Mobile Home Park Law ArticlesKnow Your RightsCoral Lake would like to thank The Ledger for most of these articles mostly by Dan Perry. The older links will take you to a page that says the article was not found, if you click on the words ". . .click here to view it in our archives." the article will appear. It's important to know your rights. Caution is advised against playing jail house lawyer as many of these rights are not respected, requiring a lawyer and mediation or trial to achieve. Laws Determine Park ObligationsRecent storm and hurricane damage has caused considerable concern to mobile home owners as to which duties are the responsibility of the park owner. Some park owners either minimize or disclaim their responsibilities.Date: 01/15/05 Timely Rent Cost Notices NeededReaders know that Section 723.037(1) of the Florida Mobile Home Act requires that their mobile home park owner give written notice to each affected mobile home owner and the board of directors at least 90 days prior to any increase in lot rent. Some...Date: 01/08/05 `No Pet' Rules are Hard to EnforceReaders frequently ask why mobile home park owners do not enforce the "no-pet" restrictions of the park's written rules and regulations. Many parks have restrictions on the height, weight or type of dogs and other pets. These rules are also widely...Date: 01/01/05 Owners Question Buying DefibrillatorSeveral mobile home owners have asked whether their homeowner association should purchase a defibrillator. Some home owners have expressed concern and wonder if the park owner should bear the expense and maintenance of a defibrillator.Date: 12/25/04 Court Case Analysis Difficult to FathomIt is helpful to examine the few Florida court battles that homeowners have fought to determine what went wrong or right. Occasionally the appellate court will reverse a trial court's decision for the park owner and move that case into the win...Date: 12/04/04 Residents Locked Out of ShelterFrom North Fort Myers comes a hurricane story that has left many mobile home owners shaking their heads. It was reported by The News-Press on Sept. 12.Date: 11/27/04 Prospectus Not The Best DefenseQ. Our mobile home park owner claims the home owners are responsible for tree removal. He does not agree with your columns. He points to a section of our prospectus that he claims excuses him from any responsibility for tree removal. That section...Date: 11/20/04 Florida Chapter 501 Needed AttentionLast year several columns discussed the importance of Chapter 501, the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, working hand-in-hand with Chapter 723 in preserving the rights of mobile home owners in Florida. Section 501.204 of the Florida...Date: 11/13/04 Perry Responds to Opposing ColumnAnumber of mobile home owners have expressed confusion over the recent Letter to the Editor by David Eastman, lawyer for the Florida Manufactured Housing Association (FMHA). Published in this Real Estate book Oct. 2, Eastman claimed that...Date: 10/30/04 Park Owner Can't Assume AnythingQ. Our mobile home park owner never explained that home owners are expected to pay for tree trimming and removal. Typically, he would just hand the prospectus, rules and regulations to the purchasers, direct them to sign and say, "You can read them...Date: 10/23/04 Not All Damage is `An Act of God'Most readers survived Hurricanes Charley and Frances with minor or no damage to their mobile homes or parks. Many homeowner associations have gone to great lengths to assist their members. Thankfully, responsible park owners have moved quickly to...Date: 09/11/04 Charley Leaves Questions BehindHurricane Charley has created a storm of questions and confusion in its wake. Readers have submitted a number of questions related to damage and liability.Date: 09/04/04 Tips for Dealing With Your AdjusterMany Central Florida mobile home owners have been the unfortunate victims of Hurricane Charley. Most of you have been inundated with reminders to be careful of scam artists and price gougers. In the coming months many of you will be faced with some...Date: 08/28/04 Children Problem For Over-55 ParkQ. When we moved into our 55 or over mobile home park many years ago we were told that we had to abide by the rules and regulations. Those rules and regulations restricted children's visits to a maximum of 30 days per year. Subletting is not...Date: 08/21/04 Committees Can Open DialogueSome mobile home park owners do not take advantage of a readily available resource to improve the operation and environment of their park: the mobile home owners themselves. Liaison committees of home owners could engage the park owner in...Date: 08/14/04 Home Owners Can Sue on Their OwnAfrequent area of confusion among mobile home owners and the board of directors