Question: A home burned down over the weekend in my community. What are my rights and responsibilities? How does the scenario change depending if the resident has or does NOT have insurance?

Over the past several months I have received many requests from clients who are thinking of selling their community. Here are a few questions that have been asked and my answers (First of Two Parts):

Q: If I am thinking of selling my park, when do I have to send notice to my tenants?

Question: Our RV park allows pets, but we have a specific rule that prohibits dangerous breeds, including pit bulls. One of our tenants just brought us a doctor's note saying that she needs her pit bull as an "emotional support" animal. Do we have to let her keep a pit bull in the park?

Question: Over the years Oregon rental laws change. When should I update my rental agreement to reflect those changes? Can I change my “Statement of Policy”? What about the community rules and regulations?

Scott Hess
5200 SW Meadows Rd, Suite 150
Lake Oswego, OR 97035

Phone: 503-726-5980
Fax: 360-546-3341
Email: scott@sterlingproperties.com

Website: www.sterlingproperties.com

Question: A former tenant who signed over his mobile but left the Park with almost $4,000 in back rent, unpaid property taxes and attorney fees is now applying to be a Temporary Occupant in a neighbor's home. Is there any way I can prevent him from living in the Park? If I deny him temporary occupancy, I'm afraid he will say he will be serving as a care giver for the current tenant. What can I do?

Take a look at the signage in your community. Are there signs clearly posted to indicate that your community is private property, has a no soliciting policy, a speed limit, pets must be on a leash or that unregistered/unauthorized vehicles may be towed? These are just some examples, but they are quite common in many manufactured home communities. In order to effectively enforce a policy or rule, the signs indicating those policies or rules must be clearly visible and properly maintained. A sun-bleached sign that used to say No Soliciting or a No Parking sign obscured by a tree or bush, most likely, will not convey the important information that you want people in your community to know.

A comment made frequently by lenders at a recent national banker's conference was, "It is a good time to be a borrower." Correction, it is a great time to be a borrower! Treasury yields have been hovering at or near all time lows, loan spreads are at favorable levels, and lender underwriting guidelines have moderated -- some believe too quickly -- as a result of an expanding supply of active lenders in the market.

Question: We have a parking problem in our RV park. Some of the long-term residents often have guests who park in places that they shouldn't. In addition, some tenants own more than one vehicle, which adds to the parking congestion. Can we tow unlawfully parked vehicles? What else can we do to cut down on parking problems?