We are considering a park in Washington State. While we do indeed need to do our in research, we would like to get a sense if the state is landlord or tenant friendly, and to what degree. We would appreciate any insight folks may have based on actual experience.
Thank you.
I have one park and my Dad has three in Washington State. If our leases are correct and properly recorded with sound park rules we have never had any issues whatsoever. Washington State is very, very liberal and supportive of affordable housing. There is a very strong MHP Association that works diligently to protect park owners and is very active in State legislature.
The State also has a Tenants Union that assists tenants and landlords with individual disputes. The very closely follow and adhere to the Washington State Landlord/Tenant Act that is very clear and easy to follow. Fortunately or unfortunately the Tenants Union is very very overwhelmed and usually does not respond very promptly whatsoever to any individual requests for help. If you Google up the Wa State Landlord Tenant Act you will see that is neither pro tenant or pro landlord… it is mostly pro leases/rules and communication. (my opinion).
One thing that my father did dig up last year was that Washington State allows park owners to place any age mobile home or RV into their parks as long as they are not pre hud. Individual Cities and towns cannot set age limits anymore. Home has to be primary residence and indoor toilet.
Lastly- all our parks are in Eastern Washington. We prefer the smaller less regulated counties on the rural side of the mountains. Western Washington particularly King County is much much more regulated. Permitting, land use, building, site improvements etc are much much more regulated and controlled.
Congratulations on your park and I hope it goes well. If you have any other questions about Washington State just let me know. I own parks on the side and have a day job on the other side. Lived my entire life in Washington. Beautiful part of the country.
Roger
Great info, Roger. Good stuff.
I’d add that in most parts of the country, particularly in today’s super charged environment where so many actions are alleged to be discriminatory or racist, it’s a good investment to purchase Tenant Discrimination insurance. The best and cheapest way to purchase this coverage is by getting “Employment Practices Liability Insurance with 3rd Party Coverage” for your park owning entity. A typical premium is $1,500 / year, but you can sometimes by this coverage as an addition to your park owners package insurance policy for as low as $200. This coverage will not only pay for any claim that is ultimately paid out, but it will also pay for seasoned legal counsel to defend you, which is often a big part of any claim.