A trailer park is a community of people who all live in a mobile home or trailer. Many people choose to live in a trailer because they are affordable to buy, relatively inexpensive to maintain, and it's easy to find a slip (or space) to rent in a trailer park. Since this type of park is numerous, and they are scattered clear across the United States, a person can live practically anywhere they might choose in a mobile home.
If you are considering buying a trailer and setting it up in a trailer park, or, if you already own a trailer, or, if you want to rent one, there are some things you need to know before you make your move.
First, if you already own a mobile home, then the cost to rent a slip will be a little cheaper than renting a space and a trailer together. However, owning your own trailer means that you will be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep on it. If your trailer needs a new roof put on it, for example, the cost could run into the thousands. So, before you buy a mobile home, you'll need to compare the costs with the costs of renting one.
Rental agreements in a trailer park vary widely as there is no typical lease arrangement. Some rental agreements are financially all inclusive. This means that you pay a monthly rent payment, and that covers the rent, the cost of the utilities, trash service, et cetera; you pay nothing more. Other agreements are made out so that you pay the rent plus all of the other costs associated with living in that park.
The amount of the rent, cost of utilities, et cetera, depends on many factors. These include the size and the condition of the trailer (if you are renting one), the size of the slip, the location of the mobile home park, and how much electricity, gas, and/or water that you or your family uses.
Oftentimes, just like with a house or apartment rental, the landlord or the manager of the park will require you to give him or her a deposit along with your first month's rent. The amount of the deposit will vary, but it's normally equal to one month's rent. Most rental agreements last for a period of twelve months. Then, if you decide to move when the lease expires, your landlord or park manager will refund your deposit, as long as you have met the terms of the lease.
Before you sign an agreement to rent a slip in a trailer park, make sure that you have read it. And, make sure that you thoroughly understand its terms and conditions. In order to help protect yourself from unscrupulous landlords and park managers, you should actually take the agreement to an attorney. He or she can take a look at it and decide if it's the right agreement for you to sign.
And, before you sign an agreement, visit the trailer park and speak to some of the people who already live there. Find out if they are satisfied with their rental agreements. Find out if the landlord or manager is responsive to their complaints.
Then, if you decide to sign the agreement, first, make sure that you get everything in writing. If the landlord or the park manager agrees to keep the snow cleared in the winter time, get it in writing! Or, if he or she states that the trailer park will take care of maintenance problems, get it in writing! That way, at least you'll have proof in order to prove that such promises were made.
