Legal Question in Consumer Law in California

I have lived in a mobile home park for about 15 years. I own my home outright but pay a space rental fee that is rent controlled. The only other fee on my monthly invoice from the landlord is a sewer fee. This has been a fixed rate all of these years, in line with the published ESU (Equivalent Sewer Unit), based on a single family detached home. Last month my fee went up 95%. No explanation was given. After much research I learned the park has no metering on the sewer system, so the water utility changed the formula used to estimate sewer use based on water use. The park has vast green spaces and pools -- water than never enters the sewer system. I'm okay with using a formula but they should have adjusted it so that it comes out close to a standard ESU. During my investigation I was told that mobile homes are only supposed to pay 1/2 the ESU due to their smaller footprint. So we may have been overpaying all these years. That aside, given the current formula my sewer bill is TWICE what my electric bill is at this time of year. If the formula is based on water use, I can expect $100 sewer charges this summer. Since there seems to be no regulatory oversight here, do we have a class action suit here, both to recover current overcharges and 15 years of past overcharges? There are many retired people on fixed incomes in this park.


Asked on 5/31/18, 6:58 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Armen Tashjian Law Offices of Armen M. Tashjian

You and other residents may have a case against the park owner. Feel free to call my office. 888-9ENFORCER or 888-936-36720.

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Answered on 5/31/18, 7:54 pm


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