A Website for Mobile Home Residents

by Mobile Home Residents

Mobile Home Resident

What Happens When Mobile Home Park Owners

Only Care About Money

 

Before I begin, I understand the concept of profitability and return on investment to the stock holders.  I was President of a Sales and Management training company for 30 years, so you don’t stay in business that long unless you understand what it takes financially.  But in all that time, I never put profit ahead of my employees and customers. So, when profit becomes #1 on the list, it can have a dramatic effect when developing a Culture within a Community.

 

When a Mobile home park owner only cares about money, it can have detrimental effects on the residents who call the park “Home”.  Mobile home parks are supposed to be affordable housing options for individuals and families who may not be able to afford traditional homes.  However, when the owner of a mobile home park prioritizes profit over the well-being of their residents, it can lead to a variety of issues that negatively impact the Community.

 

One of the most common ways that a mobile home park owner who only cares about money can harm their residents is by neglecting necessary maintenance and repairs. Mobile homes require regular upkeep to ensure that they remain safe and habitable. When a park owner fails to invest in maintenance and repairs, it can lead to a variety of problems such as leaky roofs, faulty plumbing, and electrical issues. These issues can make living conditions in the park unsafe and unsanitary, putting residents at risk of injury or illness.

 

Here’s a good example.  The Sun Communities lease states that lease residents are responsible for all minor repairs.  Now, that property may have been Home to several other families before the new Neighbor moved in.  So why should the new Neighbor have to be responsible for all the use, or misuse that existed before they took occupancy?  Here’s why.  So Sun Communities and Management don’t need to spend their time and money.

 

A recent Neighbor who moved into a leased Home called Mr. Mike’s Neighborhood because she had 8 recessed lights in her ceiling that were burned out.  She hadn’t lived there very long so she called the office to ask for help and was told she was responsible to change those light bulbs and the office couldn’t help her.  So I emailed office Management to have their maintenance person let me know how to change them.  The Park Manager refused to reply.  Their philosophy is, they won’t help her, but they don’t want Mr. Mike’s Neighborhood to help her either.  So until we can figure out a way to help her, she and her family will have to live in the dark.

 

Additionally, Mobile home park owner who only cares about money may also raise lot rents to unsustainable levels in an effort to maximize profits. This can put financial strain on residents who may already be struggling to make ends meet. When lot rents become unaffordable, residents may be forced to choose between paying their rent and meeting other basic needs such as food, utilities, and healthcare. This can lead to increased financial instability and stress among residents, ultimately harming the overall well-being of the community.

 

Many of our Neighbors are Seniors on Social Security, Government Aid, Poor or Handicapped.  An increase in rent will be a hardship when even their Social Security Cost of Living increase won’t cover it.  This financial strain means nothing to our Management.  Either pay the rents they impose, or either move or they’ll evict you.  It’s that easy for Sun.

 

What’s worse is that Sun Communities doesn’t use rents and rent increases for the benefit of the Community.  I have never seen the Corporate numbers, but let’s just take a guess.  There are 250 homes within the Community.  If the average rent between lease and owned homes is $900 per month, that brings in $225,000 of revenue per month or $2.7 million per year.  When taking into consideration that Sun Communities raises the rents approximately $40 per month every year, the rent increases alone totals approximately $10,000 per month or $120,000 per year.  Now, I understand that there must be many expenditures like property taxes, home renovations, mortgage payments, salaries etc.  But this year, the only expenditure I see that benefitted our Park was hiring a weed killing company for the curbs.  For a whole year, that was it.  And by not putting some of those funds into keeping the Park clean and beautiful by fixing pot holes, painting lines and numbers, and picking up trash, you can see a definite decline in the quality of our Community since the new regime was installed.

 

Furthermore, a Mobile home park owner who prioritizes profit over the needs of their residents may also engage in unethical or predatory practices.  For example, they may take advantage of residents by charging exorbitant fees for things like late fees and charges for accepting a money order. They may also exploit residents by enforcing arbitrary rules and regulations that are designed to benefit the owner rather than the Community as a whole. These practices can create a hostile and oppressive living environment for residents, leading to feelings of powerlessness and resentment.

 

In some cases, a Mobile home park owner who only cares about money may also engage in discriminatory practices that target certain groups of residents.  For example, they may unfairly target low-income residents or residents of color for eviction or harassment in an effort to attract more desirable tenants. This can create a toxic and divisive atmosphere within the Community, leading to increased tension and conflict among residents.

 

We have a very diverse Neighborhood as you would expect living across the street from Detroit.  Most of our Neighbors likely never dreamed of living in a mobile home park, so their reasons for being here are many.  But based on complaints I’ve received from our Neighbors, Management seems to treat many of our Neighbors very unprofessionally.  And this treatment must be condoned by Sun since it has been happening for a long time.  They are not trained on providing outstanding Customer Service or how to handle a disgruntled Neighbor who many have a legitimate complaint.

 

Overall, when a Mobile home park owner only cares about money, it can have devastating consequences for the residents who rely on the park for housing.  From neglecting maintenance and repairs to raising rents to unsustainable levels, prioritizing profit over the well-being of residents can lead to a variety of issues that harm the Community as a whole. It is essential for Mobile home park owners to prioritize the needs and safety of their residents above all else in order to create a healthy and thriving community for all.

 

But then again there’s the issue.  Since Sun’s formula for owning a mobile home park is to spend as little money as possible, they forget that for many of us, this is our “Home”, not just a place to hang out for a few years.  So when a mobile park owner only looks at it’s residents as “rent” and not Neighbors living within a Community, it’s easy for them not to care about people, which they don’t.  And worst of all, it’s how Sun trains their Managers.  I feel that with the high rents we pay, we should be able to live in a clean, safe Community where Management and Ownership actually cares about us.

 

As a final thought, after doing several years of research on mobile home living, I find that this Culture is systemic, not only within Sun Communities properties, but in mobile home parks nationwide.  A change needs to take place, but then again, why would mobile home park owners want to change.  I’m sure they buy these parks just for the money, and not the well-being of it’s residents.

 

© Mike Whitty | Mr. Mike's Neighborhood