is to what extent their association must start legal action on behalf of the home owners. If the association elects not to start legal action, may individual homeowners...Date: 08/07/04 Electronic Files Easy to DistributeLast week we began a review of organizational techniques for documents needed for either mobile homeowner mediation or litigation. Lawyers employ Bates stamping or a sequential numbering of documents as a primary means of preparing and identifying...Date: 07/31/04 Right Documents First Step in CaseQ. Recently our mobile homeowner association has discussed the possibility of initiating a lawsuit against our park owner. Which documents will we be expected to produce? How should we organize them to assist our lawyer and simplify the presentation...Date: 07/24/04 `Reasonable' Rent Raises QuestionsRecently we discussed the significant problem over a park owner's determination of market rent. A number of readers have written or emailed me their frustration with the Florida Mobile Home Act on this question.Date: 07/17/04 Software Helps CommunicationOne of the biggest challenges faced by mobile home owner associations is effective communication. Home owners frequently complain they do not understand what their board is doing to solve various problems in the park.Date: 07/10/04 Security Guards Should be TrainedQ. Our mobile home park owner hires some of our home owners as paid security guards for our park. These persons are referred to as "guards" and, while not uniformed, they do drive an unmarked company automobile.Date: 07/03/04 Effects of Increasing Home Market RatesRecently I wrote about the significance of increased market rents. Readers continue to send me letters asking for clarification.Date: 06/26/04 Park Residents Can Drive CartsQ. Our mobile home park owner has never prohibited golf carts from traversing our park. Some of our homes were sold by the park owner with a golf cart as part of the contract price, even though our park does not have a golf course. Many of our...Date: 06/19/04 New Owner Gets Higher Lot RentQ. My mobile home lot rent is already high. My park owner tells me if I sell my home my resale purchaser will have to pay almost $80 in higher monthly lot rent. He tells me Chapter 723 allows him to make the sole determination of the "market rent."...Date: 06/12/04 Tips on How to Catch SpeedersLast week I offered some encouragement for mobile home owners who want their park owner to proactively enforce speeding rules and regulations. This week I want to share some practical tips on how your park owner can prove that speeders are exceeding...Date: 06/05/04 Owners Can Make Speeders LeaveThe most frequent complaint I hear from mobile homeowner associations is that the park owner does not enforce the park rules and regulations. Surprisingly, the least enforced rule is the prohibition against speeding.Date: 05/29/04 Factory-Built Homes Better Than `Mobile'Did you notice that a few weeks ago the name of this column was changed to Factory Home Living?The old title was not descriptive of the message provided in this column and did not properly describe the factory-built home of today. Date: 05/29/04 Speakers Must be Careful With LawCompliments to the members of the Board of Directors of the Federation of Manufactured Home Owners of Florida Inc. (FMO) for their decision to require a lawyer to be present during this fall's highly anticipated FMO sponsored Chapter 723...Date: 05/22/04 Rent Reduced by Sale of Park UtilityI wanted to inform you of a significant courtroom victory by a mobile homeowner association in Leesburg.Date: 05/15/04 Civil-law Notary Helps MediationLast week I described the important new position of civillaw notary recently adopted by the Florida and Alabama Legislatures. Other states are considering adopting similar programs.Date: 05/08/04 European Model May Be UsefulAs I write this column I am on an airplane returning from Barcelona where I attended a legal symposium conducted by the Florida and Barcelona Bar Associations. The event included 35 Florida and 45 Spanish lawyers brought together to foster increased...Date: 05/01/04 Manager's Actions Are Out of LineMobile home LAWDan Perry Date: 04/24/04 Judge's Criticism May Be DeservedLawyers often talk with each other about their lives and law practices. They will frequently discuss their impressions of the judges before whom they appear.Date: 04/17/04 Good Justice Doesn't Juggle -- It BalancesIt is difficult to find majesty in the law. But sometimes you have to look closely to find for it. Many matters that come before judges are, like life, gritty and repetitive.Date: 04/10/04 Taking Shots at Lawyers UnhelpfulIwant to devote this column to a disturbing, though not entirely unexpected, development in many mobile home parks