Frequently Asked Questions

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Per Eastgate Rules & Regulations clause #6:

Pets: Other than fish and household birds in reasonable numbers and not for commercial breeding, ownership is restricted to one dog or one cat. All pet owners are to keep their pet on their own home space, on streets or water retention areas. In connection therewith:

(A) Dogs and cats must be kept on leashes at all times when outside the home;

(B)  Pets shall not be left unattended outside of the home;

(C) Pet owners must pick up and properly dispose of all fecal matter of their pet both on and off their Space;

(D) Members must make certain their pets do not create a disturbance or become annoying to other Members, Residents or Guests;

(E) Any pet found loose within the confines of the Park will be considered to be a stray animal and may be reported and/or apprehended and turned over to county animal  control officials at its owner’s expense;

(F) Pet owners must register their pets with the Park Management by completing the pet registration form;

(G) All dogs must be licensed by the appropriate local and county authorities, must wear dog tags at all times when outside the Home and be current with all shots to comply with Arizona State and Maricopa County law;

(H) The size of dogs shall be restricted to a mature weight of twenty (20) pounds;

(I) Violation of these pet rules may result in the expulsion of the pet from the Park at its owner’s expense and/or such fines and penalties as the Board may establish and impose.

For Arizona State Rules & Regulations please check this link:

https://usserviceanimals.org/blog/emotional-support-animal-laws-arizona/

For Federal Licensed Service Animal Laws please check these links:

https://www.ada.gov/topics/service-animals/

https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-2010-requirements/

Together with the other 130 shareholders – you own 1/131 of the land and that means  Spacious lots for every home. Eastgate was established nearly 30 years ago so it has a time-tested, refined administration system with extremely low monthly HOA fees. Plus, there is a great list of services provided which are included in the HOA fee, such as:

1. Property taxes on the land (shareholders must pay tax on their homes)
2. Free water up to 1000 gal. per month (less than $.01/gal. overcharge)
3. Wide, well-maintained road system
4. Refuse collection
5. Sewer system owned and maintained by the park
6. Usual amenities (pool, pickle-ball, library, hot-tub, pool tables, exercise room, etc.)

You must buy a home from an existing owner. The park does not sell any homes; however, you can find a list of homes for sale on this website as well as on property at the Clubhouse. Be certain you have read our three critical documents, which sellers must give to you during serious negotiations:

1. Lease Agreement
2. ByLaws, and
3. Rules and Regulations

The price of each home for sale is as agreed upon between the parties. Eastgate has no part in that. Once a deal has been reached and both parties are comfortable, you will need to book an appointment with the Eastgate board to process the official transfer. Prior to this, the buyer must have the appropriate DMV certificate in his/her/their name in order to proceed. Most closings take about 60 minutes and there is a cost of $750, which will be collected at the closing by check only.

Very simply, you are leasing the lot your house occupies in the park. The actual legal document that supports our shared ownership is called the Lease Agreement and in its essence gives the owner (sometimes called Shareholder) or owners the right to live in a designated lot indefinitely, subject to certain legal requirements as detailed in this document. Please note that this form of ownership differs a lot from other parks which often call themselves “Resident Owned”, because each owner “owns” his or her house. Here at Eastgate, we mean it when we say “Resident Owned” – you own your house AND you own 1/131 of the land. Anybody interested in owning a home in Eastgate should plan ahead as most banks have had a hard time placing a mortgage on these types of homes since there is no actual title to the land on which the house is placed. Eastgate has not contacted all prospective lending institutions and the Lease Agreement specifically allows for liens and mortgages to be placed against individual lots, so your particular banking experience may differ. Just be aware that ownership is defined a little differently in our park and for each bank, so plan accordingly.

To some extent, the answer here depends on your own situation. Consider these factors:

1. Monthly HOA fee compared to monthly rent at another park. Eastgate offers a lot of value for the low monthly HOA fee, so be sure to include in your planning the costs that are sometimes extra at other parks. At Eastgate, the HOA fee includes water (up to 1000 gal./mo.), refuse hauling, taxes on the land (parcel tax), sewage disposal, as well as the more usual amenities found at most parks – like a clubhouse, street lighting, pool, hot tub, pool tables, library, pickle ball courts, shuffleboard, bocce ball and a well-equipped exercise room.   But in every case, be sure to compare Eastgate’s very low monthly fee against any rent amount charged by other parks. Monthly rates of over $800 per month are often seen and that’s a lot of money each month per year. 
2. Eastgate is not only owned by its shareholders, but almost everyone participates in helping to run the park. All positions within the park are volunteer. There is not a requirement to be active in the park, but most residents choose to be or have been in the past. There are plenty of areas where your talents can be put to good use.
3. When the park was designed and established in 1995, our location was in the eastern suburbs. Since that time, the usual urban growth means that we are located in eastern Mesa – close to Apache Junction and a bit north of the 60 Freeway. Many attractions are close by and may be of interest.
4. When comparing Eastgate with other parks, pay special attention to how much space you are occupying. The usual lot here in the park is 65w x 80d feet. Some lots are pie or wedge-shaped, but in every case the total area exceeds 5000 sq.ft. When you combine that with our wide road system and excellent landscaping, the living here is spacious – much more then most other parks in or near the area.

