Board OKs Rent Hike at Mobile Home Park

Paving the way for a significant rent increase at the Ocean-Aire Mobile Home Estates, Oxnard’s mobile home park rent review board has voted to allow a 25% increase for tenants.

Newly appointed board member Steve Buratti was the sole no vote Monday, saying he did not approve of the rental increase mainly because many of the residents are on fixed incomes.

The decision is only the latest round in a two-year battle over rent increases between the tenants and park owner Leonard Butler.

The rent increase is also retroactive, which means that tenants of the south Oxnard park could owe $1,389 to $1,958 in back rent accumulated since August 1994.

Although it is unclear how and when the rent increase will go into place, the board’s decision could allow the park owner to raise residents’ rent $48 to $67 a month, depending on the current rent.

Lawyers representing the park owner said they were pleased with the board’s decision.

“Now that the city has vindicated our right to rents that are reasonable, we hope we are able to put this chapter behind us,” said attorney Robert Coldren.

But the decision is only the beginning of what could be a long struggle for residents and Butler.

Butler had asked the rent board to approve an $85 monthly rent increase across the board, saying that his tenants have been paying $90 to $100 a month less than comparable mobile home parks since 1982, when rent control laws were implemented.

At the time, the rent board rejected Butler’s claim and voted against raising rents.

But Butler appealed the board’s decision and soon after, the city appointed an arbitrator to look into the matter. The arbitrator agreed with Butler and recommended that the rent increase be implemented.

In December, tenants filed a lawsuit, asking that a judge overturn the arbitrator’s decision.

The board’s decision was a heavy blow to the residents, many of whom say they do not how they would find the money to pay for the increase or the retroactive rent.

On average, Ocean-Aire tenants, many of whom are elderly, pay about $200 a month. Every year, their rents are raised 3% to keep up with the cost of inflation.