Help with a storage issue

Hey all maybe some of you can give me some advice here.

I have a freind who has a 2000 class C Jamboree but lives in a typical California postage stamp track home. He asked about 6 years ago if he could store his RV in my back yard. I told him sure, keep it insured, registered and make me a set of keys so I could move it  to drag weeds and such. This worked well for a while till one day my 2 Border Collies chased a squirel under his motorhome and did a number on some of the wiring. I flet bad that  it had happened and fixed it for him. I told him if he kept the motorhome here he needed to figure out something to keep it from happening again. Well a few months go by and it happens again. This time he came to me and said the dogs chewed my wiring again so WE need to fix it. I reminded him of my previous comments that HE needed to find a way to protect his own motorhome or MOVE it. Then feeling bad again I fixed the wiring since he was trying to go on a trip. This cycle has continued the last few years, He is not a handy guy an has no idea how to fix the thing. I have even told him to buy x amount of plywood and x amount of 2x4s and I would help him build some self standing barriers to help protect from the dogs. He says yeah he will get the stuff and never does.

His Kids are good freinds of my kids so I have tried to keep the peace but it has happened once again and this time I told him I would not fix it and that he needed to find a new place to store it. It was towed out a week ago ( which killed me cause it is 6 wires that need to be spliced to make it run and have lights) and I told him to not bring it back. Now he is crying the blues about storage costs and how he will take care of it  but I have no faith, I have already heard several times about how expensive the tow bill was.

I have quite a bit of property so room is not the issue in fact several other freinds store things here, a boat and 5er and a few flat bed trailers. All of them have taken good advice and built barriers to keep the dogs out of there stuff. the arangment works very well with the other freinds. They even come and help drag weeds and clean up once in a while.

Before you go and blame me for the dogs, they are 9 and 12 years old they have been here on this land the whole time I have been here it is their's as much as mine I olny have the dogs cause I have room for  them to be dogs. If I have to choose between the dogs and the freind I will take the dogs.

So there is my sob story any advice that I don't probly already know? how would you handle it?

Thanks for the help and the ear to chew.

wayne

He is not your friend. Friends don't treat friend's like that. I would have pushed the thing into the street long before he towed it away.

Not much to offer as it seems to be a done deal, it's gone.

However, I think I would have passed after the first repair/warning.

The rest of the people enjoying your kind offer to accomodate their storage needs are complying with your request. Why not him. You set the conditions for storage, he didn't comply = end of storage.

I think, if I were you, I would have some sort of paper signed by those availing themselves of your kindness that would protect you from any liablilty for the use of storage. You never really know about people till something goes wrong. But, that's just me.

Ditto both of the above posts.  If he couldn't store the rv in his own yard and he also could not afford to pay for storage, then maybe he should not have purchased it.

Your dogs live there.  He was mooching space there.

There is no doubt in my mind who has rights on your property and it is not the mooch.

I agree with all the others.  I sure wouldn't have been so helpful the second time.  But now he has gone I hope you have learned a lesson and don't even consider letting him store it there again.  That would be just asking for more trouble.

I can see your perspective, but you definitely put yourself out there and it sounds like YOU ended up being the one who "paid" to keep it there.  Good that the rig is gone.  It's either that or your friendship, and it sounds like the storage problems would have put an end to it (the friendship).  Not worth the trouble.  Despite his self-reported outrageous tow & storage costs NOW, it's better than having you involved since he wasn't able or willing to take steps to protect his MH while on your property.

I have a different prospective.  If he is a good friend I would do my part to help him out just like you have in the past.  If I wanted to retain and maintain the friendship I believe I would have taken steps to protect his trailer while on your property.

I think I would have found the cheapest way to fence around his trailer.  Roll of 2x4 welded wire is not that much and would do the trick

My friends are important to me and I want to keep them all.  Good friends are hard to come by.

Now if he is not such a good friend then your in the right spot.  Better he pay for storage than bug you.

Thanks All, I have already done what is done but you know how you can second guess your self in times like these. I appreciate the replys.

Wayne

Don't second guess yourself any more.  If the guy was a true friend, he would not have put you in the position of getting "firm" with him.  I'm not sure I would have helped him out the second time.  Seems to me that he was just being a mooch.  And if I had to choose between Mooch or Pooch, well, "Who loves ya, Baby?"  ;D  You know it ain't the Mooch!

zukIzzy said:

His Kids are good freinds of my kids so I have tried to keep the peace but it has happened once again and this time I told him I would not fix it and that he needed to find a new place to store it. It was towed out a week ago ( which killed me cause it is 6 wires that need to be spliced to make it run and have lights) and I told him to not bring it back. Now he is crying the blues about storage costs and how he will take care of it  but I have no faith, I have already heard several times about how expensive the tow bill was.

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Wayne, I live in the LA area.  I pay $125 per month to store my 23 foot TT.  I do this as part of the expense of operating an RV.  You "friend" is as others say here, a moocher.  With friends like that you do not need enemies.

Carl L said:

Wayne, I live in the LA area.   I pay $125 per month to store my 23 foot TT.   I do this as part of the expense of operating an RV.   You "friend" is as others say here, a moocher.   With friends like that you do not need enemies.

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Besides REAL friends do not take advantage of friends that way.

Carl L said:

Wayne, I live in the LA area.   I pay $125 per month to store my 23 foot TT.   I do this as part of the expense of operating an RV.   You "friend" is as others say here, a moocher.   With friends like that you do not need enemies.

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Thanks Carl I live in south Riverside county near Temecula. Storage cost are very high here as well, as I said I let a couple other people keep stuff here as i have the room and it usually doesn,t bother me. The only thing I ask is for them to lend a hand when I have to have a clean up/weed & brush removal day. Everyone including the guy in question has been really good about helping out and even coming by and mowing fence lines on differnt weekends when they see the need. It has been a win win and I am happpy to help out. In fact one of the trailers belongs to my lawyer and good freind and his contribution was a legal waiver and some liability advise.

I never minded the storage, the thing that gets me is the "hey its broke again you need to fix it and I want to leave tomorrow" attitude. Oh well it is done and done time to move on. I have lots of freinds and lots of enemies too I suppose. One more or less on either side will not chage my life much.......as long as I keep my lovely bride of 20 years on the right side ;D

wayne

Wayne,

It sounds like you are hurt and disappointed that your friend seemed "entitled"  when you were doing him such a very nice favor.  If you continued to do for him you are enabling him to continue to take advantage of you.  Count yourself  strong to stick up for your own rights.  Grieve the friendship loss but not your actions....My humble 2 cents. 

Betty