RV Law

Mark Busch: Changing Rules in an RV Park

This article is informational only and is not intended as legal advice.  Always consult with a competent attorney before undertaking any legal action.

The question often arises whether and how RV park landlords can change and update their park rules.  For manufactured home parks, the answer is clear – landlords can issue a rule change notice that allows tenants to vote on the proposed new rules (MHCO Form 60 – Notice of Rule Change).  However, there are no similar procedures in an RV park.

 

Rule changes for RV parks and other non-manufactured home tenancies are governed by

Squatter on RV Space

 

 

This article is informational only and is not intended as legal advice.  Always consult with a competent attorney before undertaking any legal action.

 

Unfortunately, it is not unusual to have someone simply pull into an empty RV space and refuse to pay or leave.  How does a landlord best deal with this situation?

 

Since there is no rental agreement and the landlord (presumably) has not accepted any rent or other payments, the person is technically a “squatter.”  Under Oregon law, a “squatter” means a person occupying a dwelling unit who is not so entitled under a rental agreement.  The “dwelling unit” in this case is the RV space.  Occupancy by a squatter is not governed by the usual landlord-tenant laws under ORS Chapter 90.

 

The person is first and foremost a trespasser.  As such, you should first try contacting the police or sheriff, explain the situation to them, and ask them to remove this person from the park.  You should also ask them to issue a no trespass order so that if the person returns, they can be arrested for trespassing.

Mark Busch - RV Law Update

This article is informational only and is not intended as legal advice.  Always consult with a competent attorney before undertaking any legal action.

On January 1, 2024, Oregon House Bill 2634 went into effect.  HB 2634 contained some important changes to the laws governing RV parks and RV tenants.

 

First, HB 2634 cleared up an ambiguity regarding which landlord-tenant laws apply to RV tenants.  Even if an RV is located in a manufactured home park, the laws covering RV tenants are the same laws that cover tenants living in apartments, duplexes, single-family home

rentals, etc.  The specialized set of laws covering tenants who own their homes and rent spaces in manufactured home parks do NOT apply to RV tenants.

 

Most importantly, the “vacation occupancy” period for RVs has been expanded from 45 days to 90 days.  This means if you have a written agreement that complies with the vacation occupancy requirements in HB 2634, those RV occupants do not become “tenants” under Oregon law.  As such, they may be asked to vacate at any time without issuing an eviction notice or going to court.  If

Kim Berry: Filling Mobile Spaces with RV's : The Pros and Cons


Just imagine, roaming the Western United States in your RV, not a care in the world, cheap living, and finally, settling in a MHP in Beautiful Oregon! A dream come true for a lot of senior citizens. Filling vacant spaces can be the most important improvement made to any Mobile Home Park and because there is a growing trend for people, especially seniors, to live in RV's full time, park owners are filling spaces with "Permanent RV" tenants. This certainly will fill spaces quickly and with minimal cost to the park. Additionally, living in an RV is one of the most affordable ways to live and many of the RV's are larger than a studio apartment. Apparently, the new trend in apartment building is studio apartments with as little as 200 square feet! Therefore, filling spaces with "Permanent RV's" seems to be a win-win situation, but there are some long term fallbacks that should be considered.


Bill Miner RV Q&A

For better than two decades, one of the most significant and unpredictable factors influencing the bottom line of multifamily housing properties has been rising utility costs. This doesn't cause quite as much heartburn for property owners who have wisely passed such utilities through to the residents to pay in addition to their rent. However, for the overwhelming majority of properties, particularly those which were developed prior to the 90's, the rent charged typically includes any combination of utilities including water, sewer, garbage, and to a lesser percentage electricity, natural gas, cable television/satellite, and internet services.

Mark Busch Q&A: What's New In RV Law?

On July 26, 1990, President Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"), The Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (the "1991 Regulations") were shortly thereafter developed to guide new construction and alterations undertaken by covered entities and established the minimum requirements for "accessibility" for disabled persons in buildings and facilities and in transportation vehicles. After more than twenty years, the Department of Justice implemented new regulations, which became mandatory in 2012 (the "2012 Regulations.") Your state may have passed parallel laws, which could increase the protection of individuals with disabilities, e.g., the Unruh Act in California. However, this article focuses on Federal ADA compliance. Keep in mind that the ADA is a civil rights law, which addresses a number of subjects, but this article focuses on ac- cessibility (no longer called "handicap") issues only.

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