Copyright © 2017. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this newsletter or portions thereof in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or byan information storage or retrieval system without written permission from A. Hunter Property Management, Inc.

VOL. 20, No. 1 MARCH 2018

Featuring Information on our Services, News, Views & Tidbits…KEEPING YOU ON TOP OF YOUR INVESTMENT!

ProfessionalProperty

Management

YourKey

to Peaceof Mind!

A. HUNTER PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, INC.

Time MattersPO BOX 224 • Annville, PA 17003 • Ph. 717-274-2104 • Fax 717-274-2327 • www.ahunter.com

Manufactured Housing in PA

DCED works in cooperation with the USDept. of Housing & Urban Development(HUD) and municipal code officials to assureall manufactured homes installed in Pennsyl -vania comply with all applicable require-ments. HUD establishes the constructionstandards and enforcement regulations fornew manufactured homes. HUD also admin-isters a Dispute Resolution Program to assistthe industry in resolving certain issues.

• More information on the HUD DisputeResolution Process.(http://www .huddrp.net/)

DCED handles all consumer complaints(/housing-and-development/file-a-com-plaint), establishes the installation require-ments for both new and relocated manufac-tured homes, provides training for manufac-tured home installers and certifies individualsas DCED Certified Manufactured HomeInstallers.

For more information about factory builtstructures in Pennsylvania please email us(mailto: housingstandards@pa.gov).

PA Manufactured HousingInstallation ProgramThe Pennsylvania Manufactured HousingInstallation Program requires that a properlytrained and certified installer verifies thatevery manufactured home installed in

Pennsylvania complies with the manufactur-ers’ approved installation instructions orthe Pennsylvania Guide for Relocated Manu factured Homes.

• View the partial list of certified manufac-tured housing installers (/housing-and-development/public-list-of-installers/).

After finishing the installation, the installermust provide a completed Certificate ofCompliance to the building code official, thepurchaser and (for new homes) to the DCED• Download a copy of the Certificate ofCompliance (/download/manufactured-homecertificate-of-compliance-dced-hs-003/?wpdmdl=56743) (.pdf)

• Installers and Retailers in HUD-Administered states

Important Aspects of Manufactured Home InstallationInstallation is perhaps the single most impor-tant consideration to assure safety, durabilityand long term satisfaction from your home.Listed below are some of the key elements ofinstallation that can have a great impact onthe performance of your home. Also, somekey requirements for installation are discussedin the Manufactured Home InstallationBrochure. You can download a copy of theinstallation brochure at (/download/installa-tion-of-manufactured-homes-in-pabrochure/?wpdmdl=56741).

info@ahunter.com

www.ahunter.comcontinued on page 4

Home Installation Requirements and Tips

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Check our website to see our Sales/Rentals

Learn How A. Hunter Property Management, Inc.can make your rental property a

NO-HASSLE InvestmentIncludes links to other manufactured housing industry related sitesproviding you with a wealth of information.

www.ahunter.com

FOR A FREE COPY OFTHE NEW ACT 261 of 1976as Amended byACT 80 of 2010by ACT 156 of 2012

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO EMAILLISA@AHUNTER.COMANDI WILL BE HAPPY TO SENDYOU ONE…

Along the same lines, don’t forget, Act 261 is oneof the documents that must be posted in youroffice or on your bulletin board, so that it is readi-ly accessible to your residents.

Why hire and train someoneto work for you, when you can hire

A. Hunter & their Staffwho are experienced in

all facets of this industry

YOU GET OURWHOLE STAFF 24/7

for LESS than theCost of 1 EMPLOYEE!!

AdvertiseIf you would like to advertise in this quarterly newsletter, which issent to over 1000 people in the manufactured housing industry,please submit your copy to A. Hunter Property Manage ment, Inc.,P.O. Box 224 Annville, PA 17003.Ad size not to exceed business card size or 31⁄2 inches wide by 21⁄4inches deep. Cost is $20.00 per publication. Please specify howlong you would like the ad to run.

Do you still have oil tanks? Unused Storage Tanks (From PMHA Perspective)

Pennsylvania’s Storage Tank and Spill Prevention Act went into effect in 1989. It regulates aboveground andunderground storage tanks.

All tanks are covered with the exception of those used to store heating oil for on-site use and most farm tanks.However, the closure requirement under the law applies to all tanks.

Communities requiring residents to convert from oil to another energy source need to understand they need toalso properly “close” these tanks to protect themselves. Closure of underground storage tanks should be donewhen a tank is taken out of service permanently in order to avoid the potential release of hazardous materialsfrom aging steel tanks. Even empty tanks can pose a risk of release due to materials accumulated at the bottomof the tank. PA DEP requires proper closure measures to be taken for all tanks.

