Clinch with the municipality

Trouble at the mobile home site: “We have to tear everything down”

The popular mobile home site is located by the Forchtenstein bathing lake. It comprises around 440 plots.(Bild: Reinhard Judt)

Long-tolerated (small) buildings on the Forchtenstein mobile home site in Burgenland are now to be removed, otherwise the contract will not be extended. The owners are outraged, as this means costs for them above all. 

Excitement at the tranquil mobile home site in Forchtenstein: while some are already preparing their summer residence for the new season, others are looking forward to this year with concern. As the landlord, the municipality has asked the owners to bring the pitches into a "proper and legally compliant condition". If this does not happen, the existing contracts, which expire at the end of the year, will not be extended.

Extensions and enclosures are not permitted
Many mobile home owners now fear that they could be faced with high costs or may even have to vacate their pitch. This is because many things that have been built over the decades or were perhaps already there when they bought their home are not actually permitted. This ranges from steps, terraces, extensions and enclosures to fences that are higher than permitted. In some cases, the distances between the mobile homes are also not suitable. Many of these buildings date back to the 1970s and 1980s, says one mobile home owner.

"Building a second life"
Many residents are old people who now don't know what to do. "Some have built a second life here," he says. The previous owner still has small buildings on his plot, which are not actually permitted. "We have to tear everything down now." Otherwise there will be no contract extension. "That's blackmail."

Is it the municipality's duty?
There is also a lot of anger about another plot: "We should have been told before we bought it," says one man. He also believes that the municipality has a duty: when he bought the plot many years ago, the municipality confirmed that everything was correct. He can prove that. The municipality must therefore bear the costs for the required adjustments. He can imagine taking legal action.

Law as a basis
Mayor Alexander Rüdiger Knaak takes a different view: "I don't believe that there is a sound legal basis for such a view." After all, you can't carry out unauthorized conversions in a rented apartment and then expect the landlord to cover the costs of removal. In the current case, the municipality is the landlord. What is permitted is regulated by the Mobile Home Site Act and the Forchtenstein Mobile Home Site Regulations. The contract can only be extended if the plot is in a proper condition.

Mayor: There were never any permits
Knaak also explains that the municipality has not issued any permits in the sense of a building permit for any buildings. However, the head of the municipality is available to answer questions and help to put things right. The mobile home site has around 440 plots.