OSTA: Empowering Park & Marina Residents
If you are an Oregon Manufactured Home Park or Marina resident who owns their home, but rents the space or slip in which your home is located, then we are here for you.
OSTA is your support network, a trusted source of information about your rights, and your advocate for more secure housing through improved legislation.
Through these efforts and initiatives, we enhance your quality of life.
OSTA is a nonprofit, grassroots organization that seeks direction from members, avoiding a top-down approach, regarding decision-making on critical issues affecting members’ lifestyle choices, quality of life, and rights as residents in manufactured housing and floating home communities.
OSTA works to provide an expanding array of programs, information, and services to its members. It is an organization focused, not only on protecting the rights of homeowners as residents in parks and marinas but an organization that supports all aspects of manufactured and floating home living.
To enable this to happen we rely on members, teams, and colleagues, across the state who support this common vision. This work requires time, investment, and dedication to serve our 80,000+ residents and we rely solely on memberships and donations to achieve our goals.
Join OSTA Link
https://oregontenants.com/membership-account/membership-levels/
OSTA: Empowering Park & Marina Residents
Inside OSTA: Zoom Sessions,the Follow up
Ever wondered how tenant associations can tackle the pressing issues facing park and marina residents? Discover how Bill Bateman from the Oregon State Tenants Association (OSTA) is spearheading a movement to address rent hikes, unfair cosmetic repair mandates, and the problematic rent reset policy. This episode promises to provide you with a wealth of information on how residents from Brookings to Portland are uniting under OSTA's banner to drive real change and ensure their voices are heard.
Join us as Bill Bateman recounts the remarkable success of their recent Zoom meetings and shares the collaborative efforts on drafting a crucial survey poised to link rent increases to the cost of living. You'll gain insights into the advocacy work happening behind the scenes and understand the importance of collective action in strengthening tenant rights. Whether you are a resident, an advocate, or simply interested in housing rights, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways that you won't want to miss.
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Comments or Questions for the Podcast
Email: bbateman@oregontenants.com
Copyright OSTA2045,2025 Not for rebroadcast w/o express written permission. Please share and download for educational purposes with attribution.
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Welcome back. We had a series of Zoom meetings during the past week and I'd like to tell everybody just how well they went out. So come on in, grab a chair, let's talk about it. Well, hi folks, I'm Bill Bateman, part of the team at OSTA, the Oregon State Tenants Association, and we are here to empower park and marina residents and we hope you got an opportunity to Zoom in last week. We'll be doing more of these as the need arises. I'd like to make it at least a regular thing that we hold a Zoom meeting, put the link out and folks can come in and talk directly to us.
Bill Bateman:This worked out surprisingly well for our first time. I feel good about it. We had people from Brookings in the south, all the way up the state, eugene, salem, some smaller towns and, yes, even our friends in Portland were able to check in some smaller towns and, yes, even our friends in Portland were able to check in. So thank you to everybody who did stop in, who took time out of their busy evenings or their busy days. We had both evening and daytime sessions to accommodate as many people as we could, and I'm very pleased not only with the participation and the spreading out of the fact it was from the southern end to the northern end of the state, but the good information we got. A lot of people were concerned about the top three issues the rent increases, how they would be structured, looking at the need for mandatory repairs that were cosmetic not structural repairs but cosmetic repairs and, of course, the rent reset, which means when you move out your rent automatically goes up several hundred dollars, so the next person has less incentive to buy your coach. So those three everybody knew about those, everybody was quite concerned and they all wanted to know how they could help. Well, we got a lot of good testimony and, as I mentioned, the testimony was coming to us because we are a non-profit private organization, unlike if it goes directly to Representative Marsh, it can be considered open information. That way, you were protected when you testified and I think that's very important because a lot of people are fearful and that's one thing we're trying to work on to make you less fearful about saying, excuse me, that's mine. Okay, we found we have a good, solid base of people. We can always use some more and to that extent I invite you to log in and become a member. It's something the more people we have, the more information we can get out, the more laws we can help to write and advise and advocate for. We've got some ideas coming up for after the thing is written and we'll be talking about that in an upcoming podcast.
Bill Bateman:As we speak, as you're listening to this, a group of us from OSTA, in connection with some other people who've been really helpful, providing us with information and support, we are rewriting the final draft of the survey. What I can tell you so far is we're looking at a cost of living link so that your rent would not go up 10%. It'll go up, linked only to the cost of living. I expect there'll be some strong pushback on that, but I think that's fair because you know, even if it's not exactly the cost of living, I expect there'll be some strong pushback on that, but I think that's fair because you know, even if it's not exactly the cost of living, it's a whole lot better than seven percent higher.
Bill Bateman:So that's one of the provisions we're working on getting rid of the idea that you have to repair your coach for aesthetic standards. That means they should all be painted blue standards. That means they should all be painted blue. No, if you've got a leaky, wobbly porch or a roof that's ready to fall in. Yes, a repair has to be made, but not we've decided we're going to paint everything blue. And then We've heard some people actually say, right after they're told that they're saying I can do that for you. That is highly illegal. That's not a good thing. We are working to get that removed as well.