Options available include physically removing the tank, or closing it in place. Closing in place involves clean-ing and filling the tank with an inert material such as cement or sand. Depending on the method used, DEPrequires sampling, reporting and documentation. Consulting with a certified tank handler or other environ-mental professional is important to protect your property from contamination.

www.ahunter.com

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Choose From A. Hunter’s2 Comprehensive Management PlansOr We Will Customize a Plan for You!

— Monthly Responsibilities for Your Community —

1. Negotiate and complete all new and existing leases,resident information sheets, addendum clauses, etc.If owner wants all residents to have a new leaseagreement, owner is responsible for the cost ofcopying and mailing the agreements.

2. Review all rental prospects through establishedcriteria.

3. Handle all resident communications, includingcomplaints, suggestions, rules notifications, overduerents, rent increases, rule violations, etc.

4. Resident emergencies will be handled on a24 hour/7 day basis.

5. Collect all rents and timely deposit of same in adedicated property checking account.

6. Pursue all delinquent accounts and attend DistrictJustice Hearings.

7. Conduct periodic on-site visits and enforce allcommunity rules and regulations in legal accor-dance with PA Act 261.

8. Arrange and supervise employees and outside con-tractors to perform regular maintenance and leasingwork for the property.

9. Solicit bids for lawn care, snow removal and mainte-nance/emergency work as authorized and approvedby owner of community. Follow up for on-time satis-factory completion of all contracted services.

10. Pay all bills for the community, subject to ownerreview, if desired.

11. Provide a computerized monthly accounting ofincome and expenditures. Owner will be providedwith copies of actual bills, and bank statements.

12. Work diligently and make every reasonable effort tomaintain occupancy and fill any community vacan-cies through normal advertising channels, mobilehome dealer contacts and other methods of self-promotion. All promotional move-in incentives willbe submitted for prior approval by owner.

13. Provide owner with a written, detailed monthlyreport on the property including but not limited to:move ins/outs, resident notification, unusual activity,etc.

14. Newsletters can be sent to residents on a monthly orquarterly basis. Owner is responsible for the cost ofpreparation and cost of postage for the newsletters.

1. Negotiate and complete all new and existing leases,resident information sheets, addendum clauses, etc.If owner wants all residents to have a new leaseagreement, owner is responsible for the cost ofcopying the agreements.

2. Review all rental prospects through establishedcriteria.

3. Handle all resident communications, includingcomplaints, suggestions, rules notifications, overduerents, rent increases, rule violations, etc. (Ownerwould give us a report on delinquent accounts.)

4. Resident emergencies will be handled on a24 hour/7 day basis.

5. Pursue all delinquent accounts and attend DistrictJustice Hearings.

6. Conduct periodic on-site visits and enforce allcommunity rules and regulations in legal accor-dance with PA Act 261.

7. Arrange and supervise employees and outside con-tractors to perform regular maintenance and leasingwork for the property.

8. Solicit bids for lawn care, snow removal and mainte-nance/emergency work as authorized and approvedby owner of community. Follow up for on-time satis-factory completion of all contracted services.

9. Maintain occupancy and fill any community vacan-cies through normal advertising channels, mobilehome dealer contacts and other methods of self-promotion. All promotional move-in incentives willbe submitted for prior approval by owner.

10. Provide owner with a written, detailed monthlyreport on the property including but not limited to:move ins/outs, resident notification, unusual activity,etc.

11. Newsletters can be sent to residents on a monthly orquarterly basis. Owner is responsible for the cost ofpreparation and cost of postage for the newsletters.

FULL SERVICE FULL SERVICEWITHOUT BOOKKEEPING

Manufactured Housing in PA (Continued from page 1)

Site Preparation – Proper grading of the site around yourhome to provide ground water runoff is critical. Make surethe ground under your home is free from depressions orareas where water can collect and has a properly installedground vapor barrier.

Support – Your installer must ensure that the groundwhere your home is sited has the proper soil conditionsand bearing capacity to properly support your home. Thepier footings must be protected from the effects of frostheave which generally requires the pier footings extendbelow grade to the maximum frost penetration in yourarea. Check with your local code official to determine thefrost depth in your area. Improper support of your homemay lead to bowed floors and walls, cracked walls or ceil-ings, doors and windows that do not operate properly andother structural defects that can lead to permanent damageto your home.

Assembly – Most manufactured homes, especially multi-section designs, require assembly to be completed onsite.Until a home is assembled properly, it cannot perform asdesigned. The ability of the home to resist wind, rain andsnow and the functioning of the plumbing, electrical,heating/cooling systems, among other issues, are onlyassured by proper assembly onsite.

