up and he never says a thing for some of us who own our homes and keep them up and our lots very clean this isnt fair to us we have gotten shut off notices for our water and for 3 weeks our trash wasnt picked up this is all included in our lot rent we have constant sewage back ups that spill out on the ground for a week or more at a time we have no park manager anymore she was unable to do the job and being that she was his girlfriend now we have noone there are elderly and dissabled people in this park and no outside lights rules and regulations are not posted in a common area any ideas on what to do? we really need your help thank you for your time! CLJ

Hi, I live in East Berlin, PA. We have lived here in Country View Manor, for almost 18 years. We have never had problems with our previous owners. I have been told that the new owner George Adams has owned several parks before and his MO is to send letters by regular mail to residents stating an amount that they owe or they will be taken to the magistrate. Many of these people do not own the homes. They call him and tell him that his records are not correct and that they have paid their rent. He will either argue with them or say "Oh here is the check on my desk." If he doesn't accept the fact that they have paid he will then take them to court most figure he will figure it out and cancel the hearing. If they don't show up they lose he gets their home and remodels it then rents it for the home and the lot combined. Our sewer tanks have not been pumped in four years they are right by my home and the  smell is aweful many residents are made sick by it being in their homes. They have problems with sewage coming up into their tubs and clogged drains that do not drain no matter what they do. They will call him and he yells at them saying it is all in their heads and they are the only one to complain. This is a lie. There are many other problems going on here and we can't seem to find the right people to investigate. The township said they won't do anything because we don't have a septic system. We have a water and sewer treatment plant the sludge is at least 7 inches thick on the walls of it. The water smells horrible, like sewage at times. Many of the older residents have come to me asking what to do since my husband works in Plumbing and he is liscensed. I have posted a letter on our bulletin board at our mail boxes for people to call to start a Tenants Association. A few people have called and are VERY interested in this. However now my landlord has removed the notice and has threatened me by phone that I am not allowed to start this Association. He has also sent me a letter by regular mail saying I owe 1420.00 for non paid rent which is incorrect. I sent him proof of the paid checks. We went to a Magistrate hearing, he did not show up, we won and the DJ said we were actually over paid on our rent by 130.00. Now the Landlord has appealed this to the Common Pleas Court of York. I cannot afford an attorney I have a son in college and two smaller children at home, I have to file for disability, from being a school bus driver for 6 years, and suddenly I have serious health problems, I am just waiting on a diagnosis from one of the many doctors I am seeing, trying to figure out what is wrong with me. I am only 44 years old. I feel I am being retaliated against but, I cannot get legal advice and I do not qualify for free legal assistance. Does anyone know what I can do, how can I get help. Please someone help our whole community. We are afraid to start an Association, people are afraid he will come after them. Could someone please steer me in the right diredtion. This man has done this before with his other Mobile Home Parks and then he sells them and moves on to another park. I have also been sent a transaction sheet by his attorney that has extra fees added on every month from January of 2011 for pet fee that was already part of our rent payment when he took over. The attorney said he is now asking for over 2,000.00 to pay everything up. I feel like I am going to have a nervous breakdown because of this man. Thank you if anyone can help us all!