throughout Florida.Date: 04/03/04 Identity Theft a Reality to AvoidQ. Our mobile home park has a central community set of mailboxes. They were recently burglarized. It appears that a large quantity of mail was stolen. Many of our home owners are concerned about identity theft.Date: 03/27/04 Park Owner Has to Follow Same RulesQ. Our mobile home park owner has historically not permitted us to sublet our homes. In fact, the prohibition against subletting is expressly spelled out in the prospectus: "No person shall own and rent mobile homes in the park. However, in cases of...Date: 03/20/04 Don't Be Afraid of Legal-Fee ThreatsOne of the most frequent concerns voiced by mobile home owners anticipating litigation is liability for paying the park owner's lawyer's fees should the homeowners lose the lawsuit. Some park owners will take advantage of this fear and exaggerate...Date: 03/13/04 Fall-Back Plan Is Always Good IdeaWe frequently discuss mediation in this column. Unfortunately, mediation often fails to achieve the desired results -- either because the participants are uncooperative or have unrealistic expectations.Date: 03/06/04 Parliamentarian Can Be Helpful in Narrow RoleQ. Our mobile home owner association board of directors has the assistance of a homeowner who appears to be familiar with parliamentary procedure. In some matters his advice has been helpful.Date: 02/28/04 Know What You Get Before You SignProspective mobile homeowners would be wise to review the following suggestions before they purchase a mobile home and sign a lot rental agreement to live in a Florida mobile home park:Be prepared. Date: 02/21/04 Existing Service Can't Just Be CutAreader advises that the mobile home park's pool heater has been out of order for 52 days. The park owner justifies his inaction claiming that the heating is not required by the prospectus. The homeowner asks whether he is entitled to compensation...Date: 02/14/04 Wealth of Information Is At Your FingertipsRecently I've had a substantial number of requests for phone numbers and Web sites from readers. It seemed like a good idea to write a column featuring this sort of information so residents of factory-built housing could keep it on hand.Date: 02/14/04 How to Deal With Change of UseQ. A commercial company that does not operate mobile home parks has applied for a permit to change zoning of our mobile home park. County officials tell us that the company has a purchase agreement to buy our mobile home park from our current park...Date: 02/07/04 Tips for Running Effective MeetingsIam frequently asked by association directors how they could improve the way they conduct homeowner meetings. The following are some general guidelines for running an effective meeting:Date: 01/31/04 Ex-Chief of Owners' Group Has One-Way ViewRecently I interviewed a former president of the Florida Manufactured Housing Association who is an 18 year veteran of the Florida mobile home industry and who is expected to be called as a witness in a lawsuit scheduled for trial in Central...Date: 01/24/04 Association Can Pay for Clean-UpQ. I live in a mobile home subdivision where we own our lots. Membership in our association is a condition of lot ownership in the park. Around the perimeter of the park is a county-owned drainage ditch that has become overgrown. Our homeowners...Date: 01/17/04 Suing? What to Expect During a Typical TrialSome mobile home park owners underestimate the willingness of mobile home owners to pursue litigation. Traditionally, park owners think homeowners are not willing to hire a lawyer and finance a lawsuit.Date: 01/10/04 E-Mail Helps Homeowners CommunicateBy now many mobile home owners and their associations have realized that the Internet and the World Wide Web offer some tantalizing prospects to help mobile home owners in their fight for fair treatment at the hands of their park owners. I used the...Date: 01/03/04 Answers to Questions Most Often AskedOver the past 12 months, readers have asked a number of questions. Some were very specific, many dealing with legal issues, which I do not answer but refer them to Dan Perry, another Ledger Real Estate book columnist. Questions and comments largely...Date: 01/03/04 Survey Can Be Great ResourceAnumber of mobile home association directors have said they need to survey their homeowners to discover which issues are important. Most surveys I have seen are of little value to the lawyer who is advising them. For that reason, I will provide some...Date: 12/27/03 Some Thoughts As We Say Goodbye to 2003As we approach the end of the year and I look back at the 82 columns I have written, there is so much to be thankful for. The experience has been exciting, difficult at times, very time consuming, but fun. June 8, 2002, I assumed the responsibility...Date: 