Sounds pretty simple if there are just 10 things to advise Landlords about with regard to fair housing law. Unfortunately there are more than just the 10 items listed in this article. However, these 10 are an excellent start, and knowing about fair housing will help lead to understanding what should and should not be done when renting property. Understanding fair housing is the best protection against a claim that a fair housing law has been violated. If you are an attorney advising a landlord on what to watch out for, the following items are a good start.

You do a lot for your communities' residents. The question is: do we make a mistake by not reminding them from time to time about all of the things they would truly miss if these things went away or were even curtailed? And while it is true that most of the things we do to operate and manage our parks are for reasons like the bottom line, they for sure benefit the residents. Take rent increases, as an example. No one likes them, of course. The sting of a rent increase may be lessened if the residents realize all of the things the owners and managers do with the residents' best interests at heart. Residents rarely think about what an inviting mobilehome park you provide and what it takes to keep it that way. And, why should they? It's the owners' and managers' job to keep things running smoothly. The next time you: raise the rent, amend a rule, change a policy, reframe it in your own mind and think "what's the benefit to the resident?". Everyone's favorite radio station is WIIFM (What's In It For Me). We need to adapt our mindset a bit.

Question: A resident stops by the manager's office on the 5th of the month and offers to pay $150 of the $350 of rent that is due, and promising to pay the remaining $200 by the 15thof the month. The tenant claims that the landlord mustaccept the partial payment. What are the landlord's options? Can the landlord refuse the partial payment? Where do you draw the line - say a 72 hour notice has been issued - does that change the partial payment scenario?

Resident record management is anything but sexy. Nevertheless, it is essential to maintaining a profitable manufactured housing community. All too often community owners and managers think the job of records management is over once a new resident moves into the community. After all, if the file checklist has been followed and all the appropriate forms have been completed what else is there to do. Lets examine the importance of maintaining accurate resident records through the use of two examples.

Question: We have a 55+ park, with 100 spaces. 90 of them are occupied by at least one person who is age 55 or older. A tenant who is selling her home has a potential buyer who is 47. They qualify in all respects, except age. Am I prevented from accepting this prospective tenant because he is not at least 55 years of age?

Both state and federal law prohibit discrimination in the selling, renting or leasing of real property. Federal fair housing laws have been in place since 1968. Federal law makes it illegal to discriminate in the sale, purchase or lease of property on account of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status or handicap and sexual orientation.

Question: If a manager is going to give a resident their third 72-hour notice within 12 months, does the manager give the 72-hour notice and then wait for payment, which if the resident pays then serve the 30 day three strikes notice?

Question: We are currently dealing with an abandoned home where the tenant has passed away and he was in a "Senior Tax Deferral" program through the Oregon Dept. of Revenue ("DOR"). According to our county tax collector the deceased tenant's account is current, since the DOR has paid them ever since the tenant entered the program in 1999. A title search on the home has the DOR listed as a lien holder.

My question is if and when the abandoned property is sold at a private auction and we (the Landlord) win with the highest sealed bid, are we liable for the taxes in the program? Are they considered already paid? Is the DOR simply a lien holder or are they considered a tax collector? Side note: According to the tax collector, this home is valued at approximately $20,000.

The tenant application process is one of the least understood by landlords and managers. This lack of familiarity can result in significant liability to park owners. The purpose of this article is to set forth the applicable laws governing the process, and discuss some tips and traps that may be useful when certain issues and problems arise.