Private property vs RV Parks

What the heck?” I mutter to myself, as I turn on my shower to get hot water only to get cold water for five minutes, not normal. I run out and check my propane again. It switched off. “Why the heck?” I think to myself as I pull the white protection off of the propane.

“Oh yeah, Ashley!” I turn around to see my asshole landlord Dave standing at the top step if his trailer, shirtless with the classic redneck wifebeater tan. Holding a cigarette in one hand and a Tom Collins in the other. He strolls over time me, I wonder how he got this far in life with booze.

“Ashley, I turned off your propane this morning when you left because I don’t want my trailer as well as yours in the back of the yard. Understand? This is the second time you have done this and I’m sick and tired of turning it off, either you remember to turn it off or we are going to have problems!” He was almost yelling every time. “Now I don’t want to tell you how to live, but you have been coddled by your mother so much you need to grow your own wings and fly, and that starts with turning off your propane, cleaning up after yourself, parking in the same spot, emptying your black water tank and don’t puke down the sink! And no overnight guests! Ok follow these rules and you should be ok, you are so lucky to live here, any other trailer park would charge you double and you would have less!” This is the reason shortly after a good paycheque I ran to the bank and cashed it and moved into a RV pad with my next landlord Darcy. Private property vs Rental RV pad is always how you perceive it, I heard great stories of people living off of land and having a great time, living almost rent free! Me, not so much. This is that story and some pointers

Dave was a man who loves to micro manage and since my time was only two and half months they were expecting me to do a lot with a little.

Starting with,

* Propane.

“I don’t want the propane on!” When he spoke to my mother, stepfather, and I we got there and he said “ if you run out of propane, go to Costco and buy some more. You don’t need your heat right now anyways but just turn it on and turn it off when your done.”

Ok no problem. However since my shower and dishes needed hot water I left it on. I was always checking to make sure no leaks were coming out.

I once had a friend David B come out and do a manual check himself. I loved it when the two of them met.

“See the problem is she leaves it on all day, I just don’t want to lose my house along with hers.” Dave reminded my friend.

David smiled and came back with.

“Well with these kinds of campers even with the hose the way it is. There is no leaking between the out and in of the cords, so she can have her propane on if she likes, tell me how many trailer parks have you managed?”

“Well none but I have had kids!” Dave exclaimed back with.

“Really so my five plus years of dealing with these kinda of RV’s and campers means I know nothing to the fact you had kids? I fail to see the logic with you in this one”

Dave just ran back to the house to get other beer while David and I did a walk around of the trailer to do a repair check list.

Darcy then said, “it’s no big deal really leave it on, you need it, use it.”

* Black Water

No it’s not a cool hipster band, it’s the poop water. It’s gross, it smells and depending on the time of year makes you gag bad.

Shortly after moving in, Dave had shown me this collector that helps transfer the black water to out to the back of the property to empty.

The one thing I learn with this, is this, in an RV Park, don’t kick the hose when unloading it. Run water to crate pressure to wash out the tanks.

TOILET TABLETS ARE YOUR FRIEND! It isn’t make the smell go away but it will help to break down whatever is going on in the tank.

If the toilet water in the bottom freezes, get lukewarm to hot water, down into the shoot and open it up and let it drain, follow with putting a gallon of water into the toilet (tall bucket fill it half way) and dump it down the shoot and a two-three toilet tabs. Change regularly.

I found out from Darcy afterwards it’s better to have NO toilet paper in the tank because of the fact of haha it clogs the pipes, so you have to in her words “take the toilet paper, wipe and throw it in a garbage.” Kinda makes you like having a normal toilet.

Darcy and her husband John where always helping me with getting it cleaned out.

* Electricity.

Dave would overstep his bounds as a landlord on this one all the time for the fact he would want to check in and see if there was anything he could turn off while I was at work, since I was away and the cat would be in the yard, he would come in and turn off things like the fan, something so minor you would think he would leave alone.

“You can’t leave your outside light on all the time! If you were at a trailer park this would be a big issue with them! We share electricity bill with another house on this land, it doesn’t all belong to you!” Another fight with Dave, as he would enter my space and give me no notice.

Darcy and I were talking one day and I mentioned the light.

“I don’t have a problem with it, if you need it to get in, then use it.” She also mentioned that no landlords are allowed in trailers, even with consent.

