Dear Senator
I am writing to you as a rental property owner, property manager and native Oregonian. As an extension of the eviction moratorium is contemplated today, I am urging you to consider opposing this proposal.
Consider that should you extend the eviction moratorium, please think about what is on on the other side of that decision. Is it a tenant hurting financially from the pandemic? Perhaps, but more likely what you will find is a tenant that has access to millions of dollars in rental assistance. AND protection from eviction actions through February 2022,
What isn’t talked about is the high likelihood that there is a mom and pop landlord who hasn’t been paid rent since April of 2020 that will bear the brunt of an extension. What really hurts is that the only way to get relief for this landlord is to agree to forgive 20% of the money owed them. Can you name another industry that has been asked to continue to provide an essential service during the pandemic without being paid for that service as mandated by the government? To be mandated legally to provide what amounts to an interest free loan, and then a government mandated loan forgiveness program by the actual industry that provided the service?
Forgiving 20% of the rent owed may seem like no big deal to you and others, but what you may not understand is this requirement is likely going to put this mom and pop landlord in a position of severe financial hardship. Quite literarily requiring this housing provider to reach into their pocket and PAY to provide someone housing, just because you told them they where legally required to do so. If you don’t think that’s true, call me and I’ll provide you with real life situations that prove my case.
Now, when we’re just days away from a light at the end of the tunnel, and for those of us that have managed to hang on long enough to get to the end, we find out you’re considering an extension.
Enough with broken promises. I urge you to reject SB 278 and this misleading attempt to further pandemic-related rules despite the facts that tenant’s past rent balances are still protected from eviction actions through February 2022, hundreds of millions of dollars are allocated for rent assistance programs, and Oregon is trending close to 70% vaccination rates thresholds which will allow Gov. Brown to lift pandemic restrictions
Finally, might I suggest you go to work on figuring out how to replace the thousands of units that are no longer available to rent because so many landlords have had enough, or simply can’t afford to be landlords anymore and have sold their properties to primary occupants. Thereby taking these units out of the available rental pool. Who is going to provide this housing……you the government? Not likely anytime soon
Respectfully
Dan Hayes
Oregonian
Multi-Family NW member
Rental Housing Alliance of Oregon Member
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
