Well this promises to be an interesting summer and not just because they are predicting record heat (100 degrees F for tomorrow). Even my company is concerned about the heat and telling people to power down equipment and dim lights as much as possible. You can say all you want to about global warming being a hoax but I remember when I was a kid that 90 degrees F was considered extremely hot and anything above 90 was rare--91 or 92 at the most. Summers were more around the mid to high 80's. Now mid to high 90's are the new norm and 100 degrees is what 90 used to be. We never had any 100 degree days when I was growing up, not even factoring in for heat index. We are also supposed to get storms and with this kind of heat I am pretty apprehensive about what might be on the horizon.
But that is the weather. The big news is that my trailer park now has new owners and I have to agree with the other tenants that the transition so far has been handled pretty poorly. First we go two months with no communication whatsoever, not even an electric bill, just rumors of this and that, and then Monday the new manager arrived. And the first thing he did was pass out documents that said DEMAND FOR POSSESSION/NON-PAYMENT OF RENT. In other words if you are behind on your rent as most folks are around here you have Seven (7) days to cough up the cash or get out. Now I am not behind on my rent and never have been but I thought it pretty damn rude. And so did a lot of folks. He was only halfway around the park when he was surrounded by a small mob and I thought for sure that the cops were going to have to be called. It's not his fault, he is only doing the bidding of his corporate masters and they have indicated that they are going to play hardball.
To make matters even more confusing the back electric was also on this DEMAND FOR POSSESSION document. Which is why I got one even though I am caught up. Today I found another, equally confusing document taped to my door which I presume is the bill for the upcoming rent--but, who knows. Some of the numbers on it don't make any sense. According to this my lot rent is ten dollars less than what I have been used to paying. We are all going to get new leases in August so hopefully things will be straightened out but I do not want to lose my home because of a misunderstanding. Some of these other people may well lose theirs because they were not paying rent in the interim and now they have to cough up several hundred dollars or even a thousand in seven days' time. Why they weren't putting rent into escrow if they didn't know or weren't sure where to pay it to I don't know but they apparently thought that they could live rent free. Wrong, wrong, wrong. And many of these people have poor credit and no savings so where they are going to get the money God only knows. It reminds me of the song in RENT, "we aren't going to pay last year's rent, we aren't going to pay this year's rent." And they didn't. Now they are up You Know What Creek without a paddle. I expect to see some more vacancies. And of course there is the little matter of not having title to their homes. It's a real mess.
One of the bystanders said something about it (the new owner's actions) not being legal. Apparently according to the new manager, the previous managers left all the records in a mess and it is going to take a while to get them straightened out. I have a feeling that before this is over there's going to be a whole lot more "illegalities" uncovered just from some of the things I've heard over the years. I am glad that my trailer is paid for, that I have clear title to it, and that I am current on my rent because I'd hate to be in some of these people's shoes.
Now here is something real interesting: my church is planning to hold a Summer Bible Camp for the kids again this year so I asked the new manager if it would be all right. He said that he did not have a problem with it but it would have to go through "corporate." But he didn't think there would be a problem because "they are religious people." Now I don't know what he means by religious but I presume he means Christian; at any rate it doesn't much matter. Whatever their religion is it certainly does not seem to affect how they deal with their tenants. Most religions that I know of have some variant of the Golden Rule, to treat others as one would wish to be treated. I'm sure they themselves would not wish to be treated this way. Yet because we are who we are apparently it is not necessary to treat us with respect and decency. I do not like being handed a legal form and being threatened with eviction when I have always striven to do the right thing. I hope this is not a warning of more storms on the horizon.
But that is the weather. The big news is that my trailer park now has new owners and I have to agree with the other tenants that the transition so far has been handled pretty poorly. First we go two months with no communication whatsoever, not even an electric bill, just rumors of this and that, and then Monday the new manager arrived. And the first thing he did was pass out documents that said DEMAND FOR POSSESSION/NON-PAYMENT OF RENT. In other words if you are behind on your rent as most folks are around here you have Seven (7) days to cough up the cash or get out. Now I am not behind on my rent and never have been but I thought it pretty damn rude. And so did a lot of folks. He was only halfway around the park when he was surrounded by a small mob and I thought for sure that the cops were going to have to be called. It's not his fault, he is only doing the bidding of his corporate masters and they have indicated that they are going to play hardball.
To make matters even more confusing the back electric was also on this DEMAND FOR POSSESSION document. Which is why I got one even though I am caught up. Today I found another, equally confusing document taped to my door which I presume is the bill for the upcoming rent--but, who knows. Some of the numbers on it don't make any sense. According to this my lot rent is ten dollars less than what I have been used to paying. We are all going to get new leases in August so hopefully things will be straightened out but I do not want to lose my home because of a misunderstanding. Some of these other people may well lose theirs because they were not paying rent in the interim and now they have to cough up several hundred dollars or even a thousand in seven days' time. Why they weren't putting rent into escrow if they didn't know or weren't sure where to pay it to I don't know but they apparently thought that they could live rent free. Wrong, wrong, wrong. And many of these people have poor credit and no savings so where they are going to get the money God only knows. It reminds me of the song in RENT, "we aren't going to pay last year's rent, we aren't going to pay this year's rent." And they didn't. Now they are up You Know What Creek without a paddle. I expect to see some more vacancies. And of course there is the little matter of not having title to their homes. It's a real mess.
One of the bystanders said something about it (the new owner's actions) not being legal. Apparently according to the new manager, the previous managers left all the records in a mess and it is going to take a while to get them straightened out. I have a feeling that before this is over there's going to be a whole lot more "illegalities" uncovered just from some of the things I've heard over the years. I am glad that my trailer is paid for, that I have clear title to it, and that I am current on my rent because I'd hate to be in some of these people's shoes.
Now here is something real interesting: my church is planning to hold a Summer Bible Camp for the kids again this year so I asked the new manager if it would be all right. He said that he did not have a problem with it but it would have to go through "corporate." But he didn't think there would be a problem because "they are religious people." Now I don't know what he means by religious but I presume he means Christian; at any rate it doesn't much matter. Whatever their religion is it certainly does not seem to affect how they deal with their tenants. Most religions that I know of have some variant of the Golden Rule, to treat others as one would wish to be treated. I'm sure they themselves would not wish to be treated this way. Yet because we are who we are apparently it is not necessary to treat us with respect and decency. I do not like being handed a legal form and being threatened with eviction when I have always striven to do the right thing. I hope this is not a warning of more storms on the horizon.