12/27/03 Reason Needed To Deny PurchaseQ. Recently our mobile home park owner refused to approve the purchasers of some of the resale mobile homes in our park, claiming that the purchasers were not "compatible" with the park or the other homeowners. The park owner refused to define what...Date: 12/20/03 Mediation Process Must Be FollowedQ. Our mobile home owner association is going to pursue mediation over our rent increases and some reductions in services. The Florida Mobile Home Act is a little confusing. Can we get our majority vote in support of our petition for mediation by a...Date: 12/13/03 Unwise to Abandon Your AssociationQ. Our park owner is very intimidating. Many of our home owners have expressed an unwillingness to serve on our board of directors because they fear that the park owner will sue our board. A number of homeowners have resigned from the association...Date: 12/06/03 Cases Can Make It To Federal CourtQ. A group of our mobile home owners recently filed a state court lawsuit against our Florida based mobile home park owner. It alleges, among other violations of the Florida Mobile Home Act and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act,...Date: 11/29/03 Eviction Won't Stop, But Owner May OweQ. Our mobile home park owner recently told us he no longer wants to operate our park. He has accepted an offer from someone who wants to develop the property. We expect to receive a six-month change-of-use eviction notice.Date: 11/22/03 Residents Surprised as Increases CompoundQ. I moved into our mobile home park in 1997 and signed for a prospectus and lease agreement that reads there would be an annual increase of 5 percent. Management told me the 5 percent would be applied to my starting lot rental amount and increased...Date: 11/15/03 Disclosure of Suit Was Not RequiredQ. I am a new mobile home owner and officer of the homeowner's association. When I purchased my mobile home and joined the association, no one told me there was a lawsuit pending between the park owner and the association.Date: 11/08/03 Questions to Ask at Required MeetingQ. We are scheduled to have our first statutory meeting under Section 723.037 of the Florida Mobile Home Act. Is this a negotiation? Does the park owner have to attend? Our manager always tells us that he is not authorized to strike any deals. We...Date: 11/01/03 Amendment Would Help Protect ParksRecently I wrote a column concerning the growingcrisis in Florida: the closing, eviction of existing residents and selling the land of manufactured home communities for redevelopment. Date: 10/25/03Association Can Manage Clubhouse for OwnerQ. In a recent column you wrote that it was a violation of the Florida Mobile Home Act for the park owner and the association to keep owners out of the clubhouse. Our prospectus actually contains language where the park owner reserves the right to...Date: 10/25/03 Good Deeds Might Come Back to HauntQ. You've written that our mobile home owner association has only limited liability for association activities in the park. We understand your view that the park owner is primarily liable for injuries that occur in the common areas. But what if the...Date: 10/18/03 More on Proposed Changes to 723Last week we reviewed some of the changes to Chapter 723 that the Federation of Manufactured Home Owners of Florida will propose to the state Legislature. Let's continue the discussion.Date: 10/11/03 Group Pushes for Changes to 723On the heels of the recent roller coaster ride of legislative proposals that created so much controversy among mobile home owners, the Federation of Manufactured Home Owners of Florida has quietly proposed some far-reaching and thoughtful amendments...Date: 10/04/03 Can't Keep Owners From ClubhouseQ. I live in a mobile home park. Our park owner allows the association to manage and control the use and access of the clubhouse as well as the common areas. If we wish to use the clubhouse for a special meeting, the association requires that we...Date: 09/27/03 Tree Care May Be Park Owner's JobQ. I read your column about tree trimming. Our prospectus and lease agreement actually reads that mobile home owners must "maintain their lots ... including ... tree trimming ..." Doesn't that specificity mean we are stuck with trimming trees or...Date: 09/20/03 Park Cannot Shift Work to OwnersQ. Recently we spoke to management about the embarrassing and deplorable condition of our clubhouse billiard tables. They said that they would put this repair job on their "to do" list and complete it soon.Date: 09/06/03 Tree Trimming Is Job for Park OwnerQ. Historically, the park owner has trimmed the trees on our lots and removed dead trees. The park owner is now claiming the homeowners are responsible for trimming or removing the trees.Date: 