More Evictions, Empty Homes and Lots...Oh My!

I spotted another empty dirt lot in our park today and that raises the total to 14 empty lots.  There were also 4 evictions in December and January and that brings the empty homes total to at least 15.  If you are trying to sell your home do you think that so many empty lots coupled with eviction notices posted in windows would in some way interfere with your attempt to sell?  Every eviction, every empty lot, every empty home and every rent increase only further reduces the value and marketability of our homes.  To top this all off, Mobile Community Management warns residents not to participate in protests or say anything negative about the park owners and management becuase this could result in a "decreasing of home values throughout the park."  The core of the problems we face in Tatum Kaplan owned parks all boils down to egregious rents brought about by the unconscionable contracts used by our predatory landlords...not by our voicing our opinions.

HELD HOSTAGE IN OUR OWN HOMES

The following is paragraph 1.3 on page 1 of Tatum Kaplan "Standard Multiple Year Lease/Rental Agreement."  It explains what you can do to cancel the lease.  Let's take a look at this short paragraph.

"RESIDENT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT RESIDENT IS RECEIVING MANY IMPORTANT BENEFITS FROM THIS AGREEMENT, EXAMPLES OF WHICH ARE: PEACE OF MIND BECAUSE OF THE LONG-TERM RENT STABILITY AND KNOWLEDGE OF HOW RESIDENT'S RENT INCREASES WILL BE CALCULATED IN THE FUTURE;..."  In retrospect, I would really like to to question the important benefits we receive from this "agreement?"  The paragraph states that we will have "peace of mind because of the long-term rent stability." Ask any resident who has signed this lease and they will tell you that there is nothing further from the truth.  How can we have "peace of mind" with a contract that allows for anywhere between 10% to more than 70% rental increases?

"The knowledge of how resident's rent increases will be calculated in the future" is supposedly another benefit the contract claims we receive.  I have covered the rent calculations in a previous post however, with the confusing way in which this contract is constructed, how could a prospective resident foresee the possibility of the egregious increases we now face that force many of us out of our homes?

Another "benefit" that supposedly provides us with "peace of mind" is the "resident's ability to terminate this agreement without any liability to owner by selling/transferring residents mobilehome or assigning resident's right to occupy resident's space to someone who will accept an assignment of this agreement."  So, in order to cancel this contract, you must submit to playing the park owners' nefarious game by convincing someone else to accept this Trojan Horse contract.  If you somehow convince someone to buy your home and accept assignment of this agreement, then they will not be eligible to the benefits of rent control.  There is nothing in this contract that would indicate the difficulties we would face in selling/transferring our homes in the future.

The final section of this paragraph states that you can terminate this agreement without any liability to the owners by moving your mobilehome from the park and allowing control of the space to revert to the owners.  This is not as easy as it sounds since it may cost $15,000 to $20,000 to move a mobilehome.  If you can't afford the rent that has ballooned up beneath your home then where is $15-20,000 going to come from?  Also, it is my understanding that some mobilehome movers will not move a used mobilehome...depends on the age of the home.

There are two other ways you can terminate the contract.  One is to just wait and do nothing until the rent has been increased so much you cannot afford to pay it.  This will then result in an unlawful detainer being filed against you and most likely you will be evicted.  The end result is a judgment against you and the parkowners get your home.  The second way is to simply walk away from your home and this results in the parkowners getting your home.

So, does it feel like you are being held hostage in your own home?  Every month you pay Tatum and Kaplan ransom in order to keep your home which you are unable to sell because of their predatory contract.  You can't sell your home because at this point in time the rent far exceeds space rents in other parks in the City of Upland.  You can't move your home because of its age or the costs of moving it.  The ultimate ransom you must pay to escape these evil landlords is giving them your home.  Where are the "benefits?"  Where is the "peace of mind?"

Pictures from Brookside Mobile Country Club

The following pictures are from one of our sister parks...Brookside Mobile Country Club.  I'm not joking, "country club" is part of the name.  Tatum and Kaplan own this park and I am told that it was once a very nice park prior to their ownership.  At this time, many of the space rents far exceed $1500.00 per month and the park now abounds with a number of vacant homes and vacant spaces.  Imagine the difficulty of living in this park and trying to sell your home when empty dirt lots and boarded up homes surround you.  These empty dirt lots and boarded up homes in my opinion add up to slum-like conditions.  What do you think?

 

 

A lobbyist for the California Mobilehome Parkowners Alliance claimed in front of an Assembly Housing Committee that Tatum and Kaplan are "extremely sophisticated property owners."  Look at these picutres.  Look around your Tatum Kaplan owned park.  Does it look like Tatum and Kaplan are "extremely sophisticated property owners?" Do our state representatives actually buy into CMPA's lobbyists' claims?  They need to visit our parks to see what is actually taking place.