Eleanor sat down after making a presentation for adding fifty additional mobile home sites to the Whispering Maples Mobile Home Community she managed. Several people in the city council chambers stood up and applauded. As Eleanor waited for the roll call vote of the city council members, she thought back to all the city staff, county board of supervisors, state legislators, and city council members that had visited Whispering Maples in the recent months. The Whispering Maples residents played an important role in getting to this critical point with the city council. If the residents had not been timely in their rent and conscientious about the appearance of their mobile homes and yards… Eleanor realized that if the city council approved the 50-site addition, it will have been because of her efforts combined with the residents.           

Question:  I am confused on the use of rules violation notices.  Do I use a 20-day notice or 30-day notice?  Does the “three strikes law” apply?

Question:  I have recently revised all of our lease agreements including Oregon, where I have made substantial updates and changes. I understand that by law I have to give renewal notices 60 days in advance of a lease expiration if I want the tenant to continue on the newly proffered lease.I understand that pursuant to ORS 90.545, I am supposed to identify what is different in the new lease from the old one. Due to the number of changes I’ve made, it would be very difficult to identify and list them all. 

I’m wondering if I can just inform the residents that the new lease has numerous updates and that they should read it as if it were a completely new edition. 

The only other real option is to offer a redline version which would be so marked up it would be difficult  to read and understand. Can you check to see what would meet the requirements of the notice?

Question:  We had a month-to-month RV tenant vacate shortly after she paid her monthly rent, and she is now demanding a refund of “unused” rent from the vacate date forward. Do we have to refund that rent?

Introduction and Background

SB 586 was developed by the Manufactured Housing Landlord/Tenant Coalition during 19 meetings (each of approximately 3 hours) from September 2017 through February, 2019. There are several pieces to SB 586; however, this Q&A focuses on the limited mandatory mediation policy together with the $100,000 annual grant the Legislature has authorized be allocated to the Oregon Law Center to assist manufactured and floating home tenants with understanding and enforcing the Oregon Residential and Landlord Tenant Act.

Question:  A family moves into a manufactured housing community with a thirteen year old boy.  Five years later the parents vacate the home but leave the boy who is now eighteen. Even though the eighteen year old was never subject to a background check, never signed a rental agreement etc., is he now a considered a resident?

To kick off the New Year, MHCO reviews recent developments—court rulings, settlements, and enforcement actions—in fair housing law. Staying on top of current developments may help you to avoid common problems that so often lead to fair housing trouble.

Question:  I am confused on the use of rules violation notices.  Do I use a 20-day notice or 30-day notice?  Does the “three strikes law” apply?

Portland Housing Code 30.01.085 (Portland Renter Additional Protections), here, became effective on November 1, 2019.  For manufactured housing parks located in the City of Portland, the ordinance DOES NOT apply to rental spaces in which the tenant owns their home; it only applies to rental spaces in which the tenant is renting a park-owned home or subleasing a home from the owner. For purposes of this article, only park-owned homes will be addressed. However, in the event a tenant wishes to sublease a home – and it is permitted by the rules or rental agreement – park owners may discuss with the tenant his or her legal obligations under the Portland ordinances – not because there is a legal obligation to educate the tenant, but because of the financial consequences that can flow from ignoring the law.   

Question:  We have a resident that we would like to not renew on a long-term lease.  Their renewal is coming up in several months.  Do we have to provide the notice of lease expiration and the new documents (rules and regulations)?  Can we simply not renew?