08/30/03 Chapter 723 Not Always Only Guiding SourceAreader writes. "We have a notfor-profit mobile home owner association incorporated under Chapter 723, the Florida Mobile Home Act. We live in a typical rental park where we own our mobile homes. We lease the ground underneath our homes and lease...Date: 08/23/03 Success in Talks May Require Change in ViewLast week I discussed the importance of communication in interacting with the park owner and management. I suggested a particular way to listen to the park owner. But how should home owners communicate their concerns?Date: 08/16/03 Listening Crucial To Successful TalksRecently park owners have claimed I discourage dialogue between homeowners and themselves. Most homeowners know that just isn't true.Date: 08/09/03 Arbitration Can Save Time, MoneyLast week I suggested that mediation under the Florida Mobile Home Act was not working to the advantage of mobile-home owners. I stated that ". . . most mobile-home owners tell me they often feel mediation is a waste of time. Frequently, the park...Date: 08/02/03 Mediation Not an Obstacle to SuitIam frequently asked whether mobile home owners are required to mediate their disputes with the park owner before initiating a lawsuit. Part of the home owners' confusion stems from the park owners' often stated position: "You cannot litigate until...Date: 07/26/03 Owner Interferes With MeetingI knew we could expect trouble. This was to be my second meeting of the homeowners in this small mobile home/RV park.Date: 07/19/03 Park Can't Shift Duties to ResidentsOne of the most common complaints I hear from mobile home owners is that the park owners increasingly attempt to shift responsibility for some of the park owner's tasks to the homeowners.Date: 07/12/03 Attitudes Can Hinder MediationPreparation for mediation is often not enough. Sometimes a park owner's attitude can be a huge stumbling block to a successful mediation. While not all park owners approach mediation in a condescending or cruel manner, some do. Here is an example...Date: 07/05/03 Letter-Writing Campaign WorksQ. I have enjoyed your columns about how to organize and prepare for either mediation or litigation. I agree with you that organization is crucial to success. We are having some problems with follow-through by our management. When we tell them about...Date: 06/28/03 Make Checklist of Owner's DutiesQ. How should we organize our collection of observations, notes, and descriptions of problems in our mobile home park? We realize that we will need to show that services have been reduced to succeed in mediation or litigation this fall. We also have...Date: 06/21/03 Homeowners Can Help Fight CrimeQ. Recently our 55+ mobile home park has gone downhill. The park owner is allowing numerous persons much younger than 55 to rent on a short-term basis. The park owner is apparently not checking backgrounds because a number of these people have...Date: 06/14/03 Don't Silence, Welcome DissentQ. After years of neglect of our mobile home park by our park owner, our association decided to hire a lawyer to prepare a suit against our park owner. We thought our homeowners were united behind us. But there has emerged a vocal minority of...Date: 06/07/03 Use Digital Images To Document IssuesQ. How should we document the problems in our park? Can digital images be used in court if we later have to sue? Can we use digital images in mediation?Date: 05/31/03 Ways to Help Deal With Problem Dogs in ParkThe importance of the following letter has caused me to address it now. We'll finish up last week's topic with a discussion focusing on using video and digital still cameras to document problems in your mobile home park in an upcoming column.Date: 05/24/03 How to Document Park's ProblemsIhave worked with numerous mobile home owner associations that are preparing for mediation and possibly litigation over problems in their park.Date: 05/17/03 Mobile Home LegislationI feel you have been negligent in not exposing the public to the absurdities of Senate Bill 1944 and the House Bill 1965. I have read the excellent Dan Perry real estate column on how they affect homeowners in the many parks which are located around...Date: 05/16/03 The Tale of the Errant Golf Shot Winds DownReaders of my column will recall that over the past several weeks I have written about a mobile home park with a golf course that was designed with homes near the fairways.Date: 05/10/03 Other Golf Cases Not the SameA reader writes that the conclusion of my April 19 column, "Golf Community Has Duty to Protect," is not supported by state or federal law and needs to be corrected or retracted.Date: 05/03/03 FMO President on Problems and FutureRecently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Don Hazelton, president of the