In the wake of announced rent increases, residents of the El Granada Manufactured Home Community are mobilizing against what they say is a history of abuse by the resident managers and the company that owns the park. Among their assertions are that park managers Alex and Barbara Huerta have overcharged guest fees, by hundreds of dollars in some cases, that they have blocked the sale of older homes in an effort to have the homes removed from the park, and that Hispanic individuals have been discriminated against, all charges that park owner Kingsley Management has denied. Barbara Huerta, who responded to the Review by fax, had no comment about residents' allegations except to say that the community complies with the California Mobile Home Residency Law. The Homeowners Association has sought the help of San Mateo County Supervisor Rich Gordon in requesting mediation between the homeowners and management of the park. "It looks to me as if it is almost price-gouging that is going on over there, and I don't think that is fair or right" said Gordon, who added he would like to see some sort of mediation take place. "I respect the right of property owners to make money but, given I don't see tremendous infrastructure investment going on, I don't see how you can justify those rent increases." Rent for spaces in the park will jump from $700 to $750 next month. In addition to rent, many residents also pay mortgages on their homes. Kingsley Management representative Nate Nelson has agreed to meet with representatives from the Homeowners Association next Monday to address their concerns. Among those concerns are allegations that management overcharges on guest fees, which are charged for individuals not on the lease who stay in the house more than 20 consecutive days or 30 days in a year. The fee is $10 per day, per guest. Several residents have contended that they have been charged fees for guests long after those guests have gone. One such individual is former resident Guadalupe Segura, who said he left the park last fall because of a protracted fight with the management over guest fee charges. Segura had been billed $3,600 in guest fees for residents whom he said had left months earlier than the management billed him for. Segura has obtained an immigration document showing that the residents in question left the country in July 1999. However, he was billed for their staying at his home until February 1, 2000. Management has retained the full amount of the disputed fees from an escrow account he had at the park. "Every week I got a notice saying I had to pay, to pay, to pay. It was too much. I couldn't live like that," said Segura, who left the park in October 2000 and moved to Antioch. "I like Half Moon Bay. That was where I grew up. But the way I was living, that was not the right way." Other residents claim the resident managers have interfered with the sale of some older homes in the park. If the homes are not sold and the residents leave the park, the homes can be hauled away and replaced with new ones. If the homes in the park are upgraded, the management will be able to charge higher rents for space in the park. The management itself also could benefit from encouraging the sale of larger, more expensive homes as resident manager Barbara Huerta is a licensed real estate agent representing some of the homes in the park. Several principal owners of Kingsley Management also own Maple Ridge Homes real estate agency, which has also sold homes in the park. Several individuals who have been involved with home sales at the park said that management has withheld approval of applications for residency and has otherwise discouraged potential buyers from purchasing older homes in the park. "It appears that the management makes the rules up as they go along," said park resident Debra Leach, who attempted to sell her home two years ago but gave up after what she said were difficulties with the management in approving the sale. Leach, who had more than 20 parties interested in purchasing her 32-year-old home, said one potential buyer applied for residency and went three times to the park to ask if his residency had been approved. The applicant never received notice of his approval or denial and eventually gave up trying, Leach alleged. Another potential buyer made a cash offer on the home but was told she could not purchase it because it needed certain improvements, Leach said. State law allows managers to deny sale of some older homes that are not up to code but requires them to notify the owner in writing, according to the state's mobile home ombudsman's office. Leach said she never received any such notification. Another resident, Jeri Meyer, said she was frustrated in her efforts to help her brother acquire a home in the park. Meyer said that when she asked Huerta about the residence, she was told it could not be sold because it was not up to code, but would not specify how. "When we told the owner, We can't buy the house because it isn't up to code,' he was shocked," she said. According to Meyer, the owner was unable to resolve the issue with management. "I have had a lot of problems (with older homes)," said one real estate agent who sells homes in the park. "Frequently, potential buyers experience such delay and such negativity that they actually give up before they submit an application." Guest fees and home sales are not the only issues of contention. Residents have complained of management demanding other fees for items for which they say they are not responsible. Resident Jennifer Castro received a letter from Barbara Huerta, a copy of which was obtained by the Review, requesting payment of $2,713.63 for damage resulting from a car accident in which her son was a passenger. The charge was allegedly for monies not covered by insurance. If not paid in a timely manner, the letter stated, the park would seek legal action against Castro for $4,713 the full amount of the damage. "Why is it if I don't pay in a timely manner, I have to pay for the whole thing?" Castro said. "And I've never heard of a passenger being responsible in a car accident." Huerta had no comment on the incident except to say that the claim had been turned over to legal counsel. The relationship between the residents of the El Granada Manufactured Home Community and the management has long been a strained one. In 1990, Planned Management Services, which has since changed its name to Kingsley Management, settled a class action suit with the residents for $4.1 million. Residents sought damages for charges including failure to maintain the park and raising the rents to pay for improvements but then failing to make the promised repairs. In 1998, the park settled another class action suit brought by Project Sentinel, a Bay Area fair housing agency funded by HUD, on behalf of buyers, sellers and realtors in the park alleging discrimination against Hispanic residents. Project Sentinel conducted paired tests using Hispanic and Caucasian individuals posing as home seekers and found that Hispanic residents were denied when Caucasians of similar ratings were approved.
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