* Cleaning my area up

This was a major issue with Dave since he was always wanting the area tidy, he would make jokes at my expense and say I was a shitting housecleaner because my area was always a mess, I gave up speaking but he would always nitpick at something.

“Please put the plastic into the trash, I don’t want it blowing into my yard or my landlords yard again.” It was a tiny piece of cigarette plastic from the box! That was his!

But it would range from the pizza boxes from the night before keeping them out cause my fridge was too small to house them, to plastic, to a bottle cap from a friends drink. Anything would set him off and him storming over to have a chat. All around and around the same argument. It was about “my house, my land, my rules!”

Darcy never complained about my area being clean or dirty.

* No overnight guests.

This one I asked different landlords and as long as people were out by the morning you could stay one night. Dave was against this rule and said nobody I mean nobody past 6pm I would still have people over because it was the summer and I still had a life to live, but after 6pm? That was around the fact no life was meant to be lived. Darcy let one or two people slide since she know I was coming from a place that was challenging.

* No using the shower in our house.

Private property you will kinda find yourself in this problem at least one time or another, your propane may not be heating up the water in time so you have to find a way to use a shower and if you use it daily you will have to fix it quick, me I can go a few days before I feel gross. That said I would ask Dave.

Which while my mom and step-dad were at his house were like, “yeah if you need to use our shower or bathroom let us know before you come in and we will let you use it before work.”

One day I decided to take them up on that ofter.

“Yeah sorry Ashley I don’t feel comfortable with you in the house taking a shower.” I never set foot in the house unless it was for the dog to go outside for a pee. I let it go and went to Tim’s who was 20minutes away for a shower.

Darcy says

“Yeah I will give you the bathroom key and you can use the bathroom showers in there for like 50 cents you get a 3-5 minute hot shower. Just a heads up too, go to last stall and it will give you 10 minutes for 50 cents cause it’s broken.” Snickers about it. We keep walking through the park.

* No laundry on site

Another issue that was a huge thing was my laundry, I knew if the shower was going to be a dealbreaker then the laundry was out as well, which meant driving with a bag of smelly clothes and sheets to Tim’s to wash.

Darcy’s said her laundry was 1.50-3.00 a load....

I still drove it over to Tim’s place.

* where I parked my car.

I was told to park my car on the other side of the yard, rain or shine I would come in and park, if I was in a rush I would park beside my trailer.

“I told you to park your car on the other side of the yard!”

“Why?”

“I haven’t told my brother you have moved onto the property”

“Why? After two months I would have liked to been informed somebody else was on my back nine.” I asked him again.

“Just park it on the other side, out of sight out of mind, save me the headache here! Or we can remove you!” That last one was a threat.

August 16/19

I rang David B. To tell him about this fight, he backs me up and said. “Do what can now, save up whatever money you have and make it so you can leave soon, and quickly.”

Aug 29/19

The micro manager wins the battle, but lost the war. I am interviewing Darcy and I found a spot I loved, it was easy and perfect to move into.

August 30/19

I got paid and I walked into that RV park offfice paid first and half a months rent for my pad. That night I start disconnecting lines for power and water and making sure everything is locked up tight. Only to have Dave come home early to find me on his porch undoing the water line.

“Exactly what the fuck are you’re doing?” he asked. I was crapping my pants because I was in a tight corner and I don’t do well with confrontation.

“I gave you a place to stay and this is the thanks I get? You ungrateful little bitch!” Get your shit and get outta here!”

I got the last of the water unlocked and then David B showed up in time.

“Way ahead of you!” I turned I gave him my key and he gave me my emergency back.

Shortly after hooking up the trailer Dave stormed out and said as we we’re driving away, “you are no longer welcome on my property!”

“Good I never liked it here much anyways!” I yelled and flipped the bird as we drove off.

An hour later and hazards lights on trailing behind my break light less trailer we showed up at the RV park with Darcy waiting for us. Shortly after getting into the pad and the hookups I felt a sense of clam wash over me.

No more parking away from my home, no more parents do daily check ups on pets, I was close to Tim’s also who is my best friend, and close to work.

I loved that trailer park, there will be more stories to come, but in the mean time, always know. A home is where you closest to the ones you love, and where the other campers are parked. Until next time, Bye for now.