Royal Oaks

Royal Oak is a mobile home park just outside Davis city limits. Space rental is said to be reasonable by Davis standards and facilities considered by at least one tenant to be clean and well maintained. Other Northern California municipalities have unincorporated sections of town like this that have not been included by annexation. In some cases there have been lawsuits brought claiming discrimination based on soci-economic status or racial makeup.

Myabrn lived there 20 years ago when, she says, "it was nice and family friendly. Now it is not so." She goes on to say her family's trailer, "was turned into a drug lab that burned to the ground when the new owners attempted to incorporate the clothes dryer into their drug concocting process."

In July 2003, David Lawrence Beale was arrested when 157 pounds of human body parts were discovered behind his Royal Oak home on Erma Lane.

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2006-06-04 17:22:07   I'm looking at living there—is it really this bad? Any more detailed comments on Royal Oaks would be much appreciated... —BobReinhardt

2006-08-25 08:30:37   Bob, if you really want to know go there on a Saturday afternoon and drive around. You will see a burnt out trailer that has never been replaced by the pool area (atleast it was still there as of end of July). The people are friendly but there doesn't seem to be alot of pride of ownership as a whole. The pool has been redone though. —MyaBrn

2006-10-22 14:50:33   Does anybody know what the space rental is here? Even roughly? —AmyGoogenspa

2006-12-18 13:04:43   Afraid for their lives? Okay.... I guess if you are afraid to live around working class families from a variety of ethnicities then you would be. If your mind isn't quite that closed you might think it's a good place to live.

The park is reasonably quiet; occasional loud music from passing cars, some kid-related noise. Space rent is reasonable by Davis standards; I believe the maximum is $750. Management keeps the park clean. Pool, spa, laundry facilities, playground - all are well maintained. —LisaBriggs

2007-12-17 19:58:43   The space rent is still $750 as far as I know. The burned out husk by the pool is now gone, I don't recall exactly when it went, somewhere between 2 and 6 months ago probably? The neighbors are really friendly, and other than kids playing it's pretty quiet. I've been really happy here the past year, but recently (since they repaved the streets and numbered the parking spots a couple months ago) they've become really bad about towing cars like mad. The worst part is they are doing so illegally.

For my neighbors: Their signs do not meet the California Vehicle Code Division 11, Chapter 10, Article 1 >> Section 22658 requirements, therefore they must give 96 hours written notice. See: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc22658.htm

If they do not give 96 hours written notice the management/park owners must pay twice what the vehicle owner was charged to get their car back. Also, if you catch the tow truck before it reaches Research Park Drive, if you ask, the tow operator has to release your vehicle for half the normal fee (which should end up being between $90-110). If your car is damaged by while being towed, the tow truck company has to pay for repairs. If enough people start taking the management to small claims court, maybe they'll start following the laws.

I don't know if it's the management that's the problem or the owners or a combination of both. But they're really driving people away with their policies. There are many places abandoned, empty spots and places for sale, even though the rent is reasonable (and they have some deal with getting a home for $1000 a month which I think includes the $750 rent) and the location is awesome (near the freeway, shopping, downtown, the Putah Creek Bike Path and from there the Arboretum and campus). So basically it can be a great place to live if you are very careful about where you park, and you warn your visitors not to park inside unless they can get a visitor labeled parking spot (and aren't going to be there more than one day). But then I rank good neighbors and peace and quiet really highly after living in South Sacramento for five years. —JenniferKucich

2008-04-05 15:27:58   While they still keep the common areas clean and well maintained and the park is still reasonably quiet and the rent is still reasonable for Davis, at this point I would not recommend living here to anybody (and I do know I'm screwing myself by saying that since we will want to sell eventually). I don't blame the individual park managers (I think they're on the fourth one in the 18 months I've lived here, which should tell you something). It's the company that owns it and the "regional" managers that will get to you. They take forever to act on anything - if you need a place to live fast, this isn't gonna be it; we had to wait an extra two days after being "approved" for somebody at the main office to return from vacation and sign a piece of paper before we could move in.

And like Jennifer said, they do illegal things and they get away with it because most residents don't seem to know or have time to stand up for their rights. —LisaBriggs

2008-12-19 22:29:13   A recent article in Eureka points to a very unruly couple who have taken up management at this park and Davis Mobile Estates read here: http://www.northcoastjournal.com/081904/news0819.html under Park managers' controversial past. I am surprised none of this was posted here. —CarrieBishop

2009-07-19 13:19:59   I've lived here about 2 years. If you regularly ride your bicycle to the university, then this location is superb. It is quiet and safe — apparently that's a great improvement from years ago. They've really cleaned the place up in the last few years.

The newly hired manager (named Rhonda) is great; I'm not sure how long she'll last however since the regional manager she reports to is really mean-spirited (this is the third manager since I've been here).
I currently pay $780 in rent, which I think is a bit high. Also, the management company seems to play fast and loose with the law. In practice this might not affect you if you live here.
I think high rents is a major reason the park has around 50% vacancy. Unlike an apartment, you have to pay trash, sewer, and water.

In total, it might compare favorably to an apartment, assuming you get a good deal on the purchase of the home. Of course, you would never want to buy a brand new one. —livegreen