The federal Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA) of 1988 created a new protected class of "familial status." In California, the federal courts have addressed these requirements by ruling that "all age" communities may not discriminate against children, no more than management can discriminate against any other protected class. This article is addressed to the need for continuing concerns over rule and regulation content and enforcement. This guidance comes from a case brought against Plaza Mobile Estates, defended by this office.

The SAFE Act has received a lot of attention lately by park owners, but did you know that it’s really only one law of many state and federal lending regulations you are required to comply with when selling homes on contract?

Question. A park resident passed away unexpectedly last year. Shortly, thereafter, his widow contacted the park owner and asked if her sister could move in with her. She was approved commencing on October 1. However, when we asked them to come to the office and sign a new rental agreement, they balked at the provision in the MHCO form regarding trees, which provides that, with the exception of hazard trees, tree maintenance is the resident's responsibility.

Apparently, the reason for their hesitation was because, when her deceased husband was alive, the park owner had required him to cut down the trees on his space that had encroached onto the community walkway. They ended up having to pay for repairs to the walkway which had been damaged due to the roots pushing up the cement. Tree roots on other spaces are again encroaching into several areas of the walkway, and they are causing problems in our resident's own yard, as well. These trees, although much smaller, have been in the park for years, and were there long before the current resident and her now deceased husband.

Is this a resident responsibility or a landlord responsibility?

Elder Abuse in our society is hidden. For every one case that is reported, 24 cases go unreported (National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Late Life). There are several factors that contribute to this. An older adult is reluctant to admit that abuse is happening. Guilt and shame are silencers in Elder Abuse. Some folks do not have the capacity to report that abuse is happening. This could be a capacity issue but also is impacted by Generational Culture. Does the older adult know that rape in a marriage is rape? Rape in a marriage was legal until 1976. Is the older adult comfortable talking about his or her body? Another reason cases go unreported is because no one inquires how an older person is doing with changes in their lives. For example, when an adult child moves back in with the older person the assumption is it's a positive change. Does the older person get asked about the change in his or her living situation? Elder abuse can also be physically hidden. When an older adult is hurt it can go unnoticed because of the belief that bruises and falls are part of the aging process.

A well management community is essential to making life easier and more pleasant for management and residents. Here are 10 mistakes to avoid in the management of your community. Remember - a well managed community - good property management - results in happier residents, pride in the community, encourages resident referrals and discourages the need or desire for additional landlord-tenant legislation.

So - here are ten mistakes to avoid:

Question: Are there any new laws affecting RV rental spaces that we need to know about?

Question: In reviewing the new form 2A, the Retail Installment Contract, does it act as the security agreement on the home, or is there something else that must be filed? Where is the security agreement filed?

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.

A tenant's son has a conviction for sex abuse and is still on parole. He was living with his father in the community until neighbors found out about his conviction and began complaining about his presence because this is a family park with many children. We informed the son's father that he would have to leave due to his conviction. He did leave but now he is doing odd jobs here in the park. He also comes into the park to visit his family. We are getting resident complaints because people are still concerned for their children. Is there anything I can do as a manager to keep this man out of our community?

Question: I have a resident with a "Social Anxiety Disorder." He is not able to attend resident association meetings because of his disorder, and has requested that management not attend, so that he could attend. On two separate occasions the residents have voted unanimously that they wish us to be there. This was done outside of our presence, so we feel the vote was fair and impartial.

Now the resident has created a Facebook page, telling other residents they can submit things to him via email and he will post them anonymously. He wants to ask us about our maintenance agenda and other business/management issues.

I have distributed a letter to him and the rest of the residents stating that we will not respond to posts on that page, since not everyone has a computer to access it. Now he is claiming that his disorder is a "disability" under the Fair Housing Act, and is demanding that we make a "reasonable accommodation" for him by answering his Facebook questions. He has given us a deadline to respond. What should we do?