According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, the state legislature of Oregon has passed a bill that will institute statewide rent control that caps rent increases at 7% a year and makes it harder for landlords to evict tenants. “Oregon is facing a statewide housing crisis,” said Rep. Mark Meek. “Many landlords do right by their tenants but unreasonable rent increases and no-cause evictions are destabilizing our most vulnerable families.”
The measure would also prevent a landlord’s ability to evict tenants without a reason after they have lived in the building for a year. As long as landlords cite a reason — such as violating the lease agreement or not paying rent — they could still remove tenants from their properties.
There are other carveouts in the bill that allow landlords to evict tenants, such as a need to upgrade their building or plans to demolish it. Landlords could also evict a tenant if a family member is moving in the unit under certain circumstances, but they would need to give tenants 90 days notice.If a landlord were to violate the terms, they could be on the hook to pay the tenant up to 3 months rent and damages.
Republicans argued the bill was Portland-centric. The issues in their cities and towns is a lack of supply, they said. Conservative lawmakers warned of rural areas of the state being decimated by the measure.
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