The Eugene Housing Policy has for the last year been pursuing a three-step process imposing severe restrictions on landlords. Phase one, effective August 13th, 2022, instituted the following:
- Mandated the landlord provide the tenant with itemized move-in/out inspection documentation;
- Requires landlords to provide a minimum of two rental references per year, at the written request of the tenant;
- Capped Application fees at $10 per applicant.
- This was struck down in the courts shortly afterward.
- and, etc.
Phase one provided landlords with a bit of extra paperwork, but did little else. Phase two promises to be more interesting.
Phase two, as it currently stands, would institute the following:
- Limit security deposits to two times the monthly rent, not including pet deposits.
- Process applications in the order received.
- Displacement Prevention Assistance- requires landlords to pay displacement assistance for legal no-cause evictions, substantial changes to the lease, or an increase in rent that triggers displacement.
The instances in which a landlord would need to charge more than twice the rent amount for a security deposit are few and far between. This new rule simply encourages landlords to deny those applications altogether.
Processing applications as they are received can cause some delay in property turnover, but again, it will have little real impact.
IN CONCLUSION:
There is as yet no set date for when they expect these restrictions to go into effect. If it continues at the rate it is currently proceeding, it will happen in either late August or early September.
Every step the Eugene Housing Policy Board takes simple restricts the market further by limiting the actions of landlords. When it is too expensive to give second chances, landlords will simply choose not to do so. The housing policy board is hurting the very group they profess to wish to help.
As always, Happy Landlording!