questions & answers

Question: I've owned my trailer since January 2013. I've had my male dog for over 2 years now and have had no problems until about 3 months ago when our most recent manager told me I have to put up a fence cause my dog is "agressive" when she gets to walk through not around my yard to check my meter. My dog isn't always out on the leash just when he has to go to the bathroom or I'm gonna be gone for a bit. By law can she make me put up a fence after 2 years of not having any problems.

Answer: There are no provisions within the Arizona Mobile Home Parks Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (A.R.S. Title 33 Chapter 11) addressing this specific situation. As a general rule, any rules or regulations adopted by a mobile home park must (among other things) (1) be intended to promote the convenience, safety or welfare of the tenants on the premises, preserve the landlord’s property from abusive use, preserve or upgrade the quality of the mobile home park or make a fair distribution of services and facilities held out for the tenants generally; (2) be made known to the all prospective tenants before they enter into their rental agreements; and (3) apply to all tenants equally and fairly (A.R.S. 33-1413 and A.R.S. 33-1452). New rules adopted after a tenant initially enters into a rental agreement with a mobile home park landlord that impose a reoccurring financial obligation on that tenant are not enforceable (A.R.S. 33-1452). Especially if your landlord is demanding that you pay to do something (a) that you are not required to do under the terms of your existing rental agreement and (b) that applies only to you (and not to all the other tenants in the mobile home park too), may wish to speak with an attorney about your best options. There are links to organizations offering free or low-cost legal services on this website.