Delaware News


Manufactured home community owner ordered to take action to improve health and safety of residents

Consumer Protection | Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Fraud | Date Posted: Thursday, June 6, 2013



Georgetown – The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit has issued an order requiring the owner of a Sussex County Manufactured Home Community to better protect its residents by making several improvements to its community, Attorney General Beau Biden announced today.

“Thousands of Delawareans live in manufactured home communities, and we’re acting to ensure that owners maintain communities that adequately protect the health and safety of their residents,” Biden said.

The Cease and Desist Order was issued May 31 pursuant to an agreement reached with PFL Limited Partnership, the owner and operator of the manufactured home community known as Layton’s Riviera, located in Sussex County.  It follows an investigation conducted by Biden’s Consumer Protection Unit in response to multiple complaints filed by tenants residing in Layton’s Riviera.  The investigation discovered multiple violations of Delaware’s Manufactured Home Owners and Community Owners Act and led the Consumer Protection Unit to allege that PFL failed to adequately protect the health and safety of residents and their guests and failed to maintain the roads in the community in a good condition.  The Consumer Protection Unit also alleged that PFL entered into a lease with a tenant that, in several respects, failed to comply with the law.

Following its investigation, the Director of the Consumer Protection Unit reached an agreement with PFL, enacted through the legally-binding Cease and Desist order, that requires the company to remove the debris of an abandoned manufactured home that was destroyed in a fire, to maintain the community in a manner to protect the health and safety of its residents, to place the roads in the community in a good condition, and to continue to maintain the roads in a good condition.  The agreement also ordered PFL to provide an addendum to the tenant with the noncompliant lease to fix its legal deficiencies.  PFL was also ordered to pay $3,500 in investigative costs and attorneys fees and $10,000 in civil penalties to the State.  The civil penalties were suspended provided PFL abides by the terms of the agreement; future violations of the agreement will subject PFL to civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation.

The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit is charged with enforcing the Delaware Manufactured Home Owners and Community Owners Act, the law regulating manufactured home communities in Delaware.  Consumers and residents who have questions about the Act or wish to file a complaint can contact the Consumer Protection Unit at 1-800-220-5424, consumer.protection@delaware.gov, or www.attorneygeneral.delaware.gov.

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Manufactured home community owner ordered to take action to improve health and safety of residents

Consumer Protection | Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Fraud | Date Posted: Thursday, June 6, 2013



Georgetown – The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit has issued an order requiring the owner of a Sussex County Manufactured Home Community to better protect its residents by making several improvements to its community, Attorney General Beau Biden announced today.

“Thousands of Delawareans live in manufactured home communities, and we’re acting to ensure that owners maintain communities that adequately protect the health and safety of their residents,” Biden said.

The Cease and Desist Order was issued May 31 pursuant to an agreement reached with PFL Limited Partnership, the owner and operator of the manufactured home community known as Layton’s Riviera, located in Sussex County.  It follows an investigation conducted by Biden’s Consumer Protection Unit in response to multiple complaints filed by tenants residing in Layton’s Riviera.  The investigation discovered multiple violations of Delaware’s Manufactured Home Owners and Community Owners Act and led the Consumer Protection Unit to allege that PFL failed to adequately protect the health and safety of residents and their guests and failed to maintain the roads in the community in a good condition.  The Consumer Protection Unit also alleged that PFL entered into a lease with a tenant that, in several respects, failed to comply with the law.

Following its investigation, the Director of the Consumer Protection Unit reached an agreement with PFL, enacted through the legally-binding Cease and Desist order, that requires the company to remove the debris of an abandoned manufactured home that was destroyed in a fire, to maintain the community in a manner to protect the health and safety of its residents, to place the roads in the community in a good condition, and to continue to maintain the roads in a good condition.  The agreement also ordered PFL to provide an addendum to the tenant with the noncompliant lease to fix its legal deficiencies.  PFL was also ordered to pay $3,500 in investigative costs and attorneys fees and $10,000 in civil penalties to the State.  The civil penalties were suspended provided PFL abides by the terms of the agreement; future violations of the agreement will subject PFL to civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation.

The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit is charged with enforcing the Delaware Manufactured Home Owners and Community Owners Act, the law regulating manufactured home communities in Delaware.  Consumers and residents who have questions about the Act or wish to file a complaint can contact the Consumer Protection Unit at 1-800-220-5424, consumer.protection@delaware.gov, or www.attorneygeneral.delaware.gov.

# # #

image_printPrint


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.