The formation of an advisory board may not be the best approach in settling a dispute between mobile-home owners and their landlord at an Okotoks site.
Scott Esau, of the Alberta Consumer Investigations Unit, told approximately 25 residents from the Heritage Estates mobile-home park there are just as viable and less costly options than establishing an advisory board.
“Everything an advisory board can do is already in place,” Esau said in an interview after an information meeting Friday at the Okotoks town office. “It’s very duplicitous and that’s not very good.”
The mobile-home owners are in a dispute with Lansdowne Equity Ventures in what they feel is too high of rent increases for pads. Other issues include unwanted cable fees, maintenance issues and other concerns.
The residents had approached the Town of Okotoks about forming a mobile-home advisory board — which may include a paid position or town staff — in trying to settle the dispute.
The advisory board would be formed by the Town of Okotoks through the passing of a bylaw and would deal with mobile home issues.
Esau met with Alberta government specialists concerning the issue before speaking to the residents.
“The government doesn’t think it is a good idea, because mediation is already in place,” Esau said. “They (residents) could go to civil court, they could mediate themselves — there is a lot of ways to go through mediation without forming a board.”
While the board could mediate in a rental dispute, it lacks teeth.
At present there are no mobile-home advisory boards in Alberta. However, Edmonton and Fort McMurray have residential tenancy advisory boards.
The residents heard loud and clear from the consumers investigation unit that there are no controls on rent hikes as long as the tenants are given proper and timely notification.
The majority of the residents in the Okotoks park own their mobiles, but rent the pads from Lansdowne.
Kathleen McLean, a spokeswoman for Heritage Estates residents, said her rent increased from $890 to $950 a month effective Jan. 1. She faced a slightly higher increase in 2015.
She said at this point, they are not sure what the residents will do in finding a resolution, adding they were disappointed to hear the lack of mobile-home boards in Alberta.
“For the most part, we found out most things are civil, we have no governing act for the mobile home park.”
Don Sandford, executive vice-president with Lansdowne, agrees an advisory board for Okotoks redundant.
“It’s not necessary,” Sandford said. “There’s already enough regulations, there are other options available and direct communication with Lansdowne. There’s no reason to pursue an advisory board.”
He would welcome discussing the issues with the residents.
“We have mechanisms by which we can receive concerns from residents and a process with dealing with them,” he said.
We are obviously trying to do our very best to keep on top of those things and improve the quality of the park.”
He said the $950 a month rent is consistent with fair market value.
“If we overcharge, we will see that in the form of vacancies,” he said. “If we charge too little, we will have a back-up of a list of people to get in.
“We change our rates depending on what the market condition allows us.”
He said Lansdowne is in competition with mobile parks in the vicinity as well as condominiums.
“People have lots of other choices in what they want to do,” he said.
Sandford said Lansdowne is investing millions of dollars in its parks so they will be around and maintained for 50 years.
“People know our parks are going to be around for a long-time and they are going to be maintained,” he said. “We are continuing to invest in these parks and that’s expensive.”
The $950 rent also includes Shaw cable and internet. Several of the residents have expressed they don’t wish to be connected with Shaw.
Residents suggested at the meeting to lobby the provincial government to include mobile home sites into the Residents-Tenants Dispute Resolution Service.
The service was created to take the strain off of civil court, because so many matters deal with residential tenancy that it was clogging up the court system, Esau said. At present mobile homes parks are not part of the service. (However, a tenant who is renting the mobile-home from its owner would be eligible).
Former Heritage Estates resident Laurie Hodson was asked by town council to meet with the residents and report back to the council.
Hodson, a former town councillor, said at the meeting an advisory board may still be effective as a mediator between the residents and Lansdowne.
Hodson is concerned going to court could be difficult for the residents because Lansdowne has much deeper financial pockets.