Federation of Manufactured Home Owners of Florida, and get his views on some of the problems facing FMO as well as his views for the future of FMO.Date: 05/03/03 Relocation Funds Denied Over SuitsQ. I have read several columns by you and others that have discussed the Florida Mobile Home Relocation Corp. (FMHRC) and the creation of the Relocation Trust Fund. I understand that the Trust Fund was set up to provide partial assistance to mobile...Date: 04/26/03 Golf Community Has Duty to ProtectQ. Recently we bought a mobile home in a golf community. No salesperson told us that they had received complaints about golf balls striking homes surrounding us. Now that we have moved in we hardly get any rest. It is like living in a war zone. Golf...Date: 04/19/03 FMO Plays Vital Role For HomeownersIn recent weeks, attorney Dan Perry, whose column appears in The Ledger, has written several articles focusing on the Federation of Manufactured Home Owners of Florida Inc., a consumer advocacy organization that represents the interests of Florida's...Date: 04/12/03 Legislation Fair to Parks and HomeownersYour mobile home law columnist, attorney Dan Perry, has stated on your pages that Senate Bill 1944, my legislation amending parts of the Florida Mobile Home Act, "was not filed by friends of mobile home owners in Florida" and he was "shocked" by...Date: 04/12/03 FMO on Target More Often Than NotIn a recent column I echoed some criticisms that had been leveled by some mobile home owners against the Federation of Manufactured Home Owners of Florida (FMO).Date: 04/12/03 Homeowners Need To Act on LegislationLast week I reviewed a significant piece of pending legislation that will affect the interests of Florida mobile home owners -- Senate Bill 1944 (sponsored by Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland) and its identical companion, House Bill 1065, currently...Date: 04/05/03 Homeowners Face Mixed-Bag of BillsThe next two columns are going to address a significant piece of legislation pending in the Florida Legislature that will affect the interests of Florida mobile home owners.Date: 03/29/03 HOA Represents All HomeownersQ. Recently our board was split over our incorporated association's power to represent the homeowners. Do we represent all the homeowners? We understand Chapter 723 to require the written consent of a majority of the homeowners in order to mediate.Date: 03/22/03 Other State Statutes Protect Owners As WellLet's continue the discussion a reader raised earlier about RV/mobile homes and the statutes that offer protection against inappropriate or unfair acts against them.Date: 03/15/03 RVs Protected by Mobile Home ActQ. Our park refers to itself as a resort, RV resort, and as a RV/ mobile home park in various documents and advertisements. The park has a common entrance with a clearly marked area for short-term RV rentals. Park models or mobile homes are set up...Date: 03/08/03 Associations Key To FMO's FutureLast week I spoke at a Federation of Manufactured Home Owners of Florida (FMO) representatives workshop in Tampa. During my presentation I highlighted another area of my concerns about the future of the FMO.Date: 03/01/03 Withhold Rent Only With Court's OKReaders may recall that in my Jan. 11 column I answered a question about withholding lot rent from the park owner. The inquiring mobile home owner stated that his reading of Chapter 723, The Florida Mobile Home Act, led him to believe that mobile...Date: 02/22/03 The FMO Needs Your Help to Stay RelevantIs the Federation of Manufactured Home Owners of Florida Inc. (FMO), on the verge of extinction? That's what happens to a species that cannot evolve or adapt. While I am not sure whether FMO will become extinct it is apparent that it is in danger of...Date: 02/15/03 Park Owner Cannot Stop Use of ClubhouseQ. Park management tells us that we cannot hold our annual rummage sale and pot luck dinners in our clubhouse because of his concerns that we are not charging sales tax.Date: 02/08/03 Two-Statute Claim Won't Slow ProcessQ. Our association is considering a suit against our park owner under Chapter 723. We are aware of your position that Chapter 501 may offer us some significant advantages in our lawsuit. Will adding a Chapter 501 claim prolong our lawsuit...Date: 02/01/03 Park Community Groups Share IdeasRecently I was invited to attend a meeting of the Lakeland Interpark Council (LIC). The LIC is an organization of 15 manufactured home communities in Polk County.Date: 02/01/03 Israeli Election May Alter Mideast StageJERUSALEM -- An upset by challenger Amram Mitzna no longer seems impossible in Israel's elections two weeks from now -- thanks to a corruption scandal that has weakened Ariel Sharon and his party.Date: 01/14/03 Not All Decisions Require MajorityQ. At