Can landlord charge new ‘Trash Fee’

By MH/RV Park Tenants

We live in a Mobile home/RV park in Corpus Christi, TX. It is a senior’s community with many of the tenants on SS only with no other income. The park is owned/managed by a church, however, it is a separate business from the church.   The landlord recently upgraded dumpsters. Now is demanding every tenant pay $25 trash fee with our Dec 2013 lot rent. As a community, we the tenants don’t think he can charge us this fee. We also suspect the bill for these 4 dumpsters and services is much lower than the accumulative charge of over $5000 a month (which is what $25 dollars per tenant lot collectively would be). BTW, there is no trash fee written in current lot leases, but is going to be put in the MH/RV park’s community rules in the near future. He is additionally raising everyone’s lot rent from $240 to $300 a month and full service lots (lots which include all utilities, etc) from $425 to $500. We understand that in Texas, there is no rule that regulates how much a landlord can charge for rent. However, can he charge this trash fee? If he can charge this new ‘trash fee’, can he charge more than what he is actually being billed by the company supplying the dumpsters/services? (We know that utilities cannot be overcharged.) BTW, there is no trash fee clause in current lot leases. To our understanding, this new rule will be added into the park’s community rules.

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Holy Cow, we couldn't find any other related post. Sorry. :(