The following are some suggestions which may be useful in the day- to-day operation of your recreational vehicle and travel parks, particularly if you rent some or all of your spaces on a monthly or long-term basis.
- Keep a copy of the current Recreational Vehicle Park Occupancy Law in the park office, and review the RVPOL frequently.
- Have a registration agreement and a set of rules and regulations ready for each incoming occupant.
- Require a rental agreement (not a registration card) for tenants and residents. For tenants, you may want to consider a rental agreement with a maximum length of stay provision. Also, a set of rules and regulation must be attached to the resident's rental agreement [see Civil Code $ 799.70(e)].
- Review files for rental agreements, since it is important to have a written rental agreement to govern each tenancy. If there is no written rental agreement, get a lease in place to establish the rent and charges that the resident must pay, the date on which rent is due, the term of the tenancy, and the obligations of the resident.
- When serving a letter to tenants or residents, include the letter with the monthly billing statement. When the tenant or resident pays his bill (which varies in amount each month), you have a good indication that the resident got the letter.
- Fill out a proof of service when any notice is served. CTPA includes a proof of service on each form notice, but pay attention to the manner of service which is required for different notices.
- Make a copy of an occupant's check (if checks are accepted for short-term tenancies). Make a copy of any resident's rent check at least once a year. The information on the check may be important to the park at a later time.
- Consider periodically requiring each space to complete a questionnaire with a listing of important information identifying occupants, pets, and vehicles.
- Serve a notice to pay rent at the earliest point in time to let defaulting parties know that park management is serious about collecting the rent. Word will get out that the park will not put up with "late payers." However, always make sure that, for tenants and residents, you have counted five days plus the day on which rent is due before serving a three day notice for non-payment of rent.
- When serving non-payment of rent notices, be consistent and impartial. Send out notices to pay rent to each homesite where rent and utilities are due and owing. Otherwise, residents and tenants (as well as judges) may feel that some persons have been "singled out."
- Do not accept partial payments for rent, unless there is a prior written payment plan agreed to by both resident and management. Partial payments can create an accounting nightmare as well as raise issues of "waiver" of provisions of the rental agreement or other rules and regulations.
- Talk to the local police department or sheriff's station about the towing of vehicles. It's better to have all the information before it becomes time to tow an illegally parked car or the recreational vehicle of a defaulting occupant. Moreover, the local traffic enforcement can help you figure out which curbs to paint, where to post signs, and which city-approved (or county-approved) towing companies to choose from.
- If you have long-term residents, start a community newsletter. By talking up the good things which happen in the park, some of the management/resident hostility can be defused, and community spirit encouraged.
- Be aware of the requirements of any conditional use permit or local ordinance which may limit the types of occupancy or the types of recreational vehicles allowed in your park.
- Keep track of licenses, permits and fictitious business name statements, so that they are always current and in effect.
- Contribute to RECPAC, CTPA's political action arm. An ounce of political prevention is worth a pound of cure.