The Washington Attorney General’s Office has announced $5.5 million in refunds to Hurst & Son LLC tenants following the agency’s 2023 investigation into the Port Orchard-based mobile home management company.
The agency outlined the reimbursements in its recently released annual Manufactured Housing Dispute Resolution Program report, which included a record number of complaints in 2024. The long-running state program collects complaints and mediates a wide variety of disputes between mobile home community residents and their landlords.
Mike Faulk, spokesperson for the Attorney General’s office, said in an email statement that Hurst & Son LLC had already distributed the estimated $5.5 million between September 2024 and January 2025. It marks the largest reimbursement in the history of the dispute resolution program. Many refunds were credited against future rent payments.
“Tenants were reimbursed the difference between any invalid rent increase and their original rent for each applicable month,” Faulk wrote. “Tenants were reimbursed in full for certain fees, and partial refunds on others. Private utilities/utilities assessed during the term of a rental agreement were reimbursed in full.”
Faulk wrote that the company has about 2,700 tenants statewide, resulting in an average refund of about $2,000. Some tenants with significant substantiated complaints received more than $10,000 while others without qualifying complaints received no refunds.
The Attorney General’s office announced its investigation into Hurst & Son LLC in October 2023, following an increased number of complaints alleging rapid rent hikes, maintenance changes and excessive fees – among other unlawful behavior. In August 2023, Cascade PBS launched a series of stories on alleged “economic eviction” throughout dozens of Hurst & Son parks, and recently published a documentary on the company’s management practices.
Elva Simmons, a housing organizer and tenant of Sun Tides mobile home park in Yakima, told Cascade PBS she received her $300 refund as rent credits. She’s heard through word of mouth that other tenants in the Central Washington area have received refunds up to $10,000 – meaning they will not have rent payments due for a couple months on end.
“People would have been happier,” she noted, “if they had received a check for the full amount. That way they could do what they wanted with it.”
Faulk wrote that Hurst & Son voluntarily complied with the reimbursement process as part of the Attorney General investigation into more than 150 tenant complaints against the company. Refunds were based mainly on three issues: noncompliant rent increases, excessive or unenforceable fees, and “private utilities” or other utility charges that commenced during the term of a rental agreement.
Hurst & Son provided the dispute resolution program with billing records for each tenant who filed a complaint. Program staff sorted through these records to identify overcharges. Faulk explained the charging formula was then applied to any similar tenants, including those who had not submitted a complaint.
“We are still in the process of reviewing complaints and negotiating compliance measures,” Faulk wrote. “We continue to review any dispute between a tenant and Hurst & Son regarding the appropriate amount of a refund. Tenants that never submitted a complaint but dispute how much they were reimbursed can file a complaint and we will review.”
Lead organizers within the Hurst & Son-owned Leisure Manor Estates in Aberdeen told Cascade PBS they had not received any reimbursements from the management company.
“We don’t receive our rent invoice that includes the amount of our water and sewer until maybe two days before the first of the month, which is when it’s due,” wrote Deb Wilson, president of the Leisure Manor Tenants Association. “If the water is not paid, they can evict us and no one knows what the water will be until we get the rent invoice and we have to pay it by the first, it’s ridiculous.”
In response, Faulk said that the legal and factual circumstances at Leisure Manor “did not generally result in financial loss to the tenants as a result of legal violations,” meaning the program did not have a basis to demand refunds for most of the park’s residents.
“If any Leisure Manor tenants had a noncompliant rent increase or were charged the improper fees, then they would be reimbursed,” Faulk said.
Faulk cited the Attorney General’s 2023 rent rollbacks for Leisure Manor, in which Hurst & Son committed to withdrawing rental rate increases on unsigned leases until the next renewal anniversary in the coming summer.
“The primary source of refunds stemming from rent increases was because Hurst & Son unilaterally changed tenants’ ‘lease renewal date’ and then raised rent on this new term date,” Faulk wrote. “At Leisure Manor, Hurst & Son was put on notice of this issue and complied with the law before any illegal rent increases were implemented.”
Other report findings
In 2024, the number of mobile home dispute complaints submitted to the state again set a new record with 850 complaints — up 16% from the previous year. The program had previously seen complaints to the state nearly double in 2023 compared to other recent years.
Nearly half of those complaints cited “Utilities/Charges In Excess of Actual Costs,” followed by 301 complaints for “Amount of Rent Increase” and 204 for “General Maintenance/Maintenance of Common Areas.”
The program listed 326 complaints as opened and closed within the year – of those, 277 were closed mainly due to multiple complaints filed for the same issue and voluntary compliance with dispute resolution mediation.
The program saw a 75% decrease in cases closed due to complainants stopping their participation in the dispute resolution process compared to the previous year.
In addition to actions taken against Hurst & Son LLC, the program issued significant violations against Tri-Cities RV Park and Western Living Trailer Court – the former resulting in $243,995 in reimbursements to tenants.
The annual report also included policy recommendations seeking specific authority to issue fines against parties who refuse to cooperate with the program or who fail to register communities with the state as required by law. Another recommendation asked for a clear burden of proof on establishing ownership of permanent structures.
“The Program managed many staff changes in 2024,” the report noted, “and experienced staffing shortages for extended periods of time throughout the year.”
Faulk wrote that the program, which advocates have long deemed understaffed, is actively recruiting for two staff positions this year.
Article continues below
Related Stories
Topics: Housing, Washington Recovery Watch, Cascade PBS Investigates, Investigations