OREGON LEGISLATURE PASSES BILL TO HELP STRUGGLING OREGON RENTERS STAY IN THEIR HOMES

SB 278 will provide a 60-day grace period for Oregon renters who have applied and are waiting for federal rent relief
SALEM, OR – The Oregon House voted this evening to protect renters who are awaiting federal rent relief from evictions due to non- payment. Under Senate Bill 278, if a tenant has submitted documentation to their landlord that they have applied for rent assistance, a landlord may not give a nonpayment termination notice or move forward with a nonpayment eviction case for 60 days.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have taken unprecedented steps to keep Oregonians housed. While things are back to normal for some families, many are still struggling with the impacts of the most unequal recession in American history,” said Rep. Julie Fahey (D-Eugene), who carried the bill on the House floor. “We now have the resources we need to prevent evictions, to make housing providers whole, and to stabilize tenants and landlords. This bill gives tenants the time they need to access those resources without fear of an eviction.”

Last December, the legislature passed HB 4401 during a special session to ensure that renters across the state cannot be evicted through June 30, 2021 if they can’t pay their rent due to impacts of COVID-19. Data from the National Council of State Housing Agencies estimates that anywhere from 27,700 to 56,100 Oregon households would have been at risk of eviction without the extension of the statewide eviction moratorium.

“We cannot take our eye off the ball when federal aid is just now starting to reach those who need it most,” said Rep. Wlnsvey Campos (D-Aloha), who is the Vice Chair of the House Housing Committee. “Evictions and houselessness, even if it is short-term, can be a deeply traumatic experience. This bill avoids so much needless suffering by allowing Oregonians who have been most heavily impacted by the pandemic to remain in their homes long enough for that necessary relief to arrive.”

SB 278 passed with unanimous support and is now returns to the Senate for concurrence.

​State of Oregon