Stabilization/ Anchoring – To ensure that your home canwithstand the forces of windstorms, which can cause slid-ing and overturning of the home, it is imperative that yourhome is properly anchored with suitable anchoring devicesthat are properly installed.

Installation shortcuts to save money – There are none.There may be several methods approved by the manufac-turer for properly installing your home. One method isexplained with the instructions that come with each home.Alternative methods of installation require the manufac-turer’s approval before they are used. Proper installation isa wise investment – insist on it!

Specifics when relocating a pre-ownedmanufactured homeHabitability – The person applying for the building per-mit to relocate a pre-owned manufactured home shouldfirst determine if the manufactured home still meets theManufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards ineffect when the home was first produced. To do that, theHabitability Guidelines for Relocated ManufacturedHomes (/download/habitability-guidelines-for-relocated-manufactured-homes 2013/?wpdmdl=56739)

must be utilized. When utilized, this guideline will helpprovide a reasonable level of assurance that the home willbe free from possible health and safety hazards. The check-list provided in the guideline must be completed and pro-vided to municipal code official as a part of the buildingpermit process.

Installation – There are 3 installation options availablewhen installing pre-owed manufactured homes:

1. Install the home in accordance to the original installa-tion manual that was provided with the home.

2. The Pennsylvania Installation Guide for RelocatedManufactured Homes (/download/installation-guide-for-relocated-manufactured-homes 2017/?wpdmdl=56740) to download a copy.

3. The PHRC Pennsylvania Field Guide FoundationSystems (http://www.phrc.psu.edu/) for RelocatedManufactured Housing (2007). (Option C-Reinforcedslab on grade, is acceptable only in leased landsituations).

Certified Installer Responsibilities:• Installation of a new manufactured home with regardto support, stabilization and assembly must be accom-plished consistent with the manufacturer’s approveddesign. The installation must assure that the homeremains in conformance and performs as described inthe standards for its useful lifetime.

• Complete the Certificate of Compliance Form(/download/manufactured-homecertificate-of-com-pliance-dced-hs-003/?wpdmdl=56743) and forwardcopies of the completed form to the HousingStandards Division, Local Building Official and thepurchaser.

• Maintain certification as required under PA Act 158.• View and print the Manufactured Home InstallersApplication (/download/manufactured-homes-installer-application-dced-ocd-002/?wpdmdl=56742).

• Maintain training as required.

Training:2017 PA Manufactured Home Installer TrainingDates:• Sept. 14-15, 2017• Dec. 7-8, 2017

Location: Lewisberry, PA

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A. HUNTERProperty Management, Inc.

PMH PAC Golf Outing – June 15, 2017Mountain View Country Club, Boalsburg

2017 DISTRICT MEETINGSJuly 18, 2017-ExtonJuly 19, 2017-MifflinburgJuly 20, 2017-BathJuly 25, 2017-HarrisburgJuly 26, 2017-MeadvilleJuly 27, 2017-DelmontJuly 28, 2017-Bedford

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGAugust 9, 2017-PMHA Office

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGNovember 14, 2017-PMHA Office

COMMUNITY SYMPOSIUMNovember 15, 2017Comfort Suites-Carlisle

CARD AGENT CLASSESwill be offered again in theSpring & Fall 2018

You DeserveDependability

PMHA CALENDAR 2017

Here every step of the way keepingyour property issues in line!

We can bill your residents for utilities.If you have metered utilities, you can send us yourreadings and we will bill your residents. Bills can alsoinclude rent amounts and/or other charges. We donot read meters, but will bill based upon the readingsyou supply.

A. HUNTERMetered Utility Billing

SELLING HOMES LEGALLY?Remember that if you are doing any financing in yourcommunity, you most likely need a license. You cannotfinance a buyer unless you are properly licensed. Whetheryou call it, “owner financing, rent to own, lease to own…etc” it is still financing.

The PA Department of Banking will make an exceptionthat will allow community owners or retailers to originateup to Three (3) transactions per year without beinglicensed. This is 3 transactions per person, and three perentity. You cannot advertise that you are willing to finance.

If you think you may not be in compliance, you may wantto check out the web site for the PA Department ofBanking and Licensing.

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Calls have been coming in, askingwho is responsible for removal costswhen a tree falls on a leased premisein a community as a result of a storm.The first question asked is ... whatdoes the lease and the communityrules and regulations say? If it is notaddressed in the lease and the com-munity rules and regulations do notaddress this issue, it will depend onthe original location of the tree.

If the fallen tree was originally located

on the leased premises, thetenant is probably respon-sible for the removal costs.There is no specific caselaw addressing whether alandlord in a manufac-tured home communityhas a duty to remove fallentrees. However, courtswould most likely applythe general rules governingthe duties and liabilities oflandlords and tenants, tak-ing the position that alandlord is under no oblig-ation to repair the leasedpremises, making the ten-ant responsible for remov-ing the tree.

