Terry R. Dowdall, Esq.

Dowdall Law Offices, A.P.C., opened in 1993 to focus on representing mobilehome park owners and operators in a streamlined, effective, and accessible environment. The objective was practical results, inexpensive solutions: “client first” and low overhead without the “marble and steel.” Park owners don’t care about a magnificent view. Neither do we. This a hard-working practice limited to park owners and operators, property owners, management firms, pro-housing groups. Through generations of owners, Dowdall and his staff have maintained cordial and lasting relationships. He is one of few recognized as a significant legal resource in this increasingly arcane field and has been qualified as an expert witness in the rights and duties required by the Mobilehome Residency Law.

Terry specializes in mobilehome park law. He has represented owners for more than 45 years.  He is an advisor to WMA’s Legislative Committee and Committee to Save Property Rights. He has represented owners in several of the benchmark decisions in the industry.

Terry originated the vacancy control taking theory (“A -> B,” “B -> C” analysis) that allowing unregulated market sales tied to repressed rent artificially inflates consumer cost and home value by including land premiums. The reality of this analysis has now been proven in several empirical studies. Terry’s appellate brief in 1984 in Oceanside case is the first attack acknowledged in a published opinion.

Terry has advocated property rights in several dozen cases, defeating rent controls in San Mateo, Westminster, Stanton, Chula Vista;  he defeated Colton’s interference with leases. He also penned the briefs in the case against El Monte seeking to foreclose trial attacking rent control. In rent hearings, he has even persuaded a judge to: (1) disallow all resident speakers in a Vega hearing to establish general market condition rents as required at inception of an ordinance,  (2) reject a City expert’s opinions premised on impermissible methodology and (3) succeed in a requested rent increase directly without hearing, under threat of litigation to annul a clearly defective ordinance. Meanwhile, he also defended 55+ housing laws for all mobilehome parks, nationwide.

Terry represents the WMA, CMPA, and OCMHET as “friends of the court” on several occasions. He has taught educational courses for WMA since 1982, the Orange County Mobilehome Educational Trust, and spoken at property rights seminars sponsored by the Orange County Apartment Association and on occasion, the Pacific Legal Foundation. He has written for the Continuing Education of the Bar in California regarding mobilehome tenancies, Daily Journal, the Los Angeles Times. Terry graduated from the Gould School of Law at the University of Southern California, holds a and A.B. cum laude and studied in the graduate school at U.S.C.