Johnson County Residents United Expectations for Livable Communities
Havenpark Communities
ALL residents of our county and state deserve clean water, safe neighborhoods, and protection from rent gouging. But some out-of-state owners of manufactured home communities continue to take advantage of weak Iowa laws, imposing outrageous repeated lot rent increases while failing to live up to their basic obligations to maintain park infrastructure and safety. Right now residents are calling on Havenpark Communities--owner of five parks in Johnson County--to address deteriorating park conditions, ensure safe drinking water in all parks, and pause rent increases for at least two years.
Sponsored by
To:
Havenpark Communities
From:
[Your Name]
I am writing to voice my support for Johnson County Residents United, and join them in calling on you to immediately commit to a plan and timeline for meeting residents' basic Expectations for Livable Communities, as detailed below.
Johnson County Residents United: Expectations for Livable Communities
1. Clean, drinkable, reliable water
The park’s water is not reliably fit for human consumption. Its taste, appearance, and smell is poor and unsafe. We pay lot rent for access to water in our homes, yet many of us are forced to purchase bottled water or filters due to poor quality of water and sustained outages.
University of Iowa scientists are working with us to monitor the safety and quality of our water. The preliminary results are highly concerning. Breaks in water lines and unexpected service interruptions cut off our water supply for hours to days at a time. This affects our quality of life and does not reflect our rental agreement.
We expect park owners to provide:
● Safe, clean, drinkable water for all residents, year-round
● Immediate and transparent steps to address current or emerging water contamination or safety concerns, the results of which should be verified with testing at the faucet
● A dated plan to fix and upgrade infrastructure to address frequent interruptions in water service
● A 24-hour notice to all residents in both English and Spanish of when water will be turned off for repairs or maintenance
2. Park maintenance and safety
There are necessary improvements to the park’s environmental safety which must be made immediately. Park maintenance must be communicative and prompt.
We expect park owners to provide:
● Safely lit streets through replacing lamps bulbs
● Snow removal with 24 hours of snow fall; clear and passable streets and entrances in all park areas
● Tree maintenance or removal to prevent damage to homes or other accidents
● Well stocked, and ADA accessible storm shelters with adequate capacity in all parks, and a notice system to provide all residents in English and Spanish a park-wide emergency shelter plan
3. Moratorium on rent increases
Increases in lot rents are unreasonable and have far outpaced inflation for several years in a row. They do not reflect improvements in park infrastructure and have instead coincided with deteriorating conditions and declines in maintenance service.
We expect park owners to provide:
● No additional rent increases for at least the next two years, and no increases in any park where conditions are not safe due to neglect
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State law (Iowa Code 562B) is clear that park owners have legal obligations to maintain safe and habitable conditions. Specific duties include:
1. Obey all sections of city, county, and state health or building codes which apply to landlords;
2. Make any repairs or improvements needed to keep the lot space in good and safe condition;
3. Keep all common areas (roads, playgrounds, parking lots, etc.) clean and safe;
4. Provide trash removal;
5. Provide outlets for electric, water, and sewer services