Mobile Homeowners Unite

When you attempt to purchase a mobile home in a mobile home park that is owned by Equity Lifestyle properties, Sun communities, Legacy or any other Real Estate Investment Trust company , you will find that the amount of financial information required just to be able to rent the 50 foot by 40 foot plot of land that the home sits on is mind blowing , and every ounce of your soul will be dissected under their background check procedures.

On the financial side they demand that you provide every bit of your financial information along with bank statements , savings accounts, investments etc. They require that you earn 4 times your lot rent and show proof of that income. Well in my case I live in Down Yonder Village Largo Florida and my lot rent just increased to 970.00 per month , so I would have to show a monthly income of 3800.00 just to be accepted into the community. I don’t know about you but Im semi retired and I dont make close to 3800.00 per month but I do earn more than enough to pay my 970.00 lot rent.

They are already doing a credit check and a background check , so if those come back clean why would you still require proof of income 4 times the lot rent ? Its plain and simple

Social Security doesn’t pay that much , will never pay that much therefore its just another plot for these companies to get rid of senior citizens without discriminating against them, but by changing the financial requirements.

I have a friend who is being evicted from a mobile home park owned by Legacy because he was spotted at the pool with an ankle bracelet on. It was court ordered for a DUI charge for 90 days and now since hes been spotted the park wants him to do go through the entire vetting process again and he has to pay for it.

I get it, we all want to feel secure with who our neighbors are and after all isn’t that what the entire vetting process is for ?? You would think right ?? These companies charge you, the prospective home buyer double and triple the amount they pay to have background and credit checks done and they also collect a treasure trove of your financial information for their own personal use. Dont forget that these companies are Investment companies and nothing more, the same investment companies as the ones that have lost millions of dollars of hard working people’s retirement plans while giving themselves millions in bonuses.

Equity Lifestyle properties is no different than any of them, how they get away with violating our civil rights on a daily basis will be questioned in the near future on a much larger scale. Housing is a basic civil right and ELS is making the process of buying a mobile home almost impossible for those that are on fixed incomes.

I’ll bet 1/2 their employees dont earn 4 times what the lot rent is at Down Yonder and why should they.? Why should anyone who has enough money to purchase a home be denied because they cant show monthly income 4 times what they are required to pay monthly.

If I am responsible to pay 970.00 its none of your business how much I make , Ive never missed a payment,and as with most people we all need a roof over our heads and if we dont pay on time there are consequences. These companies are violating our civil rights Period