PAGE A2, KEIZERTIMES, JANUARY 31, 2020
Long-term leases are
shopped around, again
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
The California-based own-
er of several Keizer and Salem
area manufactured home parks
is, again, urging existing resi-
dents to sign long-term leases.
A fl yer distributed to res-
idents of Wildwood Villa in
north Keizer pitches the long-
term leases as a way to take
advantage of a lower 4 percent
rent increase this May.
However, language in the
long term leases given to resi-
dents in 2019, and reviewed by
Keizertimes, offer no guarantee
of a minimized rate increase
and even the language of the
fl yer is not as straightforward as
it might appear.
The fl yer states that “base
rent increases will be 4 percent
instead of the average market
increase of 6 percent to 10.3
percent, as allowed by the Ore-
gon Senate Bill-608.”
SB-608 caps rate increases
at 7 percent plus the infl ation
based on Consumer Price In-
dex for Western States, but it
does not mandate an increase.
The overall cap also decreased
to 9.9 percent Jan. 1.
The last contract Keizertimes
reviewed also stated, “In no
event shall the annual increase
in the rent be less than 4 per-
cent.”
The fl yer invites residents to
come by the Wildwood Villa
main offi ce to learn about im-
pacts to utilities, rental increases
and capital improvements.
Keizertimes spoke with
Attorney Matthew G. Shep-
herd of Salem last year when
the paper was reviewing the
MANUFACTURED
MANUF
NUFACT
CTURE
then-recent draft of the long-
term lease.
“You shouldn’t sign it,”
Shepherd said. Shepherd ad-
vised residents of a Salem man-
ufactured home park when
they brought him copies of a
contract being offered at their
park.
The long-term contracts
attempts to put homeowners
within the park on the hook
for capital improvements, such
as road and sidewalk mainte-
nance as well as maintenance
and replacement of carports.
Shepherd believes such
clauses are against the law
in Oregon, but it hasn’t yet
been tested in court. Subme-
ters for individual lots are the
only capital expenses that can
be passed along to individual
homeowners in Oregon.
Even if residents sign such
leases, they are not binding and
can be canceled with a 30-day
notice.
The greater threat, said
Shepherd, is if all residents
sign the contract agreeing to
such provisions. A mix of leg-
acy tenants and new arrivals
in manufactured home parks
means homeowners are op-
erating under different lease
terms.
“Unless you have uniform
leases, how do we know what
each owner is responsible for,”
Shepherd said.
A uniform contract gives
property owners more weight
in court and moving the nee-
dle in that direction is what
some residents suspect is hap-
pening.
“Trial court judges general-
ly don’t want to get into these
issues and, if there’s a long-
term lease, they might hold the
tenants to the signed contract,”
Shepherd said.
Another challenge is that
by signing a fi xed-term agree-
ment, resident homeowners
are also subjecting themselves
to a different leasing terms
down the line.
“A month-to-month agree-
ment renews automatically.
A landlord can send a new
agreement, but tenants can’t
be evicted if they don’t sign
it,” Shepherd said. “If [proper-
ty owners] have a fi xed term
agreement, they can force an-
other new agreement on you.”
traffi c court
SUNDAY, JAN. 19
1:15 a.m. - Motor vehicle
theft in the 700 block of Apple
Blossom Avenue NE.
2:31 a.m. - Arrest for driving
under the infl uence of intox-
icants at the intersection of
River Road N. and Menlo
Drive N.
5:46 a.m. - Burglary in the
4000 block of Cherry Avenue
NE.
9:30 a.m. - Theft in the 6000
block of Keizer Station Bou-
levard NE.
10 a.m. - Arrest for assault in
the 1000 block of Willow Lake
Road N.
10:40 a.m. - Traffi c accident in
the 4000 block of Verda Lane
NE.
11:30 a.m. - Motor vehicle
theft in the 1000 block of Su-
san Court NE.
2:08 p.m. - Theft in the 300
block of Chemawa Road N.
