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FalconTwelve

Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2022
Posts
8
Location
Concord, CA
Hello All,

I am needing to stay in town for a while, probably not for 9 years, but for a while. There is a campground/trailer park where I am that meets my needs, but they have not been returning my calls (since October!). I am uncertain why, whether they are very busy, they find some fault with me, or maybe they are more interested in renting nightly or weekly rather than monthly. Honestly, I have no idea what the problem is, and they are only available by phone due to the pandemic.

There are other campgrounds or trailer parks in the area, but they are generally more expensive, farther away, and often they want more of a commitment than I feel like I can make. So, I am wondering whether it might be possible to find an arrangement to rent parking (with hookups) on private property. I would be very interested to know if people have any thoughts or advice about this. I would ask a friend or relative if I can park with them, but I don't have one in this area who can accommodate me.

For many years, I have had only bad experiences with craigslist. Facebook Marketplace, I have found to be better, but still not very helpful (just not as bad). Where are the nice people?! How do I find them? Thank you all in advance for your insights.
 
I can't imagine that if they won't return a call or see you in person, their response if you ever had an issue as one of their tenants would be miserable.

Perhaps you can make a short term deal with one of the "lessor" parks in the area to stay while you get yourself established in the community. Then, find a church, veteran's center, senior center, lions club, etc. that you could establish relationships with people. I find that there are nice people, even really great people, but you have to work to find and get to know them. They tend to congregate together. Depending on your age, some of those may be easier than others to join. Whether you fully believe or not, big churches often are great places to meet and develop friends of all ages.

I would expect that people will be very hesitant to allow someone they don't know or just met to set up on their property - even if local code allows it. Establishing relationships first is probably your best approach, then see what develops.

I agree that Craigslist, FB Marketplace, etc. are often difficult and full of scammers. Be very careful, cons are looking for people in your situation who feel desperate and will take a chance with them. It's their business model and works if you fall for it.

Finally, your bio says that you are in California. Personal perspective on my part here, but if I were you I would get out of there. Middle America is significantly cheaper for everything. It ain't perfect, and I don't want to start a "my town is better than your town" argument here, but the economics alone make it worth considering if you can.

Best wishes to you.
 
Thank you so much for your reply. Much good advice. Yes, my longer-term plan is not to stay in California, however, I do need and plan to stay here in the near term. (I agree that it had occurred to me that I might not want to stay in a park with unresponsive management.)
 
Very few people would have a complete hookup on their property that was available for a stranger to stay on. I would be pretty surprised if you found one for a reasonable price. With covid now well into decline and control, I suspect that you could go to the park in question and ask them your questions.
 
Do you have to be that far north? My ex-wife and son lived in Pleasanton and I drove by the Alameda County Fairgrounds RV park a bunch of times. They don't publish a monthly rate so I don't now if they allow long stayers.


It's a pretty easy drive to Concord and a not terrible drive into SFO. My ex used to commute into SFO from the Pleasanton BART station if that's where you have to get to.

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Yes, it's probably worth checking with everyone again, as I know the situation in a given park can change from month to month.

I am familiar with the Fairgrounds park. I understand it is a good option in the area, although stays are limited to 3 weeks. If there is another open space at that time, you can move to it, but you can't stay in the same space. In addition, if a big event is happening at the Fairgrounds (like the Fair...), everyone has to leave. My tow vehicle is a long story...

Again, thanks to everyone for your ideas.
 
Have you checked out Rio Vento RV Park? It is along the Sacramento on W Sherman Island Rd. Not too far from Concord and very nice sites.
 
I lived in the Delta last summer, and it's an amazing area. The main problem is that they've raised the bridge tolls again (including the Antioch bridge) - they are now $7. It's not a complete deal-breaker - I've also considered Benicia - but it's a significant consideration. I also drove 5,000 miles in one month the last month I was there (in my non-tow vehicle). However, I agree, it's a good life in the Delta.
 
Have you considered going to the trailer park that is not returning your calls and talking to them face to face?
There may be some mix-up in their office or answering machine/system.
 
Yes, it's probably worth checking with everyone again, as I know the situation in a given park can change from month to month.

I am familiar with the Fairgrounds park. I understand it is a good option in the area, although stays are limited to 3 weeks. If there is another open space at that time, you can move to it, but you can't stay in the same space. In addition, if a big event is happening at the Fairgrounds (like the Fair...), everyone has to leave. My tow vehicle is a long story...

Again, thanks to everyone for your ideas.

I figured there would be limitations...
 
Have you considered going to the trailer park that is not returning your calls and talking to them face to face?
There may be some mix-up in their office or answering machine/system.
I did! Over the months, I have spoken on separate occasions with two different residents, and I also had a conversation with the maintenance guy, who wrote down my contact info (and probably my trailer info). The office continues to be closed, but about a month ago, I finally was able to reach the manager directly on the phone. She also took down my contact info and trailer info and promised to email me an application, but I watched my inbox, and nothing ever materialized. So I called and left a message again... It's been a few weeks since I've stopped by, however, so maybe I'll try again. The weird thing is that there always seem to be spaces available when I drive through.
 
California has laws that strongly favors tenants over landlords and RV parks are treated the same as hotels and apartments to the point where the landlord may have to do a full scale court eviction to get rid of a problem tenant or someone who's been there a while and simply stops paying rent. So in many cases renting a long term RV space is the same as renting an apartment with credit checks, rental history, etc.
 
California has laws that strongly favors tenants over landlords and RV parks are treated the same as hotels and apartments to the point where the landlord may have to do a full scale court eviction to get rid of a problem tenant or someone who's been there a while and simply stops paying rent. So in many cases renting a long term RV space is the same as renting an apartment with credit checks, rental history, etc.
OK - this explains a lot. I think I will just stay in storage for now, and maybe take a weekend trip from time to time.
 
The weird thing is that there always seem to be spaces available when I drive through.
Those spaces could be reserved already or they might be rented long term but the RV is gone for service or the owners are traveling with it. Many annually rented RV sites sit empty if the renter makes a trip as that allows them to return to that spot when they get back. The fact that it isn't occupied does not prove that it is not rented.
 
Considering management is unresponsive to you, I'd take that as an omen that they don't need your business or your money. Move on. Look for something different.
 
A last note: I drove through the park again this morning. This time, I noticed that most of the empty spaces were on the same transect through the park - I hadn't noticed it before because they weren't adjacent along the drives. Further, there was evidence of digging, and there were some pipes piled in one of the spaces. It appears they are doing an infrastructure upgrade.

Separately, I opened my mailbox today and found the security deposit from the space I vacated in October. So, maybe there is something to be said for just being patient.
 
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