Ideal RV space size for new park?
What is the ideal space size for a new RV park? Greetings, I am in the design stage of building an RV park on 5 acres in Northern CA. With all of the fires in the past couple years there is a tremen...
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You also need to remember all the responses here are from people who use their RVs recreationally. Your target market is apparently people who will live in the RV while working at their jobs, rebuilding their homes or just plain trying to scrape by due to lack of affordable housing in the area. Those displaced by the fires will likely have children who will need recreational areas. They will likely have pets that are not RV experienced. They probably will have a lot of personal items salvaged from their homes that will need to be stored. They will not be families enjoying travel, instead there will likely be domestic issues, alcoholism and drug addiction caused by uncertainty and the stresses of rebuilding their lives. Crime might very well become an issue since those salvaged items will not be securely stored inside their previous homes and garages, but instead in makeshift storage containers and under tarps. Once the length of stay passes your state's statutory limit and those guests legally become tenants your options to deal with issues diminish significantly from what your rights were when you were an Innkeeper rather than a landlord. The best use of your time and money would be to travel to either North Dakota or West Texas and visit a couple of the man camps used by oilfield workers. That will show you what you can expect to happen over the next few years.
You said your area is not a destination and not convenient enough to attract overnight travelers. What will be your marketing plan when those who lost their homes settle with insurance and either rebuild or move away? Disaster rebuilds are boom then bust for workers. When the work dries up, they move on, your park cannot. Someone who provides housing for the poor working class and those with no other options used to be called a "Slumlord" in less PC times. By definition, the poor have little money and are likely candidates to become delinquent on rents. You will likely find you become less of a park owner and more of a debt collector, parole officer and domestic violence counselor. It is truly a rare operator of any such housing situation who can keep a lid on problems and run a business that is not awash in problems.
You said your area is not a destination and not convenient enough to attract overnight travelers. What will be your marketing plan when those who lost their homes settle with insurance and either rebuild or move away? Disaster rebuilds are boom then bust for workers. When the work dries up, they move on, your park cannot. Someone who provides housing for the poor working class and those with no other options used to be called a "Slumlord" in less PC times. By definition, the poor have little money and are likely candidates to become delinquent on rents. You will likely find you become less of a park owner and more of a debt collector, parole officer and domestic violence counselor. It is truly a rare operator of any such housing situation who can keep a lid on problems and run a business that is not awash in problems.
