Oregon Tenants :Speak Up! OSTA updates

Tired of watching park problems get brushed aside while the rules seem to work only one way? We’re turning up the volume on Oregon’s manufactured housing issues with two concrete steps: a meeting with the Attorney General to press for real enforcement and statewide Zoom hearings designed to collect documented cases that lawmakers can’t ignore. If you’ve experienced weak mediation, delayed maintenance, surprise rule changes, or the sting of a rent reset when you sell, this conversation is for you.

We walk through how the rent reset practice erodes homeowner equity by scaring off buyers with sudden site rent hikes. You’ll hear why fairness at the point of sale matters for seniors on fixed incomes, for community stability, and for the health of the manufactured home market. We explain what strong evidence looks like—dated notices, letters, photos, emails—and how turning anger into organized documentation gives our advocacy teeth. When hundreds of residents across the state show the same pattern, it creates undeniable momentum for change.

We also share details about our OLLI “take back control” class through Southern Oregon University. Think of it as a practical boot camp: no torches, no pitchforks—just proven tactics, clear asks, and the power of numbers. From using the latest SRC 900 rental code to structuring group emails that get results, we break down steps that help you fix what’s broken without escalating conflict. You’ll learn why calm, coordinated pressure outperforms one-off complaints and how to prepare for mediation so the process stays neutral.

If you want stronger tenant protections, fair enforcement, and a real say in how your community is governed, now is the time to act. Join the 10 a.m. Zoom hearings, bring your facts and dates, and share your experience so we can move policy and practice in the right direction. Subscribe, share this episode with a neighbor, and leave a review to help more Oregon residents find these tools and raise their voices.

ZOOM LINKfor Statewide Meetings Feb 16-18 & 20 -10 AM
Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81147231093

Meeting ID: 811 4723 1093

OLLI Class INFO:

Immobile Home Parks: Solutions to Serious Problems,
Taught by Bill Bateman

Dates: 4/1/2026–5/6/2026
Times: 9:00 AM–10:30 AM 
Day(s): W 
Sessions: 6

Questions?
Email: olli@sou.edu
Phone: 541.552.6048

OLLI at SOU Mailing Address

1250 Siskiyou Blvd.
Ashland, Oregon 97520

OLLI at SOU Office Location

655 Frances Lane
Ashland, Oregon 97520

Join OSTA Link
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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Chapters

• 0:00 Why We’re Opening Statewide Hearings
• 1:01 Meeting The Attorney General On Enforcement
• 2:03 Zoom Workshops: Dates, Links, Goals
• 3:46 Documented Cases Over Venting
• 5:10 The Rent Reset Problem Explained
• 6:38 Statewide Participation And Group Listening
• 8:09 OLLI Class: Take Back Control
• 9:10 Positive Tactics That Work

