(gentle music) (pulsating music) - Welcome to "The Newsfeed."

I'm Paris Jackson.

Some Washington mobile home tenants received the largest reimbursement in the history of the state's Dispute Resolution program after filing hundreds of complaints across the state against their park owner.

In early February, the Attorney General's office investigation announced that $5.5 million in refunds and rent credits were shelled out to Hurst & Son LLC tenants.

Cascade PBS investigative reporter, Farah Eltohamy, has been covering this story since the beginning.

She takes us inside this investigation to explain what this large payout means for tenant rights.

How impactful is this $5.5 million refund?

- It's very significant because it's the largest reimbursement in the history of the Mobile Home Dispute Resolution program, the only existing program in all of Washington state that seeks to solve disputes between landlords and mobile home tenants.

Tenants have reported steep rent hikes, unfair fees, and extra charges for utilities that didn't exist before.

On top of that, they report a degrading quality of life where the parks aren't in good condition.

And this is an issue that specifically affects low income elderly people in Washington state.

And for the last couple years, they're being priced out of what is supposed to be the last affordable housing option for them.

In the last almost two years, we've been following one mobile home landlord, Hurst & Son, following tenants as they've organized in order to protect their homes and protect their communities.

Some tenants will be able to stay in their homes for longer and not be pushed into homelessness.

One thing that really stuck with me while we were reporting out our documentary "Priced Out" was that a 100-year-old woman said that she had to go back to work because she couldn't afford these rent hikes.

So this is obviously huge.

- Some tenants did receive money and others were given credits, but some people did not.

Explain the differences in those that actually were able to recoup some of the money that they've spent.

- It's to my understanding that all tenants received their refunds back in the form of rental credits, which obviously caused some frustration because let's just say you want to move out of your mobile home park into a different one so you could live under a different landlord, you don't have the cash to do so.

It's still better than nothing, obviously.

The Attorney General's office did say that tenants can still file complaints if they believe that, you know, they should get their refunds.

- What's next for them?

- The Attorney General's office has not finished refunding money, so hopefully, you know, we'll keep an eye out for any updates on that front.

I implore tenants to keep submitting complaints to the Attorney General's Mobile Home Dispute Resolution program and to just keep fighting.

- What is currently before lawmakers to keep landlords in check?

- Aside from passing local ordinances and pushing tenants to keep filing complaints through the Attorney General's office, organizers are also taking their fight to the state capitol where they're pushing for bills that would establish rent stabilization and improve the Mobile Home Landlord Tenant Act.

So that's something that we're gonna keep an eye out for, and obviously this issue is not gonna go away.

- To read more of Farah's work, head to cascadepbs.org.

(upbeat music) This month, season three of "Out & Back" with host Alison Mariella Desir premieres.

You'll find Desir cliffhanging in the Cascades, to wading in the Puget Sound, to beekeeping.

In celebration of the new season, Cascade PBS held the annual Explore the Outdoors Family Fair on February 1st at Washington Hall.

It brought the community and recreational organizations together to reclaim outdoor spaces for underrepresented communities.

"Out & Back" airs Thursday nights on Cascade PBS.

I'm Paris Jackson.

Thank you for watching "The Newsfeed," your destination for nonprofit Northwest news.

Go to cascadepbs.org for more great local coverage.

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