Resident's Associations

You here about Resident's Associations helping residents with their problems and the Committee talking to the site owner over problems within the park, but have you heard about the Committee who try and victimise residents. Take my experiance and comments would be grateful. Having lived on the Park for over 20 years and owning an old Park Home new residents have come onto the park and have taken over the Residents Association. They have made it clear they object to the old home although I have re-clad it last year, the site owners have praised the new look but the R.A. have written to the site owners complaining stating a law that would allow the site owner to take us to Court to get us evicted. Our new neighbour who moved in 2/3 years ago joined the committee and it appears he has maintained he had purchased his home on the understanding we would be evicted within 12 months of us moving in. The chairman in his letter to the site owner maintained I had used second-hand cladding which was not true, a copy of what was written was sent to me by the site owner who was told by the chairman he had no right to let me know because the letter was "confidential". I have asked to see a copy of this letter but have been ignored and continually get aggresive behaviour towards me from members of the Committee. Any ideas how to treat such behaviour?   

What an awful situation - I have heard of committees getting 'hijacked' before but not of one behaving in such a contemptible manner.  Assuming that you are a member of the association you can:

• Look at the constitution or rules of the association - it should say something like ''The purpose of the Association is to safeguard and promote the interests of residents who own and occupy mobile homes on the park''
• The rules should also say how a small number of residents (4 in our case) can call an emergency or special residents'  association meeting.
• If you can get the meeting called notify as many members as possible (the committee may well want to keep it quiet).
• At the meeting quote from the constitution and request that the committee desist from their actions.  If they do not guarantee so to do propose a vote of no confidence - if the vote is in favour of the motion they can no longer act as officials.

emrys

Thanks emrys, I did join but with little use, they had asked other residents, those who agreed with them to block anything I tried to say, as my wife's signature is the only one on the contract (she did not wish to join) they stopped me from voting and vertually speaking at the AGM. If new residents came onto the Park they paid large amounts of money for their new homes and therefor believed they are above those who have lived their for years. You say I seem to have a good relationship with the owner, well I was one of the founder members of the Association and we were able to put many things right on the park, founded around 1999 we got roads, sewage, intimidation sorted but felt we had done enough and now this situation has surfaced. I can speak to one of the owners and have no problems that I cannot personally sought out but it is the continual unknown what next? I have had to install CCTV because of my neighbour, the site owners are aware of the problem. it is the fact that a committee can write lies about a resident to try and get them evicted and state that the letter was confidential, how many more residents are being targeted without their knowledge?  

gandad      

Dear Ed,

This thread started by gandad - along with another one from Evergreen - telling a somewhat similar tale, seems to have very bad things to say about some peoples experiences of living on residential parks.  I suppose that I am now feeling fortunate in that this is the only park I have ever lived on and by and large it has been a very happy experience (admittedly not without its moments from time-to-time).  With your inside knowledge perhaps you could opine how typical or even rare these sort of situations are?  My own feelings are that anyone considering moving onto a residential park would be best served to choose one that is owned by a large company - such as ours is.  At the very least they have a corporate image to protect and will be carefull how they conduct their business whereas we all know what an unscrupulous individual owner may possibly try to get up to. (not to mention some of the residents)

gandad, If you look in the express terms (part 4 of the written statement - and I am sure that you already know this) clause K states:

• (any resident) not to do or suffer or permit to be done on the park or the pitch any act or thing which shall or may:-  (1) be or become a nuisance or cause annoyance, inconvenience or disturbance to the owner or the other occupiers of the park or cause damage to property belonging to the owner or other such occupiers.

Thanks again, are you a committee member of your R.A.? What concerns me is a committee are deciding what they write about other residents regardless of whether it's true or not and maintaining it should be "confidential"  information between the committee and the site owner, I have always thought that a R.A. should be open and residents should direct the committee on what should be brought to the attention of the site owners,  Maybe I have misunderstood the situation!

gandad 

Hello  gandad   I  would  have  thought  that  a  residents  association  would  have  everyones  interest  at  heart, for  the  good  of  the  site  and  a  good  leason  with  the  site  owner,  the  committee  only  being  a  small  part  of  that  association...in  my  own  experience  some  of  these  committee's  become  little  hitlers ,  full  of  their  own  importance, maybe  forgetting  the  very  reason  why  they  are  there..as  for  your  own  interpretation  , I  think  you  are  correct....I  have  cctv  too  gandad..even  that  didnt  go  down  too  well...even  being  told  to  turn  it  off  immediatly  by  the  site  owner.......I  refused..so  I  was  sent  to  Coventry  so  to  speak .........or  not  to  speak ..that  is  the  question  lol . Ive  made  my  mind  up  Im  going  to  write  a  book  about  this  experience  here........................can  people  sue  if  the  imformation  is  correct ?..tc  evergreen

