tigerjust0001
Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? PA
Hi everyone.
My family owns a mobile home and we have it on a Mobile Home Park where we rent a lot. We have lived here for almost as long as I can remember (I am 23 years old).
My mom and dad have been separated for about 6 years, so it is now me, my brother, my disabled mom, my sister and her two daughters (2 and 5 years old). My sister has 2 jobs and is looking to move out very soon...I graduated college and I am looking for a full time job to move out as well. My brother works as a mechanic and is looking to buy a house soon if he can secure a mortgage and find a place he wants.
Recently, I would say in the last 5-6 years the park changed ownership...the old owners sold out to the new owners. The new owners had everyone sign new leases upon them taking the park over. However, they never asked anyone to sign new leases until this month...
The interesting thing is when they took over, maintenance of the park got really bad. The roads are all pot holed, they didn't adequately clear the snow and ice from the winter, a lot of homes have puddling in front of them from the concrete going bad (one guy actually has tadpoles and mosquitoes living right outside of his home because of this and has had no luck getting them to do anything even after suing them and withholding his rent in an escrow account), they have shut off half of the street lights, and we have had 2 boil notices for the water due to them not maintaining the well correctly. The same guy who sued the park started a homeowners association where people can meet and discuss the park and what they can do to make the owners take care of the issues. The park manager showed up to the first meeting and kept laughing and watching everyone discuss the park issues...nobody asked him to leave and if they did I don't think it would have been legal for them to ask him to. The last straw was when we received our most recent boil notice with a letter attached informing us that there would be an increase of rent from 280 a month to 300 a month for all lots.
Fast forward a couple of months (there is now a Facebook page for the organization, many people have complained to DEP because of the water issues which smells like straight up dirty swimming pool water, etc.) and we are being asked to sign leases again. I understand since the rent increased that it is a good idea to have your tenants sign a new lease. This time around though the landlord asked to meet with every tenant personally before giving them a lease to sign. My mother goes to the office to meet her and she asks who is living with her...she tells her that her 2 sons and daughter and her 2 grandkids who are 2 and 5. She says that's a lot of people living there and you will use more utilities (well water, sewage, and trash) so I will have to charge you probably 550 dollars all together. She handed my mom a blank lease and told her she would send her a specific lease for her. The same people minus my dad have lived here for the past 5-6 years (except the 2 year old obviously). We are trying to understand how she can jack the rent up now because she thinks we will use more utilities than someone else...isn't that familial discrimination?
My mom has started looking for places to move to, but she is having issues because we are low income and she is disabled so it is tough living off of disability...which the landlord actually made fun of her for when my mom disputed a rent late fee a few months ago with her over the phone...telling my mom she wouldn't believe someone who doesn't work and is living on disability...FYI -- my mom worked since she was 16 (now is 43) until she started developing neurological issues...her right arm swells and she loses control of it (can't write or even use a computer mouse), extreme pain like her arm is being stabbed, extreme headaches, etc.
Thanks for the information/help in advance. We really appreciate it!
Hi everyone.
My family owns a mobile home and we have it on a Mobile Home Park where we rent a lot. We have lived here for almost as long as I can remember (I am 23 years old).
My mom and dad have been separated for about 6 years, so it is now me, my brother, my disabled mom, my sister and her two daughters (2 and 5 years old). My sister has 2 jobs and is looking to move out very soon...I graduated college and I am looking for a full time job to move out as well. My brother works as a mechanic and is looking to buy a house soon if he can secure a mortgage and find a place he wants.
Recently, I would say in the last 5-6 years the park changed ownership...the old owners sold out to the new owners. The new owners had everyone sign new leases upon them taking the park over. However, they never asked anyone to sign new leases until this month...
The interesting thing is when they took over, maintenance of the park got really bad. The roads are all pot holed, they didn't adequately clear the snow and ice from the winter, a lot of homes have puddling in front of them from the concrete going bad (one guy actually has tadpoles and mosquitoes living right outside of his home because of this and has had no luck getting them to do anything even after suing them and withholding his rent in an escrow account), they have shut off half of the street lights, and we have had 2 boil notices for the water due to them not maintaining the well correctly. The same guy who sued the park started a homeowners association where people can meet and discuss the park and what they can do to make the owners take care of the issues. The park manager showed up to the first meeting and kept laughing and watching everyone discuss the park issues...nobody asked him to leave and if they did I don't think it would have been legal for them to ask him to. The last straw was when we received our most recent boil notice with a letter attached informing us that there would be an increase of rent from 280 a month to 300 a month for all lots.
Fast forward a couple of months (there is now a Facebook page for the organization, many people have complained to DEP because of the water issues which smells like straight up dirty swimming pool water, etc.) and we are being asked to sign leases again. I understand since the rent increased that it is a good idea to have your tenants sign a new lease. This time around though the landlord asked to meet with every tenant personally before giving them a lease to sign. My mother goes to the office to meet her and she asks who is living with her...she tells her that her 2 sons and daughter and her 2 grandkids who are 2 and 5. She says that's a lot of people living there and you will use more utilities (well water, sewage, and trash) so I will have to charge you probably 550 dollars all together. She handed my mom a blank lease and told her she would send her a specific lease for her. The same people minus my dad have lived here for the past 5-6 years (except the 2 year old obviously). We are trying to understand how she can jack the rent up now because she thinks we will use more utilities than someone else...isn't that familial discrimination?
My mom has started looking for places to move to, but she is having issues because we are low income and she is disabled so it is tough living off of disability...which the landlord actually made fun of her for when my mom disputed a rent late fee a few months ago with her over the phone...telling my mom she wouldn't believe someone who doesn't work and is living on disability...FYI -- my mom worked since she was 16 (now is 43) until she started developing neurological issues...her right arm swells and she loses control of it (can't write or even use a computer mouse), extreme pain like her arm is being stabbed, extreme headaches, etc.
Thanks for the information/help in advance. We really appreciate it!