Yes – the park is an “over 55” community. At least one partner (if more than one owner in a house) must be over 55 to become a shareholder here.

The park has established a set of rules and regulations that are intended to make everyone’s life here pleasant and free from serious stress. These rules are revisited on a regular basis and if necessary they can be changed by majority vote. In general, the ByLaws and the Lease Agreement require a voting margin of 2/3 to change things. Please refer to the Rules and Regulations document for further details.

1. Overnight parking is not allowed on the streets in front of homes. There are many free parking stalls in three groupings surrounding the clubhouse.

Yes. The property is surrounded on all sides by a concrete wall, and there is one main gate which is controlled by the usual “clicker” – which in many cases can be linked to buttons in modern vehicles. There is also a modern cell phone connection available which allows visitors to call their Eastgate contacts using their cell phone and the Eastgate resident can then open the gate remotely. Every home is issued a custom gate code number which then is used to open the gate when needed. The gate closes after a vehicle has safely passed by. There is a second, very wide gate on the north of the park which is manual and only used to admit homes being brought into the park or for other special situations and remains locked if not in use. The main entrance is on 114 Street, which is on the East side of the park.

Routine revenue and expense transactions are the responsibility of the board of directors and are handled by a professional management company. Other, much smaller bank accounts exist and are handled by the Treasurer or Associate Treasurer. The Social Committee has separate funds and their own bank account as well. The Treasurer reports monthly to park owners using a variety of methods, including posting on the bulletin board of this website which can be accessed by residents only, presentations at public monthly board meetings (November through March), and increasingly by using e-mail. The treasurer’s reports consist of two summary documents showing the income and expenditure of the park on a monthly basis (compared to both the annual budget and budget YTD) as well as a year-to-date statement of Reserve Account activity. While these statements include a lot of the important account details for the park, any member seeking additional information or details are more than welcome to study the more extensive detailed monthly statements provided by the property management agent.

No. The park does manage individual home lots, only the areas which are common and not specific to home lots. Each home can decide its own landscaping plan in accordance to the park rules.

The Lease Agreement as well as the Park ByLaws dictate the park’s administrative makeup. The final authority (besides the usual state, municipal and federal laws of course) within the park rests with the 7-member board of directors who are elected by the residents. Each board member serves for a two-year term and may be elected for a second term. Several committees serve the board and report through individual board members who act as liaisons with the various committees. The Social Committee is a significant part of the life at Eastgate and may have up to 9 members. Other committees include projects, pool, maintenance, landscaping and a few others. 

Residents are expected to abide by the rules, bylaws and lease agreement. There are few responsibilities that are forced upon shareholders; Paying their monthly dues is one, as well as any added charges – for example any bills for water usage over the monthly limit (charged and collected twice each year). All shareholder units are expected to vote in elections each year – or, in special meetings as arranged according to the ByLaws. In addition, all within the park are expected to adhere to the Rules and Regulations. This most definitely includes any guests or renters. 

You are not allowed to live in any RV within the park; however, you are allowed to bring it along, and some limited RV storage/parking is available for a reasonable rent on a first-come, first-served basis.

Things were a lot more defined several years back when it was customary to say that the park had 4 kinds of residents; Roughly 25% were from Minnesota, 25% from other US states, 25% were from Canada and a final 25% were permanent residents who call Eastgate their permanent home. Things have changed somewhat the last 5 years or so, and today a survey would show fewer Canadians, and more from Minnesota, with the other two categories more or less unchanged. Most homes have two residents, with perhaps 30% owned by a single person. A very few homes have three residents, but not too many, as the monthly dues are increased in the case of three or four persons residing in a home. Occasional visitors are not charged.

Per Eastgate Rules & Regulations

Absolutely you can. There are some restrictions you do have to pay attention to, including that you cannot rent for more than 4 months in a year. Also, any rental must be registered with the park office. Note that any rentals are managed by you and the park has no part to play in rentals, apart from registering renters, which is required by state laws anyhow. Also note, that any renters may themselves have guests living with them, but a daily fee is payable to the park. Currently this fee is $5.00 per guest per day. It can be a little confusing, because guests of residents do not pay this surcharge, but guests of renters must pay. When in doubt, always ask the Board for further information and instructions.

If you pay your monthly dues and adhere to the community rules and regulations, no barriers to ownership exist. One person in each dwelling must be 55 ears of age or older, but the park documents do not permit any other discrimination based on race, religion, political viewpoints, ethnicity, or any other similar factors.

Yes, with the board members approval, designated by the the Rules & Regulations.