We just booked our stay in Desert Hot Springs @ Sam's Family Spa. We intend to stay 6-8 weeks (we have family in the area) and they would only let us book 2 nights during which time they will check our credit and determine if we can stay they whole time. I am not worried, credit is good, but I'm my 35 years of camping and setting up reservations, I have never run across this. Most of our camping has been in the Midwest and south though. Is this a common practice in California?
Alie and Jims Carrilite said
07:19 AM Jul 29, 2014
It also gives them a chance to see your rig, check out your personality, and make sure you will fit into their park.
The Junkman said
07:55 AM Jul 29, 2014
Next will be back ground checks...
Neil and Connie said
08:18 AM Jul 29, 2014
I think I would be staying someplace else.
Terry and Jo said
08:31 AM Jul 29, 2014
While a similar "check" is done for living in many apartment complexes, and it might be something done if one were staying in a mobile home park, this is the first I ever heard of such a check for an RV park. I'd say you might want to find and read the park's rules. Who knows what kind of other surprises are in those? Perhaps something that they could use to force you out of their park.
EDIT: OK. I just was reminded of your thread about drought conditions in California. That may explain why the credit check. I've never heard of this being done anywhere, but I'd wager that California could likely be the first place.
Terry
The Sages said
08:48 AM Jul 29, 2014
We have checked out the reviews and talked to a couple of folks who have stayed there previously. I have grandchildren in the area, and I need a family friendly place. Many of the places were 55+ (I am not even 55 lol, although hubby is) and did not appear to be family friendly. The owner we talked with seemed very nice and friendly. It just seemed an odd practice to me, but then again I am a Midwestern trust everyone til they prove me wrong kind of gal :) anyone else going to be in the Palm Springs are in Dec or Jan?
Sheryle
bjoyce said
09:31 AM Jul 29, 2014
This is normal practice in California due to the way the laws work. If you stay 3 weeks or less, you are a transient and are treated much like a hotel guest. If you stay more than 3 weeks you are now treated as a tenant and fall under tenants laws. California has very tenant friendly laws, so the landlords have to work hard to make sure you can pay and won't cause problems since it is hard to evict a tenant.
cheryls-other-half said
09:35 AM Jul 29, 2014
bjoyce wrote:
(mitch sez... snip...(In CA...) If you stay 3 weeks or less, you are a transient and are treated much like a hotel guest. If you stay more than 3 weeks you are now treated as a tenant and fall under tenants laws.
Apparently same thing in Florida, with transient/tenants too.
Technomadia said
11:06 AM Jul 29, 2014
And by the way.. Sam's Family Spa is 1/2 mobile home park and 1/2 RV park. It's a great place, we loved our week long stay there last year. Ohhh.. I miss those hot pools and sauna and steam room!! And it is a family friendly park, lots of kids around using the pools and facilities.
It's not uncommon at all in states with tenant-friendly laws to run background checks for longer stays - there's a lot of risk involved on part of the park with a tenant who fails to pay the rent. The eviction process is lengthy and costly for landlords, and California has some of the most tenant biased laws in the US.
BiggarView said
11:42 AM Jul 29, 2014
Sorry to go off an a small tangent, but does the concept of tenant vs transient play into California's residency rules? I'd hate to suddenly be determined by CA to be a resident, if I visited a single location for more than 3 weeks, and have the long arm of the CA internal revenue folks trying to claim I owe them as a CA resident when I'm not.
I have heard some horror stories... could be just that... just checkin'
Brian
-- Edited by biggaRView on Tuesday 29th of July 2014 11:44:48 AM
Dog Folks said
04:08 PM Jul 29, 2014
cheryls-other-half wrote:
bjoyce wrote:
(mitch sez... snip...(In CA...) If you stay 3 weeks or less, you are a transient and are treated much like a hotel guest. If you stay more than 3 weeks you are now treated as a tenant and fall under tenants laws.
Apparently same thing in Florida, with transient/tenants too.
Not quite. In Florida anyone that has rented LESS than 6 months are treated very much like a person renting a motel room, short term. You can be asked to leave, without prior notice, immediately, upon receipt of a written notice.
Over six months of renting, regular tenancy laws apply.
The presence or absence of a written lease makes no difference.
NWescapee said
10:35 PM Jul 29, 2014
Brian - I believe the CA rules are if you are temporary/transitory and there less than 90 days you are not considered a part time resident. I did a little research on this last year, trying to make sure we aren't considered a part time resident when we are passing through the state.
Signing a lease might indicate you are more than transitory. I've heard that CA is one of the most tax aggressive states enforcing their income tax codes so research into the current rules is not a bad idea.
There's so much to see and do in CA, we just figure we'll make several short term passes through the state to make sure we don't run afoul of the CA Department of Equalization (aka their tax dept). We tend to stay 1-2 weeks in each place before moving on.
Next will be back ground checks...
I think I would be staying someplace else.
While a similar "check" is done for living in many apartment complexes, and it might be something done if one were staying in a mobile home park, this is the first I ever heard of such a check for an RV park. I'd say you might want to find and read the park's rules. Who knows what kind of other surprises are in those? Perhaps something that they could use to force you out of their park.
EDIT: OK. I just was reminded of your thread about drought conditions in California. That may explain why the credit check. I've never heard of this being done anywhere, but I'd wager that California could likely be the first place.
Terry
Apparently same thing in Florida, with transient/tenants too.
It's not uncommon at all in states with tenant-friendly laws to run background checks for longer stays - there's a lot of risk involved on part of the park with a tenant who fails to pay the rent. The eviction process is lengthy and costly for landlords, and California has some of the most tenant biased laws in the US.
Sorry to go off an a small tangent, but does the concept of tenant vs transient play into California's residency rules? I'd hate to suddenly be determined by CA to be a resident, if I visited a single location for more than 3 weeks, and have the long arm of the CA internal revenue folks trying to claim I owe them as a CA resident when I'm not.
I have heard some horror stories... could be just that... just checkin'
Brian
-- Edited by biggaRView on Tuesday 29th of July 2014 11:44:48 AM
Not quite. In Florida anyone that has rented LESS than 6 months are treated very much like a person renting a motel room, short term. You can be asked to leave, without prior notice, immediately, upon receipt of a written notice.
Over six months of renting, regular tenancy laws apply.
The presence or absence of a written lease makes no difference.
Signing a lease might indicate you are more than transitory. I've heard that CA is one of the most tax aggressive states enforcing their income tax codes so research into the current rules is not a bad idea.
There's so much to see and do in CA, we just figure we'll make several short term passes through the state to make sure we don't run afoul of the CA Department of Equalization (aka their tax dept). We tend to stay 1-2 weeks in each place before moving on.