Coquitlam couple feel like they’re ‘held hostage’ in manufactured home sale loophole

A Coquitlam couple who live in Wildwood Park is calling for amendments to the B.C. Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act as they say loopholes are preventing them from selling their trailers.

Brian Corkum and Claude Goergen are both residents who own their units and pay a pad fee to the owner of the park.

After moving in together, and therefore no longer needing two places, Corkum tried to sell his newly renovated — and sitting empty — manufactured home, but the owner of the park is allegedly refusing to sign off on the sale.

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“I’ve had now four offers, and the owner of the park seems to find ways to stop my offers. People have signed paperwork and he’s made it so that the offer won’t go through,” Corkum told CityNews.

According to the Act, for the sale of a manufactured home to go through, it requires the signature of the park owner on a bank form – known as the 1097. Another roadblock – as the park owner allegedly refuses to put pen to paper.

“We did receive an offer originally from the owner himself, the developer, and it wasn’t an acceptable offer, it was below market value,” Royal Le Page Realtor Brent Roberts shared.

“We’ve had a couple of offers since, and what happens is that we’ve had resistance to approving these sales, which makes it a little bit of a conflict of interest, it seems,” Roberts added.

BTM property lawyer Wes Berger explains that in the current market, the only way would-be owners could buy a mobile home is with bank financing.

“But in order to do that, they need the approval of the landlord, and the landlord seeing approving that as giving up some of their rights,” Berger said.

Corkum and Goergen are now calling on whoever forms the next provincial government to make amendments to the Act.

Specifically, they’re asking for three things: for resident-owners to be allowed to sell their properties with minimal interference from the park owner; to be offered market value for their properties if the owner wants to purchase; and to allow resident-owners to rent their own properties if they aren’t interested in selling.

Coquitlam Coun. Matt Djonlic sympathizes with the couple, saying that due to the 1097 form, a mobile home park owner can “effectively kill the market” and make themselves the only potential buyer.

“And of course, as we know in economics 101: if there’s only one buyer, they’re going to be able to depress the price,” he explained.

“So, we have a situation where homeowners aren’t able to get a fair market value for their home. I’m hearing from residents there who are going through cancer treatment right now, who are looking for certainty, who are trying to be able to sell their trailer so they can move somewhere else, and they’re not able to,” Djonlic shared.

CityNews reached out to the housing minister for comment on potential amendments to the Act, but given the ongoing election campaign, the ministry was unable to comment. CityNews also reached out to the park owner, however, did not receive a reply.

The couple says that under the current system, they feel “held hostage” in a financial horror.

“We have now been shouldering two pad rents and two mortgages for the past eleven months. Because, on top of not being able to sell, we also aren’t allowed to rent,” Goergen shared.

“It’s just been crazy.”