Valerie, I'm curious if your sister in Pa was/is renting from GSP Management or if her park is owned by Frank Perano. Frank owns 74 mobile home parks in Pa and settled out of court with the United States Justice Dept, DEA & EPA for $1,390,000.00 and daily fines till he fixes the several THOUSAND water violations such as dumping RAW SEWAGE into Pennsylvania's streams and for providing many of the parks he owns with contaminated water, back in October 2012. About a month ago they put his ass in jail! I live in Country Manor West MHP in Carlisle, Pa. I am starting to uncover the fact that the lamp post electrical wiring is connected into the tenants electricity AFTER the utility box which I believe is theft of utility service. Even more alarming is the fact that several homes have caught fire, had melted wiring and other types of electrical issues that were related to the lamp post wiring NOT being ground properly and ARCING which is a fire hazard and causes wiring issues inside the homes....AND....they are located next to the GAS meters/lines and we have issues with old meters/lines leaking. Anyone with issues with a Perano owned mobile home park or Country Manor West or GSP Management that would like to talk to me can do so by emailing me at ordogi@aol.com as I've got a law suit against them and might want to do a class action if others are interested. They tried to illegally evict me stating I violated park rules. The park rules were not enforceable because the rules were not enforced in regard to others. Matter of fact the GSP park Manager and General Manager Scot and Kathy Fuhrman (husband/wife team) had several of the same rules violations on their property that they cited me for!!! They also filed at District Justice Susan Day's office that I was late on rent on March 26, 2012....which I wasn't I was paid in full and not late. Three days later GSP sent me a letter telling me they wont sue me if I paid $129.88 which was the amount I owed in back rent. Ummmm, they did sue me & that $129.88 they were trying to pass off as back rent was the court cost filing fees! Innocent until proven guilty. Of course, given the way Susan Day runs her magisterial district court...I lost. I appealed and am counter suing in Cumberland County Court House in Pa. Wish I had an attorney to represent me but I have to do all of this by myself.I've had two trees fall on my home and they refused to give me their insurance company's information. This was not an act of God, I can prove it was lack of tree maintenance. There are pot holes everywhere and our mailbox area is hazardous to walk around and the streets are poorly lit. The pool has broken tiles. The water has a stench to it. Favoritism & harassment is a common practice of Perano's businesses. To see if your park in Pa is part of the US Justice law suit do a search for Perano and sewage and find the legal document naming all the parks and sewage plants owned by Perano. The cable TV service they provide is very poor visually & the 40 some year old cable lines need replaced but they wont do that. Instead, I've noticed they just buy another mobile home park with OUR money instead of making repairs to OUR community. SCUM BAG SEWAGE DISHING LANDLORD!

 

hi i live in sunrise mobikle home park owned by gsp managment roads are horrible never get ahold of manager louis and tom hall husband wife they loose my money orders tub stained from brown water and my problem is stray cats destroying under and around my trailer my decorations propane tanks garbage cans poop everywhere from cats in driveway cars sprayed pictures of condemed lots looking like hell the park mangers raid empty houses take good appliances for themselves or garbage there is a trailer here with rottomn meat and magoots and fleas which have frozen by now all last sunner had dead smell in back yard around house i pay my rent have for years never late ezcept when they loose money orders have certified dekivery confermation to prove they recived them any answers for cats removal they town and communnity are passing the buck along with mangers

My situation is not as bad as most I have read on here. I live in Valley View in Honey Brook PA. I have bee here 2 years and directly behind my house is a very large wooded area, that my children go down and play in, explore, fish in the creek, and take the dog for his walks in. Recently the park is saying no one is allowed in the woods because they found Marijuana growing down there. The woods connect 5 parks total so there is no way of telling who planted it or which park if it is from a park resident. No matter where you go that item will be present somewhere. That is a fact of life. Can they legal block the woods off and forbid anyone from going into them claiming it is private property. Thank you to whoever can help with this matter.

Hi i am currently renting a lot in honey brook pa, my landlord is trying to evict me for having guests at my residence. I am being accused of subleasing when in actuality i have friends and family who frequently spend a few nights here and there, recently i went 9 months without a vechile so it was important to be able to take care of personal business by having rides, often times a friend or family member would stay here more then a few hours, my son just recently gave me his extra car for my personal use it is still registered and insured by him as it was cheaper to keep the car on his policy, however now that the vechile is parked in my driveway full time the landlord believes this is a second person living here the recent letter i received was we have noticed a two vechilrs parked at your residence on numerous occasions. Please refer to vechile parking section of your lease, it only states in lease only two cars may be parked in alloted space, and a third car would incur a fee of twenty dolars per month. Does this mean i need to pay 20 extra everytime a visitor comes and then there is a third car, there is no area designated for guest parking. Although the codes for chester county state that each mobile home park should have a section for such purposes. Also, there is an implication that guests, visitors may only visit with park owners permission almost asif they are a parent and i am a child that needs explicit permission each time someone pays a visit. Has anyone reading this post experienced a similar experience where guests and cars belonging to guests are implication of another person living within the home? OR owning borrowing renting a vechile is somehow an issue because its at your private residence?

Hi I have a mobile home in clairton pa that I own and rent the lot. The landlord is responsible for the water and sewage. He keepsinsisting and harassing me and another family about water leaks. Because is water bill was for 17,000 gallons in a month there are 9 homes in the park would you think that's excessive ? Also he keeps randomly showing up and going under our home to "check" for leaks that aren't there. And says you can't let a faucet drip in the winter ever.