Hi evergreen, sure you don't live on the same site? Although I've had no problems from the site owners with the CCTV  and it has somewhat made my neighbour watch what he does or even say now he has become aware of the camera, at first he had no idea and evidence of his actions are interesting to say the least. "little Hitlers" does sum up this committee, because many people retire onto these sites they do not wish to get involved in problems that really have little to do with them and therefore do not get involved, and who can blame them, but the problem there if their face don't fit they may be the next on the committee's list. Does the Government ruling allow a committee to run a R.A. by writing confidential letters to the site owners concerning residents without the residents concerned knowledge?
I know what you mean about writing a book, if you have evidence to back up your writings then how can you be sued for writing the truth, I've got written evidence both from the site and even from my part time job, the problem is who would by them, surely we have got to make a profit!  lol .

gandad     

The government have set a clear criteria, laid down in law, that a residents' association must meet and adhere to in order to be granted and maintain 'qualifying' status.  The first of these criteria is 'the association must represent the owners of park homes on that particular site'  The committe should only act on matters that are not opposed to by a majority of members and cannot fail to represent or - worse - act against a member.  Should they do so then it is my view that they are not meeting the legal criteria and cannot be classed as 'qualifying'.  If this was raised at a residents meeting then surely they would have to agree to comply or be voted out and  the park owner may also have something to say about it.

The subject of CCTV cameras is a very contentious one but to my mind they cause more trouble than they are worth and if I were a park owner I would only permit them under extreme circumstances and strict conditions.
emrys

Hello  emrys  On  the  subject  of  CCTV  mine  has  been  worth  every  penny ,  it  was  installed  by  a  proper  security  firm  who  have  to  keep  to  strict  privacy  guide  lines, as  for  the  site  owner  permitting  them , by  law  he  cannot  stop  residents  installing  them , providing  they  are  not  centred  on  anyones  home , or  footage  can  only  be  used  by  the  police...........now  I  find  no  fault  in  this,  I  believe  people  that  are  against  them  in  circumstances  that  are  not  ideal  to  say  the  least, they   have  something  to  hide, as  Ive  said  before  my  reasons  were  serious  reasons  that  the  police  were  involved  in.........at  best  I  can  sleep  at  night ,  evergreen

evergreen - sorry I was not questioning your judgement on installing cctv and you have obviously approached the matter in a very professional and thoughtful way - which your own circumstances would seem to justify.  My post was prompted by a recent experience on our park when neighbours fell out over a relatively minor matter, one of them installed a cctv camera and suddenly everything got out of proportion.  As secretary of the association I felt that we were powerless to help as we have to represent all residents and obviously cannot take sides - as it happened the park manager and the local PCSOs were able to resolve the issue and most of the residents concerned seem to be back to acknowledging each other at the very least.

Hello  emrys  theres  no  need  to  say  sorry , its  my  fault  I  come  across  a  little  abrupt  at  times, but  nothing  is  meant  by  it ,  lets  say  its  a  mix  of  an  Arian  sunsign  and  a  Saggitarian  accendant...what  a  mix  lol   tc  evergreen

It's interesting to see comments concerning who owns the site, ours is privately owned and very little is ploughed back into the site, there is no club as this would allow residents to discuss problems on a regular basis. The R.A. only meet once a year and you already know what happens then, so if problems do arise you have little chance to air them. Talking to residents you do find many problems do exist but the R.A. are not bothered unless your face, or pocket fits. I presume thats life!

gandad

Hello evergreen - no problem here - I appreciate straight-talking - wish I had the gift of it myself but there you are.

gandad - if your association and committee are what the majority of residents want then I'm afraid you are stuck with it.  If I ever became totally dissatisfied with my RA and could not get redress I would try to set up an alternative RA that might become more popular than the existing one - far fetched perhaps but I think it might be done.

  Hello  gandad  you  sound  frustrated  with  your  situation the  same  as  I  am  here , sometimes  I  feel  each  site  should  have  a  manager  who  is  on  site  certain  hours  of  the  day, then  we  could  take  our  problems  and  talk  them  through  across  the  table..then  he  or  she  could  be  a  liason  between  owner  and  resident..I  really  dont  think  RA 's  are  the  answer  to  park  home  communities....resentment  is  borne  out  of  frustration........I  know  some  parks  this  seems  a  good  thing ..but  when  problems  start  from  the  very  top, they  are  difficult  to  address.................the  site  owner  wants  a  quiet  life  to  the  detriment  sometimes  of  the  residents......I  know  give  and  take  should  apply, but  bad  owners  dont  know  the  meaning  of  the  word  fair. evergreen

Thanks emrys and evergreen for all your comments, its a great life if you dont weaken, I will find an answer eventually, one who does not tell the truth or behaves in a threatening way will eventually meet their match and  be exposed for what they are, I have the evidence it's what to do with it is the problem. The legal way is expensive, the press can write it wrong so its wait and see the best time to use what I have!

gandad 

As Ed any answers to the problems existing on this Park, a R.A. Committee that decides what they complain about to the site owner whether it be the truth or not?

gandad