A long-time owner of a Grant County mobile home park is in serious hot water with Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

Ferguson announced in Kennewick Tuesday afternoon he has filed a lawsuit against Gary Chavers, who's owned the well-known Sun & Sand Mobile Home Park in Mattawa, WA.

Ferguson says Chavers is accused of violating the state's consumer protection law by deliberately confusing and defrauding renters into "buying" their mobile homes so he could avoid city inspections.  Chavers, who lives in Seattle's Green Lake area, has owned the park since 1991.

In 2009, after a deadly fire killed a mother and her two children in a rental home not far from the park, the City of Mattawa passed a series of new strict regulations regarding fire protection, wiring, plumbing, emergency access and other codes applying to rental properties.

Ferguson says within 60 days after the new codes went into effect, Chavers devised a "scheme" whereby his tenants, who are mostly Spanish, were tricked into buying agreements for their homes instead of renting. That way he avoided city inspections on rentals, and saved tens of thousands of dollars in repairs to meet the new codes. The agreements were written in English, but clients were "told" these agreements were legal and they were protected.  The clients were not allowed to read the actual agreements prior to signing.

Because of his actions, most of the tenants in the Sun & Sand Park are living under what Ferguson said are "poor or substandard and even unsafe conditions."  Inspectors found walls and closets covered in green mold,  wind blows through cracks in walls, carpet staples were so old the poked up and numerous small children were hurt by them.  Most were infested with cockroaches, and one family had to throw away clothes in a closet that become covered with mold. Leaking water pipes also caused rot in carpet and floors.

In addition, Chavers didn't honor these purchase agreements.  Clients were not permitted to move the homes they were supposedly buying if they wanted to relocate. He would still treat them as renters, taking the exact same monthly money as before.  If they wanted to leave the park and take the trailer with them, he coerced them into signing yet another sham sales agreement.

Ferguson is asking the purchase and rental agreements be declared invalid.  He demands the tenants be allowed to rent if they wish to stay, or if they wish to purchase their trailer, they be allowed to do so for current market value.  Prior to sale or rent, the suit also requires Chavers to restore all units to acceptable liveable conditions, per city code.

And he is asking for a minimum $2,000 penalty per unit, as well as attorneys fees and court costs.

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