questions & answers

Question: I have received a 14/30 day letter to fix an electrical issue which I am trying to address. I am also trying to sell my mobile home. There is now a broken sewer line that runs under my home which is part of the park infrastructure. They are refusing to fix and said they would fix it I sell my home. No prudent buyer wants a home with now water/sewer. What do I do?

Answer: The most important first step for a tenant in this type of situation is to write and deliver – either by hand or by certified mail (return receipt requested) – to the mobile home park landlord a signed and dated letter describing in detail the nature of the problem and requesting that the landlord fix that problem as soon as possible. Making a formal written request does two things: it demonstrates to the landlord how serious the problem is and it also provides the tenant with proof of the fact that the landlord was properly notified about the problem by the tenant. Under the Arizona Mobile Home Parks Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (A.R.S. Title 33 Chapter 11), a mobile home park landlord is required (among other things) to “make all repairs and do whatever is necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition” and to “maintain in good and safe working order all […] electrical, plumbing and sanitary facilities” (A.R.S. 33-1434). The fact that a landlord has sent a letter to a tenant requesting that the tenant address some other issue does not change the fact that the landlord still has a duty to make all required repairs as soon as possible.