Bill Bateman:And finally, the rent reset, which is where you move out and the rent goes up. So those things are looking like they are going to be brought up. I don't expect them to be instantly agreed to by the other side. I know we had a meeting at the upper levels with some of the rent organizations, renters, people from that side of the table and the bottom two. The fixing it up and the resets didn't seem to be so sticky as getting rid of the 10% rent, and we can all imagine why.
Bill Bateman:So there's going to need to be some advocacy. There's going to need to be some speaking up. I have proposed in Osta that we try and get a couple of busloads of people to go up to the Capitol. I've got some great ideas for doing that. We are going to need some sponsors. So if you or someone you know is in a position to sponsor this, and this would be bus transportation, box lunches and heading on home, as well as a couple bottles of water to wander around while you're up there. So that's where we're looking.
Bill Bateman:We're looking to get this bill and this testimony provided to the assembly team that's putting it together. They are working on the final bill that will go to the Senate team I'm sorry, to the assembly team the House team, I guess, would be the appropriate term. So a lot of things are happening and you folks made that happen by stepping up and taking part, and I'd like to again thank you, the appropriate term. So a lot of things are happening and you folks made that happen by stepping up and taking part, and I'd like to again thank you. I'd like to let you know that that information is being shared safely, so you're free from retaliation, and I'd like you to know that it's being put to good use. It has helped me personally because I'm contributing some of the things to the survey and that survey is heading your way very, very soon. We're looking for the first part of October. Now.
Bill Bateman:The goal is, once you get the survey, there's two things you've got to do One complete it. Complete the survey and send it back. If you're on our email list, it's just boom it's going to come in as part of the newsletter. You click on it, it comes back. If you want to share it with somebody a renter that's perfectly fine too. They can put it in an envelope or even scan it at the library and have it come back. So there's lots of ways for you to make sure this information gets out. Another good way to make sure this information is getting out is to share and follow this podcast. It doesn't cost you a nickel to do that, and I'm going to be putting information and links in the login, as I did for you to get to the Zoom survey, to the Zoom meetings. Rather, I'm going to be putting that information there as it becomes available, so you don't even have to go to the OSTA website. Now, ideally, I do hope you will go to the OSTA website, because there's a lot of good information being added almost every day.
Bill Bateman:If you're interested in protecting your rights, we have a sticker that says Know your Rights, k-n-o-w. Know your rights or you will have no N-O rights, and this is a case that's a lot of money on the table. We're not playing at the church bingo game here, folks, this is high stakes, cutthroat poker. So if you're going to be a part of this, we welcome you. If you have ideas on how we can get some sponsorships, if you have ideas on how to reach legislators on both sides of the aisle.
Bill Bateman:This is an advocacy for seniors not being homeless. In case this hasn't dawned on anybody, when your rent doubles, you can easily be in a situation with some of the people I've talked to. They're not looking at three, four, five years down the road, they're looking at real, real soon, some in a couple of months. So it's come already to the case of pay that electrical bill to keep the house cool and get my medicine or to pay my rent. This is something you and I need to work on. This is something you and I can influence. We shall influence, we will influence this. You're going to be a part of making this happen. So tune in regularly, subscribe so you'll get notice of when things are posted. Do join Osta.
Bill Bateman:As one guy said, it's less than a round of golf. Now, I know some of us out there are not in a position. I don't golf, and it's not because I can't afford it, it's because I'm terrible, but the point being, some folks can't afford a round of golf. We're working on ways to see what we can do for that too. So this is something we are all in together. A lot of folks are saying, hey, what happened to you guys? Well, we're not only still alive, we're back, and to be back we need you to stand with us. So thank you for your participation in the Zoom, thank you for being a part of this process, thank you in advance for sending the survey in promptly once you get it and sharing that survey with your friends and neighbors so they can also have their voices heard at the state level.
Bill Bateman:So, with that in mind, share, update, subscribe, do all that good stuff and while you're in your homes, while you're in your communities, start talking this up just casually. When you're walking the dog, when you're wandering around the park, mention it. Talk to people. Instead of one person, we've got two people, we've got four people. Let the power of conversation, let the power of reaching out, build for you the more people we have, and that doesn't cost a dime either.
Bill Bateman:Everybody says what's it going to cost to organize? It doesn't. It doesn't cost to organize. All it takes is some time. Somebody's signing Yep, I'm in the homeowners association or I'm in the park association, and now you're a force. I'm going to be putting out a new. I'm in the homeowners association or I'm in the park association, and now you're a force, I'm going to be putting out a new. I had a video I actually had a podcast, but I may make it a video that's coming out very soon because just the act of organizing changes the dynamic. We'll talk more about that in our next episode. Stay tuned for current updates on what's happening with the survey and the legislature and remember to stand up and link hands with your neighbors. We're all in this together. Thank you very much. Have a good week. My email address is at the bottom. We look forward to hearing from you with your comments and your questions. Be safe and God bless. No-transcript.
