query: trailer park co-ops

[colist-admin at comm-org.utoledo.edu]

[[ed:  thanks to Paul for responding to Renee's query.]

From: Paul Gowder <pgowder at yahoo.com>

Renee -- that's a huge, huge, huge box you're opening. What are 
you thinking? 
- Co-op of tenants to buy park from landlord? Really depends on 
how much the LL needs the money, how much money the tenants have 
(probably not much), and how wicked the LL is. Also, many states 
have laws about tenant organizations, eg. providing them an 
opportunity to meet with LL. I recently tried to get a tenants 
union organized in a particularly nasty park, with short term 
goal of improving conditions and long term goal of maybe 
purchase, but fell through due to lack of good leaders and am 
now preparing for litigation. 
- Co-op of tenants to create mobile home park/buy one from 
someone else? I don't know about this, but it seems like they'd 
be better off, in terms of security, with an apartment building 
rather than a mobile home park. Mobile home parks have unique 
problems that apartment buildings don't.

Can talk about more detail if you want.
 -Paul