our board meeting, the question came up with regard to what percent of membership attendance our bylaws require to establish a quorum for voting purposes. Our current requirement is 50 percent plus one. Can we legally change this to a lower...Date: 01/11/03 Judge May Prod Unresponsive ParkQ. Our installed pool heater is totally inadequate to heat our pool. The pool has been cold and cannot be used. Our park owner claims he ordered a new heater six or more months ago. This heater has never arrived. Management will not tell us the...Date: 01/04/03 This Owner Can't Pass-On Tax BillQ. Our park owner claims our prospectus and Chapter 723 allow him to pass-on his entire tax obligation. In the past he has only sporadically passed on the annual increase. Is he correct?Date: 12/28/02 Act of Park Owner, Not `Act of God'Q. We recently found my home had settled. I had to have floors taken out and repaired on a side of the home. My insurance company only covered part of the cost and then canceled coverage for me. Apparently the mobile home tiedowns twisted the water...Date: 12/21/02 Relocation Corp. Helps Out OwnersBy now you may know the Florida Mobile Home Relocation Corp. consists of six directors -- three representatives of park owners and three representatives of homeowners. It is organized under the provisions of Florida Statute 723.0611. The corporation...Date: 12/14/02 Relocation Corp. Throws CurveI want to tell you about a recent victory for mobile home owners -- and a surprise that came along with it. A case was successfully settled late last month Kissimmee for $206,000.Date: 11/30/02 Just What Is This Place Called Home?A reader writes: "I am confused by all the different types of living arrangements involving mobile homes. What are the differences?"Date: 11/23/02 Reduce Sales Tax When Buying a Mobile HomeRecently a reader contacted me and explained that a friend who had bought a mobile home was cheated since the park owner failed to inform him that there were certain items in the sale which should not have been taxable. This could have saved the...Date: 11/16/02 Fiduciary Duties Play Central RoleQ. Several times I have read in your column that our board members have a fiduciary responsibility to members of the association. My dictionary boils it down to meaning trusting someone. Well, I trust my board members. That is why I voted for them.Date: 11/09/02 Senior Surveys Offer Interesting InsightsThe Administration on Aging has released "A Profile of Older Americans: 2001," based on data from a variety of agencies. Here are some highlights of the report, which can be found at www.aoa.gov/aoa/stats/profile/default.htm:Date: 11/02/02 Boards Need to Focus on True RolePark management is responsible for most of the wrongdoing in mobile home parks. Sadly, association members often contribute to the problem.Date: 10/19/02 Giving Personal Data Once EnoughQ. I read in one of your earlier columns that Chapter 723 does not require us to provide management with a copy of our driver license and other identifying information after the initial application to become a homeowner. Now, our management is...Date: 10/12/02 Are the Monsters Due in Your Park?An ugly situation is brewing in a Lakeland mobile home park. I would not be writing about it except, to a lesser degree, this problem exists in numerous mobile home parks throughout the state.Date: 10/05/02 Park Can't Change Place of PaymentAreader asks, "Our park prospectus specifies that our monthly rental checks can be mailed to the clubhouse office or hand-deposited in a box inside the clubhouse. Management has received our rental check at the clubhouse this way for years. Now they...Date: 09/28/02 Time Limit on Suit Depends on ReasonQ. Our park is considering suit over our recent rent increase. We mediated our past increases over various issues including neglect of park facilities and the park owner's failure to enforce rules and regulations. Can we go after the prior increases...Date: 09/21/02 DBPR Can Help, But Not on EverythingUnfortunately many mobile homeowner associations find their efforts to communicate with the park owner about problems in their park are rejected or ignored.Date: 09/14/02 Rental Increases Are Not AutomaticA reader asks, "We expect to receive our rent increase notice shortly. We live in a small mobile home park (less than 50 homes). The owner/manager believes he is entitled to a CPI rent increase annually. I say no and that he needs to prove to the...Date: 09/07/02 Contact information for Mr. Perry. Please remember to read my column on Mobile Home Law in the Lakeland Ledger every Saturday. If you wish to read my most recent column and some of the past columns online, here is the link: Dan Perry Law Articles
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