Residents of mobile home parks are afforded the same rights as everyone else who owns a home, given that the majority of residents are the actual owners of their trailers. They are not tenants renting living spaces from landlords; rather, they rent the space from the mobile home park owner and pay rent on the lot. This allows them to have free reign over their trailers and to do with them as they please, and it allows the mobile home park owner the ability to worry only about the park and nothing else. He is only responsible for how the park functions with respect to the other individuals living on the land. However, there are times when an issue arises and causes accidents or deprivation. If this happens to numerous individuals in the park, there can be ample legal action taken. An owner’s failure to provide running water in mobile home parks can result in a lawsuit and several violations of regulations and standards of living. Our team of mobile home park injury attorneys can help you with a lawsuit. Normandie Law Firm has taken on numerous cases against mobile home park owners and recovered millions for our clients.
Premises Liability
It is important to understand that there are certain laws and rules that exist when it comes to mobile home parks, apartment buildings, land, and more. A lot of lawsuits are filed because of premises liability, which occurs when a property owner acts in a negligent manner and an accident and injury occurs. This may happen in slip and fall cases, bed bug infestations, or when tree branches fall.
A premises liability case can be filed if the property owner knew about the hazard and did nothing to fix it, caused the hazard, or did not know about the hazard but reasonably should have. However, there are some situations in which premises liability is not the correct type of claim to file.
You can only submit a premises liability claim, which is a form of a personal injury lawsuit, if you were injured in an accident on the property owner’s land. If you were hurt in your own home, you likely won’t be able to pursue such a claim.
Rights to Water
You have a right to running water that is clean and can be heated and chilled. There are many times when water will get shut off, but these instances are usually warned about or have a reason attached to them. In mobile home parks, it has been discovered that water shut offs are more than three times as likely to happen.
Mobile home park owners are responsible for the water system in the park. They have to ensure that the well is working and that all trailers are getting ample water. If they ignore issues with the water system, they could create large issues.
There may be various problems with the water in a mobile home park. A few examples include:
- Water getting turned off by the city, whether because of a lack of payment or because of weather, but there are seldom notices when this will happen
- Pipes that have gotten rusted or have cracked, which can lead to sewage, chemicals, waste, fertilizer, and more getting into them
- Lead and other dangerous substances in the water
- Bacteria in the water, requiring all water to be boiled prior to use
- Brown, discolored, or sediment-ridden water
- No access to a water main or a well
- Lack of running water altogether
If you have been living in a mobile home park and the water has been a continuous source of contention for you, you should reach out to our mobile home park attorneys. We have been involved in claims against trailer park owners for years, and we know the best methods to winning your case, whether it is an accident lawsuit or another type of claim.
Legal Action against a Park Owner
You may be able to file a lawsuit against a mobile home park owner if he has not answered any of your queries about water issues or if he has taken too long to take any action about running water. Some mobile home park managers will simply ignore letters and requests and will let the water issue go unresolved. They may not even alert the tenants to the status of the situation.
If you find that the mobile home park owner repeatedly avoids fixing the issue, you could file a claim for reimbursement of costs and for other damages. If numerous other individuals in the park are similarly affected, you could be a part of a class action lawsuit against the park owner. This will allow all the plaintiffs to provide their evidence to show that he was being negligent or that he was not acting in a way that benefitted the tenants.
Other lawsuits have resulted in millions of dollars of punitive damages awarded to the victims and tenants in trailer parks. Punitive damages are monetary forms of compensation that are won in civil cases that take the place of jail time. They are among the most severe punishments available in such law and can only be awarded in times of gross negligence or when an individual purposely tries to harm you.
A large part of their rarity is due to how they are viewed by judges and juries. They are seen as excessive, harsh, and unnecessary, and thus, are not usually awarded.
You may be able to sue to uphold your rights as a tenant and renter on property. You are to be given running water, and if none is provided or there are repeated issues that impede you from getting the water you need, you should contact a skilled attorney who can sue your mobile home park owner.
Consequences of a Lawsuit against a Mobile Home Park Owner
Victims of water issues in mobile home parks should know that they can withhold rent until the water is resumed to full service, unless the situation is out of the owner’s hands. Various housing codes may be violated if the owner does not do his due diligence in providing all the tenants with acceptable water, and the implied warranty of habitability could be breached.
In addition to withholding rent, victims could potentially pay for the repairs to any water mains or systems and then be reimbursed for what they spent. In some cases, tenants simply choose to break lease and move away without being liable for future rent.
If you wish to sue your landlord or trailer park owner for the lack of running water in your trailer, you can contact our firm for more assistance.
Why Hire an Attorney
Legal claims are not easy to navigate, and you may have plenty of confusion and unanswered questions if you plan to sue. It is highly recommend that you hire an expert attorney with experience suing mobile home park owners for no running water.
Our team of lawyers will make sure that you do not have to worry about any legal details throughout the case. We will keep you updated as necessary, but we will handle all the legwork. With the help of an attorney, you do not have to do much except focus on your home and career. We will take care of everything for you and will work to bring you the compensation you deserve and to ensure that the water issue is fixed.
Choosing Our Firm
Normandie Law Firm’s team of empathetic attorneys knows that dealing with property owners can be troublesome. We thus always endeavor to bring our clients fair treatment and justice in their communities or living quarters. We want positive changes and we want the responsible parties to be liable for anything that must be done. Our lawyers will aggressively pursue your rightful earnings and will not stop until we are satisfied with the result.
If you already have an attorney, you can call us for a free second opinion. We will tell you if we believe your current lawyer is doing a good job or if he can earn you much more. We can even help you understand if he is making promises that are too lofty and impractical. Many attorneys take on cases simply to rush through them to collect their own fees. Our firm will always speak to you candidly and will not tell you any lies about the state of your case or your representation.
Contact our law offices for a conversation with an attorney. We’ll give you a free legal consultation where you can ask any question you want and we will give you necessary details about your claim and the law. We will also tell you what we believe we can earn for you and if we feel we are a better fit than your previous attorney – or if you even have a case at all.
If you hire us to represent you, we’ll give you our zero fee guarantee. This is done to protect your financial standing. We will not ask for any payment from you throughout the case, and we won’t get paid unless and until we win. The defendant will cover your attorney’s fees. If we lose, we do not get paid at all, and you will be left debt-free to our firm.
For the best help available if you were victimized as a result of a lack of running water in a mobile home park, contact our qualified trailer park attorneys today at Normandie Law Firm.
