§ 90.578 — Conversion to submeter or direct billing for large parks

Oregon § 90.578

• Jurisdiction: Oregon
• Vol.: 3
• Title 10: Property Rights and Transactions
• Ch. 90: Residential Landlord and Tenant

Text

(1) Except as provided in subsections (2) and (3) of this section, a landlord that assesses the tenants of a manufactured dwelling park containing 200 or more spaces in the facility a utility or service charge for water by pro rata billing shall convert the method of assessing the utility or service charge to direct billing or submeter billing. The landlord shall complete the conversion no later than December 31, 2012. A conversion under this section to submeter billing is subject to ORS 90.574.
(2) A landlord that provides water to a manufactured dwelling park solely from a well or from a source other than those listed in ORS 90.562 (6) is not required to comply with subsection (1) of this section.
(3) A landlord is not required to comply with subsection (1) of this section if the landlord:
(a) Bills for water provided to a space using pro rata billing by apportioning the utility provider’s charge to tenants with, notwithstanding ORS 90.568 (2)(c), consideration of only:
(A) The number of tenants or occupants in the manufactured dwelling compared with the number of tenants or occupants in the manufactured dwelling park; and
(B) The size of a tenant’s space as a percentage of the total area of the manufactured dwelling park.
(b) Bases two-thirds of the charge to the tenants on the factor described in paragraph (a)(A) of this subsection and one-third of the charge on the factor described in paragraph (a)(B) of this subsection.
(c) Determines the number of tenants or occupants in each dwelling unit and in the manufactured dwelling park at least annually.
(d) Demonstrates significant other conservation measures, including:
(A) Testing for leaks in common areas of the manufactured dwelling park at least annually, repairing significant leaks within a reasonable time and making test results available to tenants;
(B) Testing each occupied manufactured dwelling and space for leaks without charge to a tenant occupying the dwelling at least annually and making test results available to the tenant;
(C) Posting annually in any manufactured dwelling park office and in any common area evidence demonstrating that per capita consumption of water in the manufactured dwelling park is below the area average for single-family dwellings, as shown by data from the local provider of water; and
(D) Taking one or more other reasonable measures to promote conservation of water and to control costs, including educating tenants about water conservation, prohibiting the washing of motor vehicles in the manufactured dwelling park and requiring drip irrigation systems or schedules for watering landscaping.
(e) Amends the rental agreement of each tenant to describe the provisions of this subsection and subsection (4) of this section and to describe the use of the pro rata billing method with additional conservation measures. The landlord may make the amendment to the rental agreement unilaterally and must provide written notice of the amendment to the tenant at least 60 days before the amendment is effective.
(4) If a landlord subject to this section adopts conservation measures described in subsection (3) of this section to avoid having to comply with subsection (1) of this section:
(a) Notwithstanding ORS 90.580 or 90.725 (2), a tenant must allow a landlord access to the tenant’s space and to the tenant’s manufactured dwelling so the landlord can test for water leaks as provided by subsection (3)(d)(B) of this section.
(b) The landlord must give notice consistent with ORS 90.725 (3)(e) before entering the tenant’s space or dwelling to test for water leaks.
(c) A landlord may require a tenant to repair a significant leak in the dwelling found by the landlord’s test. The tenant shall make the necessary repairs within a reasonable time after written notice from the landlord regarding the leak, given the extent of repair needed and the season. The tenant’s responsibility for repairs is limited to leaks within the tenant’s dwelling and from the connection at the ground under the dwelling into the dwelling. If the tenant fails to make the repair as required, the landlord may terminate the tenancy pursuant to ORS 90.630.
(d) Notwithstanding ORS 90.730 (3)(c), a landlord shall maintain the water lines within a tenant’s space up to the connection with the dwelling, including repairing significant leaks found in a test.
(e) A landlord may use pro rata billing with the allocation factors described in ORS 90.568 (2)(c) for common areas.
(f) Notwithstanding ORS 90.568 (4), a landlord may include in the utility or service charge the cost to read water meters and to bill tenants for water if those tasks are performed by a third party service and the landlord allows the tenants to inspect the third party’s billing records as provided by ORS 90.582.
(5) A tenant may file an action for injunctive relief to compel compliance by a landlord with the requirements of subsections (1), (3) and (4) of this section and for actual damages plus at least two months’ rent as a penalty for noncompliance by the landlord with subsections (1), (3) and (4) of this section. A landlord is not liable for damages for a failure to comply with the requirements of subsections (1), (3) and (4) of this section if the noncompliance is only a good faith mistake by the landlord in counting the number of tenants and occupants in each dwelling unit or the manufactured dwelling park pursuant to subsection (3)(a) of this section.

Legislative History

Formerly 90.543