Shack Tenants Take Landlord to Court

The tenants of a run-down cluster of 21 wooden farm shacks in Oxnard have filed a lawsuit against the landlord for allegedly failing to keep the homes habitable.

The suit was filed by the Channel Counties Legal Services Assn. on behalf of nine tenants who contend that landlord Larry Rodarte and his wife, Pauline, tried to evict them as soon as they asked for repairs to the rental units off Hueneme Road.

Filed in Ventura County Superior Court on Friday, the suit also contends that the Rodartes ignored notices from Oxnard city code enforcement officers, who cited them last August for dozens of health and building code violations.

Based on that inspection, Oxnard filed a suit against the Rodartes’ company, HR Inc., in Superior Court, alleging that the homes were a fire hazard and extremely dangerous and that the homes should be repaired.

Larry Rodarte could not be reached for comment Tuesday. But last month he blamed the dilapidated conditions on his tenants, saying he was frustrated by their refusal to vacate so the units could be demolished.

The tenants’ lawsuit contends that the property owners violated the terms of their rental agreements because of faulty plumbing, inadequate heat, leaky roofs and infestation of roaches and mice.

The suit asks the landlord to return the tenants’ rent payments since being cited for code violations.

It also asks for up to $1,000 in special damages for each tenant and attorneys’ fees.