I live in a mobile home park in ohio, and I received a letter from the park mgr. saying that it has come to their attion that ive been feeding stray cats, which I have not been, my former neighbor fed them for a year , and it went unnoticed, and im threatened with eviction, the mgr. here uses threats and intimidation to run this place, im fed up, also telling the tenants t not feed the strays is against the law (animal cruelty)

I recently purchased a mobile home in a park where they are rennovating some homes, etc and it is looking better, although, the manager of the park stated that I couldnt have the water turned on until the gas was on, and this i did, although, it was past the time for freezing pipes, etc. after the water was turned on and the unit was paid for, I come to find that the park has issues with water pressure and production to the homes. If the neighbors are using water, I have none. I had a licensed plumbing and heating contractor come to check out my pipes, plumbing, etc, to be sure it wasnt something to do with the newly purchased unit and I am clear, does anyone know the laws on water distribution in a mobile home park? I am beside myself, I cant even shower there and thank god i have friends to turn to because I used all of my money and she wont even give me the owner of the parks info to contact him, now she wont answer any of my calls or return them. she laughed at me and told me she finds it very hard to believe but all of my neighbors say the same and that they are afraid of eviction so they just leave well enough alone.

My wife purchased a Mobil home in a park which we rent the lot. We are happly married for 5 years. Her name is on the title and the lease. We have been living there for 5 months. She didnt put me on lease assuming since we are married no problem. WRONG! Well she is temporarily dispersed for 6 months. The property management have sent a couple letters in the mail. One saying they will not be renewing the lease come January 1, 2016. The other saying she has people who are not on the lease and she needs to get them out on 48 hours. No court orders that ive seen. I do live there amd xhexk the mail and all that. I called the property ownera of the park. They told me i cant stay there and get out immediately. I was floored, being that im her husband and paid for the house actually. I wanted it to her thing. Can anyone tell me if they can come and through me and our 2 children out? Ive read the laws, but cant find anything specific to our situation. Please help me. Im in Pennsylvania. Thank

I am a senior.LIVE with my totally disable daughter in a mobile home park.The lights on my street had be broken for atleast 8 months. It is dark and unsafe. We can not see around our United at night when we go out...park manager refuses to fix. What can we do?

My manager walked into my house when i was not home one morning and looked thru my house. Ik bc my friend watched him.Is this illegal and what can i do...I already know he hownmuch i owed in rent to my boss when he pulled up to pick me up... violating one of my rights.

We pay for sewer every month with our rent but the park owner says it is our responsibility to fix the problem that is not in our home but the line. He said since no one else has the same problem he said it is our problem.

Can management of a mobile home park make a new tenant pay the lot rent owed by a previous tenant before giving the new tenant a lease?

Park management uses pedafiles for maintenance and tells no one when you say you don't want them in your trailer because of children and handicapped people who are there they bring them anyway

If my meter busts and maybe bust the pipe that goes from the meter to the ground not the one from the meter to the trailer, is the meter and pipe which leads to the ground my responsibility? Someone told me I only own the pipe above the meter although the maintenance man is being a jerk telling me I have to replace the meter and the pipe to the ground because my heat tape which runs from the meter to the trailer wasn't working?? He's telling me that I have to buy my meter through them although he replaces it at their price which he is unsure of the price I will get the bill. I have a good friend owns his own plumbing business if I have to pay for it shouldn't I have the right of who installs it and where I buy the meter? But really should I have to pay for it at all.? Please if you know respond.

i lived in my mobile home for 20 years. i have a corner lot. i was told that i cannot park on the side or front of my home anymore. all parking is on the other side of the street. since i live on a corner lot. i have to make a wide turn to get up my driveway. it is hard when someone is parked across the street. the President told me when i complained. just hope no one is parked across the street when you try to get up your driveway. i am 86 yrs old with disabilities. and have a handicap tag on my car. when the people across the street park in the street and have company, i park on the side of my home and wait until they leave, then i go out and drive up the driveway. is there anyone i can talk to to see what my rights are. Thank you

Can I be made responsible for tree removal under any circumstances?