May 2nd, 2010
Management:
The following is an Management report exerpted from the April 2010 Langley Grove Estates newsletter.
"Manaqers Report
Disappointed and ashamed. Recently the older home
on lot 32 was sold, with the purchaser having to move
the home from our community. While demolishing the
addition in preparation for the move, one or more of our
reside'nts helped thernselves to the screen door, lumber
and plywood without permission. This, whether the
perpetrator(s) thinks so or not, is stealing. My
impression of Langley Grove Estates being a safe,
friendly and secure community has been shattered. I
know this only involves one or two Residents, but it
reflects on aII.........
Why is it? It always amazes me why I always have to
rernind the same folks over and over again to cut their
lawns, weed the garden beds and generally clean up
their yards. Can they not see that it needs doing? Do
they not care? Questions, questions, questions........"
Yes, This does raise many Questions!
"one or more of our
reside'nts helped thernselves to the screen door, lumber
and plywood without permission"
Really? We're absolutely sure Langley Grove Estates residents were behind this theft?
There's no possibility that this theft can be attributed to any of the many non residents and non resident vehicles that cruise the park nightly?
"I know this only involves one or two Residents, but it
reflects on all"
How exactly does this reflect on all residents?
I find that comment rather insulting actually.
If anything, this incident and the many other recently reported crimes here actually reflects management's own lack of initiative and leadership in making this a safe, secure, and friendly community..
"My impression of Langley Grove Estates being a safe,
friendly and secure community has been shattered"
Are you that oblivious to the deterioration of the community that your lack of involvement and cooperation in these matters has caused? Your continued refusal to address traffic, speeding, or security issues is a prime example.
My impression is that you have abdicated your own responsibilities and instead forced residents to deal with these problems themselves, causing further community division, infighting and ill will among neighbors, and a disregard by many for our clearly stated park rules.
The residents of Langley Grove Estates pay rent on their own lots.
Yes, residents are responsible for yard care and keeping their own homes and lot in order.
Residents are expected to abide by park rules, but the enforcement of those park rules including park safety and security issues are NOT the responsibility of individual residents.
In my opinion, management has only minimally performed their responsibility to maintain a safe and secure community.
For example, the street signs and repainting of speed bumps and speed limits.
The repainting was only completed after much correspondance and many complaints about road safety.
It was not done in a timely maner or in the time frame promised.
Several residents even took it upon themselves to create and position their own "speed limit" signs due to the lack of any management action.
The street signs which were finaly installed by management, especially the speed limit signs, are not approved by any goverment or other regulatory body and as such are not reconized by law. Any attempt by police to enforce these speed limits would be thrown out of court on those grounds. They are no better than the plastic signs sold at most hardware stores.
A few exerpts from months of correspondance with the Langley RCMP:
"I spoke with one of the Cpls from our Traffic Section and he advised of
the following:
Signs displayed are not regulatory signs falling under the Motor
Vehicle or Highway Traffic Act, therefore if someone was going to
dispute a violation it would not stand in a court of law.
- He suggested that the property owner lift fines against the culprits"
"As you may know S/Sgt. Lariviere has recently retired from
the RCMP and the Officer in Charge of Langley Detachment (Supt. Cooke)
has asked that I follow up on your concerns.
Supt. Cooke advised that he was provided a copy of your e mail in which
you expressed concern with regard to vehicles speeding in your
community. He subsequently attended the area and drove through your
complex. He confirmed S/Sgt. Lariviere's initial assessment that the
posted speed limit within the complex is not enforceable"
Management has made no effort to monitor traffic or to ensure that ALL residents and their visitors (or employees of Parkbridge) are complying with the posted speed limits. Nor have they taken any steps to amend the park rules so that fines can be levied against offenders.
These problems and the need for amendments were discussed with management during the summer of 2009 and they are well aware of their responsiblities in this matter.
A review of the Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act and the Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Regulation act
does not reveal any specific section related to enforcement of speed limits on rental property. However, upon contacting the Residential Tenancy Office, the following advice was provided.
You may want to put a letter in writing to your landlord (keep a copy for yourself) requesting that a solution be implemented in a time frame that you feel is reasonable. This will start a paper trail of documentation. If the landlord does not comply with your letter, you may make a Tenant's Application for Dispute Resolution seeking monetary compensation for your loss of enjoyment of the premises. You may make the application online at http://www.rto.gov.bc.ca/content/arbitrationApplication/default.aspx or in person at any of our branches in Burnaby, Victoria, or Kelowna or at any Government Agent's office. There is a $50 filing fee but you may apply to have that recovered from the landlord. You may want to document the situation as best as possible to submit as evidence to support your claim.
In any other multi dwelling rental situation, it is the property owner's responsibility to ensure the safety and security of the rental property and it's residents. It is only common sense then that the same management responsibilities would apply to the common areas of this rental property.
If this involves hiring security, installing surveilance devices, traffic control devices, or gating the community, then this is what they must do!
It is not the responsibility of park residents to enforce safety and security, beyond reporting incidents of crime or unsafe conditions to management.
"Disappointed and ashamed?"
It is management who bears the shame for this and it is the residents who should be disapointed!
PS:
I'd like to thank Laurie Myles and Block Watch for commenting on the ongoing speed problems in a recent newsletter report.
Shame on Management for doing nothing to follow up on those comments.