If the tree was not originally locatedon the leased premises, the owner ofthe property on which the tree wasoriginally located will probably beresponsible. Again, there is no specificcase law addressing fallen trees, whenparts of a tree encroach onto the landof another, such encroachment consti-tutes trespass. The following remediesare available to a land owner whoseproperty is encroach ed by overhang-ing branches or tree limbs:

First, an aggrieved landowner isentitled to exercise a self-helpremedy by either trimming orlopping off the branches to theextent his property isencroached. Second, if thelandowner has incurred reason-able expenses in the course ofexercising a self-help remedy, hemay recoup those expenses fromthe trespasser. Third, he may, ona trespass theory, seek equitablerelief compelling the trespassingneighbor to remove the trees tothe extent of the encroachmentand seek appropriate incidentaland consequential damages.

We note that in the context of a man-ufactured home community, it is pos-sible that the “owner” of the land onwhich the tree was originally locatedcould be another tenant of the com-munity. As discussed above, becauselandlords generally do not have a dutyto maintain the leased premises, thelogic is that the other tenant (ratherthan the landlord) would be responsi-ble for the removal costs. We encour-age community owners to address thisissue in the lease and the communityrules and regulations.

Fallen Trees in Land Leased CommunitiesFrom PMHA Perspective

A. HUNTER PROPERTY MANAGEMENT’SADVISORY SERVICE

Now, you can put A. Hunter’s 30+ years of experience towork for you. We are available for a one-on-one advisoryday for you and your staff. Many community owners,developers, and retailers have contacted A. Hunter aboutways to improve their particular businesses, to work withnew employees or help improve the performance of others.

If you are contemplating a new development; if you justwant to review what you are doing and why; if you wantto make sure your procedures are the most efficient; or ifyou want someone to work with your marketing team,A. Hunter Property Management is the answer for you!For $1250 per day plus expenses, we can come to yourlocation. Some of the more common requests mightinclude:• Review operations manual• Review Guidelines and supporting documents

• Review current marketing program and makesuggestions

• Help design new marketing materials• Create and/or review personnel policy manual• Review employee orientation programs• Help community managers begin to enforce Guidelines• Help design a community newsletter and help write it• Review in-house training programs and suggestimprovements

• Developers want to learn the inside story before begin-ning feasibility studies, marketing studies, financialanalysis and budget forecasting

What does your community or company need? Chancesare that A. Hunter has the answer for you! Call or emailus today. Tomorrow, you’ll be on your way to greatersuccess!

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Professional

Specializing in Manufactured Home CommunitiesA. Hunter Property Management provides the highest standard of professional management services thoroughly andefficiently through the competence and technical knowledge of our staff. Our primary objective is to maximize returnon your investment using years of experience and expertise, and a sophisticated approach to property management.

For More Information Contact…A. Hunter Property ManagementP.O. Box 224, Annville, PA 17003 • (717) 274-2104eMail: info@ahunter.com • Website: www.ahunter.com

Member PMHA, Institute of Property Management, SOHO, Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce, Manufactured Housing Institute, Small Business Association, NAR, LCRA, PA Real Estate Broker, Realtor

AH

Property ManagementOver 30 Years Experience in the Industry

Objectives• Provide a service to owners which will free them of the workload involved with running an investment property

• Maintain a clean, smooth operating, profitable property• Ensure a pleasant community residents will appreciate

Advantages for the Owner• Experienced and Dependable Service• Well Maintained Property• Satisfied Residents• Informed Owners• Freedom of Owning• Employees have PHC Designation

Services• Coordinate Property Maintenance Including:utilities, lawn care, snow removal, etc.

• Improvement Projects• Rent collection, payment of property bills• Monthly Income and Expense Reports• Owner/Resident Communications

• Routine “On-Site” Inspections• Rule Violation/Enforcement• Represent Owners at Related Hearings• Emergency Service Hotline 24 hrs/day, 7 days/wk• Maintain Occupancy• Keep Owners Informed of Changing Legislationwith Proactive Involvement

While a great deal of care has been taken to provide accurate and current information, the ideas, suggestions, general principals and conclusions presented in this letter aresubject to local, state and federal laws and regulations, court cases and any revisions of same. The reader is thus urged to consult legal counsel regarding any points of law– this publication should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice.

Member PMHA, Institute of Property Management, SOHO, Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce, Manufactured Housing Institute, Small Business Association, NAR, LCRA, PA Real Estate Broker, Realtor

PO Box 224Annville, PA 17003

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A.HUNTERPROPERTY MANAGEMENT, INC.

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