6:40 p.m. - Telephonic harass-
ment in the 100 block of Gar-
land Way N.
MONDAY, JAN. 20
4:40 a.m. - Motor vehicle theft
in the 4000 block of Cherry
Avenue NE.
8:58 a.m. - Counterfeit cur-
rency, unlawful possession of
methamphetamine, felon in
possesion of weapon, theft and
unlawful possession of a fi re-
arm at the intersection of Riv-
er Road N. and Stark Street N.
7:30 p.m. - Motor vehicle theft
in the 2000 block of Kennedy
Circle NE.
TUESDAY, JAN. 21
12 a.m. - Vandalism in the 900
block of Chemawa Road NE.
7:26 a.m. - Traffi c accident in
the 5000 block of McLeod
Lane NE.
8:21 a.m. - Minor in posses-
sion of prohibited substances
in the 500 block of Chemawa
Road N.
11 a.m. - Failure to perform
duties of driver when property
was damaged in the 500 block
of Chemawa Road N.
12:45 p.m. - Traffi c accident in
the 3000 block of Brooks Av-
enue NE.
4:42 p.m. - Motor vehicle theft
in the 6000 block of Keizer
Station Boulevard
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 22
12:17 a.m. - Aggravated ha-
rassment and shoplifi tng in the
4000 block of River Road N.
11:03 a.m. - Motor vehicle
theft in the 3000 block of Riv-
er Road N.
11:08 a.m. - Shoplifting in the
4000 block of River Road N.
11:18 a.m. - Disorderly con-
duct in the 500 block of Che-
mawa Road N.
11:45 a.m. - Motor vehicle
theft in the 3000 block of Riv-
er Road N.
1:07 p.m. - Burglary and crim-
inal mischief in the 3000 block
of River Road N.
3:47 p.m. - Motor vehicle
theft in the 4000 block of Ar-
nold Street NE.
8:30 p.m. - Theft in the 1000
block of Lockhaven Drive NE.
THURSDAY, JAN. 23
4:24 a.m. - Criminal trespass-
ing in the 5000 block of River
Road N.
10:25 a.m. - Stalking order vi-
olation in the 3000 block of
River Road N.
10:43 a.m. - Identity theft,
mail theft and theft in the 200
block of Sandy Drive N.
7:35 p.m. - Criminal trespass-
ing in the 4000 block of River
Road N.
8:30 p.m. - Motor vehicle
theft in the 4000 block of
Noon Avenue NE.
10:05 p.m. - Criminal trespass-
ing in the 4000 block of River
Road N.
FRIDAY, JAN. 24
1:07 a.m. - Unlawful entry to
vehicle in the 1000 block of
Troy Street NE.
12:31 p.m. - Traffi c accident at
the intersection of River Road
N. and Cummings Lane N.
5 p.m. - Theft from motor
vehicle in the 6000 block of
Keizer Station Boulevard NE.
9:33 p.m. - Disorderly conduct
in the 6000 block of Keizer
Station Boulevard NE.
SATURDAY, JAN. 25
9:16 a.m. - Warrant served,
disorderly conduct, unlawful
possession of methamphet-
amine, hinder prosecution and
interfering with a peace offi -
cer in the 4000 block of Crater
Avenue N.
4:05 p.m. - Bicycle theft in the
4000 block of Bailey Road
NE.
4:42 p.m. - Unlawful posses-
sion of methamphetamine and
parole violation in the 800
block of Chemawa Road NE.
5 p.m. - Motor vehicle theft in
the 1000 block of Clearview
Avenue NE.
10:07 p.m. - Vandalism in the
6000 block of Jacobe Street
NE.
SUNDAY, JAN. 26
1:51 a.m. - Fleeing or attempt-
ing to elude a police offi cer at
the intersection of River Road
N. and Stark Street N.
5:17 p.m. - Vandalism and
theft from motor vehicle in
the 1000 block of Chemawa
Road N.
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