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Well, hi everybody. My goodness, there's a lot going on out there. Enough so that we're going to be not only approaching the Attorney General's office for some assistance, but we're opening up a set of hearings statewide to hear from you on some of the problems out there. Come on in, let's talk about this. As I mentioned, there is a lot going on out there. Our emails and our phones never stop. And I think I have a little logo somewhere that says it's the Osta logo, and then it says, we're listening. And we are. Because of the calls and emails we've been getting, uh, we're taking two actions, and one begins this Tuesday. It's happening, boom, right now. Uh Rochelle, who's my vice president, is going to be meeting with the Attorney General of Oregon, and the topic is going to be enforcement, or rather, the lack of, concerning the laws involving mobile home rentals. Like I said, we're listening, we're hearing some very strange stories, and it's getting, it's always been cases of simply ignoring a problem, hoping it will go away. But there are some laws on the books. They don't have many teeth, but there are some fines or there are some actions that can happen. We're also seeing some issues in mediation, and that the uh plaintiff, the landlords, are directing the mediation through the mediators. I mean, there's just a lot of stuff that isn't right. So we're going to the Attorney General. We're hoping to be working with them and looking at some changes in the law through our legislators, as well as putting some teeth and some enforcement in the existing laws we have on the books. Now, a part of that is going to be we are announcing a series of Zoom workshops. These are statewide, like we did the last time. We're going to go the 16th, the 18th, and the 20th of this month. February 16th, 18th, and 20th. If it works out well, we'll do it again next month. But let's talk about now. 16, 18, and 20th of March, 10 a.m. And at the bottom of this podcast, you're going to see the Zoom link will allow you to log into the program. Now, what we want to gather is information. Now, we yes, if you want to complain, of course, we're here to listen and try and help you. But more, we're interested in getting documented cases of illegal activity. And we're going to collect this information and we are going to send it to our representatives. And in our meetings with the Attorney General, we are going to share that information. So be prepared to give us facts and dates. I mean, anger is it's healthy to let it go, but let's use something that we can present and have documented. And it's going to be 10 a.m. in the morning. I'll be there. We hope to have some of our other members and board members based on their availability because everybody's busy. So we hope to see you on the 16th, 18th, and 20th at 10 a.m. Link is at the bottom. And one of the things we're going to be, we've been hearing a lot about this recently. As I said, we're listening. We want to look at some issues that got pulled from the bill and look at reintroducing it the next term. And the biggest one is the rent reset. When you go to sell your, if you're not familiar with that, when you go to sell your mobile home, your manufactured home if you prefer, the park has the option to raise the rent for the next tenant. Well, this has led to some people losing thousands of dollars in equity because the rent goes from, let's say,$750 to$1,200. Well, all of a sudden, that home is not such a good value to the person buying it, and you, the homeowner, have to come down on the price, which means that new heat pump or the new roof you put on loses its value. It is not equity. And the manager is using your equity to raise their rental rates. We talked about this previously. It looked like it was going to happen, but to get the rent 6% cap, we had to give it up for this time. It's going to be coming back, and we'd like to hear your thoughts on that. So ideally, we'll hear from both the north, the middle, and the southern end of the state. You can pop in any day. It's not like the 16th is for people in the Portland area. Nope. If you're going to be around and any of those three days, I'd love to hear from you. If this has an opportunity for a bunch of people to come to the park, that's a good way to do it. We did that the last time and it worked out really well. Folks get together in the break room or at someone's home on their computer, and bada bang, we get an opportunity to hear from a lot of you. And that is what makes, that is what made us so powerful previously, and that is what will continue to keep us a powerful force for seniors here in Oregon, because your voices matter, and when legislators, regardless of their political party, find out that they've got like 25 to 30 percent of the population really concerned about something, they can't help but listen, unless they're planning on retiring. In addition to our statewide hearing, coming up is the OLI class I have talked about. And if you're interested in being part of it, I have included a link at the bottom of the page. Some general information on Monday, March 30th, spring term begins at OLLI, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. They're based out of Southern Oregon University. The actual class will begin on the 4th. Wednesday, March the 4th. And it'll run from 9 in the morning until 10:30. It's available in person on the campus, or you can join via Zoom. And to do that, you need to be a member of Ollie. And I'm including a link and I'm including a phone number. You can get all of this stuff taken care of. Registration begins on February 23rd. So if you're interested in the online course with OLI for Osta, it begins registering February 23rd. Class itself begins March 4th. And interestingly enough, this is kind of like a boot camp. This is how to take back control. If you're in a manufactured home community, if you're having trouble with your management, we're going to go over the basics of taking back control. Now, don't think this is like a free consultation with an attorney. I am not an attorney, nor have I played one on television. So, and this is not meant to be a substitute for professional legal advice. What this is meant to do, I'm going to share with you how we changed the tone here at our park, and how we got a lot of things taken care of through positive action. This doesn't have to be a big confrontation. Everybody gets the idea that we're going to put up the sandbags, we're going to get the torches and pitchforks, and we're going to storm the manager's office. Well, that really doesn't work. How to use positive tactics, how to use positive negotiations, how to use the existing laws. And remember, we're going to be talking about getting those laws even more enforceable and more scrutiny and ensure that they're being followed. And looking at the power of instead of Bill is mad, that guy from number 12, oh, he's upset again. Now you've got 35 people in your inbox with a copy to the management company. And it is a way for you to really get a lot of good things done. We'll have people uh providing videos, we're gonna have uh information, we'll have uh copies of the state rental code SRC 900. We have an updated 2025 version, and that's gonna be available for you in the form of a PDF. So please make sure you have that capability on your computer. If you'd like more information, uh the in link is at the bottom of the podcast, and we're looking forward to having you see us, see me in class. So you are now up to date. We have the statewide hearings and we have the information on the class, and information on how to get involved is going to be at the bottom of the podcast that you signed in on. It's all coming together. Remember, at Osta, we're listening, and I hope to be listening to you soon in class. I hope to be seeing you in person, I hope to be talking to you in the interviews. In any case, be safe. Have a good week.