Columns

by MHCO
Exempting a disabled tenant’s service animal from a no-pets policy is a common kind of reasonable accommodation. But a Florida case deals with what a landlord can do when those accepted service animals create a nuisance for other tenants.
by Bill Miner
   Fees for “Additional Occupants” or “Extra Vehicles” may be problematic. Rental agreements sometimes contain a space for “extra vehicle fees” or “extra occupant fees.” These fees may be problematic considering the limitations found in ORS 90.302.
by MHCO
  A somewhat odd case out of California illustrates another important qualifier of the landlord’s duty to provide a requested accommodation. Situation: A tenant with “electromagnetic hypersensitivity” (EHS), which causes him to be physically and neurologically affected by radiofrequency emissions from cell phone equipment, asks the city to…
by Bill Miner
Publication of Submeter or Pro Rata Bills – Tenant Inspections. ORS 90.582 has very specific requirements for landlords who bill tenants for water using a pro rata billing method or for landlords who bill their tenants via submeter for water.   
by MHCO
The basic rule is that landlords must make reasonable accommodations to the point of undue hardship. Most resonable accommodations cases were decided on the basis of reasonableness, including an Arizona case posing the question of whether it’s reasonable to expect a landlord to introduce a whole new service or activity for a tenant with…
by MHCO
Nearly half of the cases this year address a landlord’s FHA duty to make reasonable accommodations. In most of these cases, the requested accommodation was purportedly necessary to afford a person with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling and public and common use areas. These cases offer insight into how far the duty to…
by Phil Querin
  Question: Is it permissible for a manager to pass on to tenants third-party billing fees for submetering?  
by MHCO
We’re all pretty familiar with what the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) says. The real challenge is figuring out what it actually means, as in real life. If you use Fair Housing Coach, it’s a good bet that you’re among the vast majority of landlords who are committed to principles of fair housing and try hard to comply with the rules. The problem…
by Bill Miner
Background  In 2021, HB 2364 was passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor modifying the requirements in ORS 90.842 et. al., which requires manufactured home park owners to give their tenants an opportunity to compete to purchase a park prior to selling to a third party. I have brushed off the questions and answers submitted in 2015 as…
by MHCO
Question: What can you tell me about ORS 94.762 requiring landlords to install the infrastructure for Electric Vehicle charging stations in manufactured housing communities, RV parks and floating home communities?  Is the impact and responsibility of the landlord the same in each of those housing options?