State Specific Question About: OREGON (OR)

Hi Pete..

Well just to be sure.. you know there are different rules for mobile homes..

Is it on your land or in a park.. it makes a difference..

Bedrooms are defined in OR.. so if you remove a door to one.. it's no longer a bedroom...

Careful here because if you've advertised it or rented it as a 2 br.. there is a 'trail'... so you'd need to alter it

Also do you own the mobile/? or do you have a loan on it.

If you own it outright you could alter it...

You can screen for who lives there.. and may be able to screen for how many ...

Look at ORS Chapter 90.. the 2nd part is mobile homes..

A great LL / Tenant atty would be a good investment for a consult..

Addressing Oregon occupancy laws is beyond my scope, but I do have a suggestion for how you can stop the time wasting.

Similar situation w/my small (350 sq ft) 1-bedroom rental. What worked best was to do scheduled open houses each day where anyone was welcome to fill out an application until I found a suitable renter. While you can't discriminate, you are entitled to select whomever best meets your requirements.

I'd be present during the open house to meet the people, answer questions, explain the approval process. I'd ask a friend to join me so I wouldn't be alone with the lookers.

Another time saver was to get a disposable phone which would be pitched as soon as I filled the vacancy, but I never answered it. I set up the voice mail to give the address, time/date of open houses, and review of criteria stating there would be no exceptions (no dogs, not a section 8 rental, no smoking on property, etc...), and instructions not to arrive until the appropriate time as it was currently occupied (not always true, but stated as a safety measure). Also, not to leave a message because there would be no call-backs. If they had a question, they could ask it at the open house. Of course people left messages and asked for exceptions, thus self-screening since they can't follow simple instructions and don't meet your criteria. This way you don't even have to talk with them.

Yes, you're likely to have the usual teenage mom, her dropout unemployed brother, and her deadbeat boyfriend show up with 7 assorted children all looking to live in your 600 sq. feet, but you will likely also have good prospects that meet your requirements and preferences during the same 1-hr slot. Just keep running the opens until you find someone you're comfortable with.

Pete,

I'm with OPM: remove the privacy door and that room no longer meets code for a bedroom.

Advertsie as "1 bedroom with den".

Even single people want a spare room - computer room, office, craft room, junk room...

Look at OR housing Authority website and see what it says about how many rooms and occupants are allow in OR. Here in OK the website says two per room but if they are opposite sexes up to age five. But heard it is mow up to 3 yrs.old, so it is probably worth a call to make sure.