You own a mobile home. The landlord of the mobile park has just handed you a list of repairs and renovations – most of them very costly. Replace windows,... Full Article
You own a mobile home. The landlord of the mobile park has just handed you a list of repairs and renovations – most of them very costly. Replace windows, add a peaked roof, tear down your shed, make your deck narrower…
Do you really have to do all of this? And what will happen if you don’t?
As a mobile home owner, you need to know what the various laws and policies are around a landlord’s demand for repairs.
First, let’s look at the city’s by-laws. HRM makes your landlord responsible for a long list of safety and utility regulations for the park. You are responsible for your mobile, and some standards have to be met.
For example:
• The outside of your mobile has to be kept clean
• All mobiles have to have skirting
• Porches can’t be closer than 15 feet from another mobile
• Sheds and dog houses can’t be taller than 15 feet and have to be kept clean
Now there are the provincial laws. The Nova Scotia Residential Tenancies Act is vague, but it does say that tenants have to make repairs to their mobiles if the repairs are “reasonable.” What’s reasonable? It comes down to safety and security versus appearance. The landlord can’t make you do repairs or renovations that just make your trailer pretty.
So you can say “no” to:
• Peaked roves
• Replacing metal siding with vinyl
• Staining or painting decks
• Replacing windows and doors
But the landlord is in the right to ask you to:
• Fix broken exterior lights
• Clean up garbage and debris
• Repair your fence
• Repair your shed or dog house
• Repair your deck
• Bring your deck down to size if it’s too wide
What if you can’t afford the repairs – even the ones that you have to do by law? Don’t panic. There may be help available. Depending on your income, you may qualify for a grant that can help off-set some of the costs. My office can help you find out how to apply.
What happens if you just don’t make the repairs? That’s up to the landlord. Your landlord can ask the Director of Residential Tenancies to decide what you have to fix and what you don’t. If that happens, you will be allowed to give your side of the story before the Director makes up his mind.
I do caution you: if you have lived in the mobile park for less than one year, the landlord can evict you without any reason. Making him mad by not doing what he asks may be all it takes to find yourself with nowhere to put your trailer.
Similarly, if you are trying to sell your mobile, making the landlord angry can cause more problems than it’s worth. While you have the right to sell your trailer to anyone you wish, the landlord doesn’t have to accept them as a new tenant. Sometimes landlords use a sale as an opportunity to pressure you into making repairs – holding up your sale if you don’t comply. This is illegal, but hard to prove, and a landlord doesn’t have to give a reason for rejecting a new tenant.
Still confused? Call my office and we can help you through it. 860-4004.
