As submitted to the Manufactured Home
Owners Network - Letters to the Editor
To
The Editor:
We
thought we had heard every thing, until we learned of a park
owner who had told a resident to destroy her rental agreement,
and sign a new one with a higher rent. The same resident was
next told to sign a new and third rental agreement. This time
with the original rent, but with the addition of one month's
rent for a security deposit. The unsuspecting resident dutifully
signed each one of these contracts, as instructed. Unfortunately,
far too many mobile/manufactured home park residents view management
as being sacrosanct.
The
fact of the original contract being breached by management,
an actionable offense notwithstanding, the authority allowing
mobile/manufactured home park management to charge a security
deposit is quite clear. The demand for a security deposit can
only be made, "on or before initial occupancy." Occupancy is
initiated at the moment of signing the contract-the rental agreement.
The
authority-statue-allowing mobile/manufactured home park owners
to charge a security deposit, on the space, -a piece of dirt-occupied
by the resident's private property, his home, is ludicrous.
There is absolutely no justification to allow park owners to
extract as much as $3,400 in deposits to be held until the home
owner, who may or may not have the astuteness to request its
return. The refund, without interest, need only be honored after
a written request is made of the park owner.
Based
upon the number of calls we have received on mobile/manufactured
home park security deposits, there are millions of dollars being
held by park residents statewide. A good proportion of these
moneys is not being refunded for unsubstantiated reasons, even
after proper notification to the management. This is a travesty.
Disclosure...
