Perhaps the biggest news in housing this week was that House Bill (HB) 2004 (the Speaker’s rent stabilization bill) passed out of committee with the -6 amendments. The new version of the bill addresses one of the biggest concerns raised at AOC’s Legislative Committee discussion regarding uncertainty for developers, by offering a five-year protection from rent control for any new constructions. Additional changes were made to the bill to try to appease tenant advocates as well as landlords. Notably, the current version of the bill:

  • allows “no cause” terminations within the first six months of a month-to-month tenancy
  • allows only “for cause” terminations after the first six month’s of a month-to-month tenancy, except under certain circumstances (such as the need for the landlord or an immediate family member to occupy the unit, the need to make renovations or repairs during which time the unit would be uninhabitable, the need to make repairs in order to make the unit safe to live in, the landlord converting the unit to a use other than residential, the landlord planning to demolish the unit, the landlord having accepted an offer to purchase the unit)
  • requires a landlord to offer a lease renewal to a tenant at the end of a fixed-term lease, unless the landlord gives 90 days notice and meets one of the aforementioned exemptions
  • requires a landlord who ends a tenancy for repairs or renovations to offer the tenant a new lease before renting the unit to a new tenant
  • requires landlords owning five or more units to pay tenants one month’s rent upon giving notice of termination in accordance with the exemptions described above
  • allows landlords renting a unit in their primary residence or on the property where their primary residence is located when there are not more than two units in the building or on the property to terminate a tenancy at any time during the first year of occupancy with 30 days notice and at any time after the first year with 60 days notice
  • allows a city or county to enact a rent stabilization program, so long as the program provides a fair rate of return for landlords, provides a process for landlords to petition to increase the rent in excess of the cap, and provides an exemption for any new residential developments for five years from the date of the first occupancy

The committee had quite the robust discussion on the proposed amendments. If you’d like to watch the debate, click here.

Other bills that passed out of the House Human Services and Housing Committee on March 30th included:

HB 2011 – Directs Oregon Housing and Community Services Department to administer a study to assess disparities between federal and local calculations of fair market rent, and establishes a Task Force on Housing Authority Capacity. The bill directs the task force to assess capacity of housing authorities to provide services, determine methods to enhance capacity to provide services and examine feasibility of implementing state-sponsored housing voucher program.

HB 2570 – Directs Housing and Community Services Department to establish Affordable Homeownership Grant Program to provide grants to eligible nonprofit organizations with affordable homeownership programs to provide opportunities for homeownership to persons in low income households.

HB 2724 – Directs Housing and Community Services Department to develop and implement Rent Guarantee Program to provide incentives and financial assistance to landlords that rent or lease to low income households by guaranteeing payments to landlords for unpaid rent and for eviction and property damage costs within certain limits.

HB 2912 – Establishes Affordable Housing Land Acquisition Revolving Loan Fund Program within Housing and Community Services Department to make loans to eligible organizations to purchase land for affordable housing development and to provide supportive services to residents and low income households.

HB 2961 – Establishes Homeownership Repair and Rehabilitation Program within Housing and Community Services Department to provide grants to eligible nonprofit organizations to provide financial assistance to persons in low income households for repair and rehabilitation of residences.

HB 3175 – Makes changes to definition of “low income households” in Local Innovation and Fast Track Housing Program.

HB 3192 – Establishes Homeownership Down Payment Assistance Program within Housing and Community Services Department to provide grants to eligible nonprofit organizations, housing authorities and local governments to provide financial assistance to first-time home buyers in low income households.

Contributed by: Stacy Michaelson | AOC Housing Policy Manager