City of Portland: URM Signage Required on Private Buildings by March 1, 2019 | Commission Takes Up Renter Screening Proposal Tuesday 10/16/18

The Portland City Council voted yesterday to require signage for unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings according to the following timeline:

The signs are required to be durable 8”x10” placards with 50-point bold font lettering that are posted in a conspicuous location on the exterior at the main entrance stating:

This Building is an Unreinforced Masonry Building. Unreinforced Masonry Buildings may be unsafe in an event of a Major Earthquake.

Timeline:
January 1, 2019 - publicly-owned buildings
March 1, 2019 – privately owned buildings
November 1, 2020 - non-profit buildings

Tenant Notification and Lease Notices

• Building owners must notify existing tenants that the building is an unreinforced masonry building, and that unreinforced masonry buildings may be unsafe in the event of a major earthquake.
• Every lease or rental agreement entered into or renewed after the timeline for placarding noted above, must contain the above statement.
• Building owners must record an agreement not to remove the placard and acknowledgment of compliance with tenant notification requirements.

Read more in the Oregonian

Read more in The Mercury

REVISED RENTER SCREENING PROPOSAL

Meanwhile, the City of Portland Rental Services Commission will take up the issue of the Renter Screening Proposal once again on Tuesday, October 16, 2018, from 2:30-5 pm. Public testimony will be taken from 3:10 to 3:40 pm. The meeting will be held at the Portland Housing Bureau, 421 SW 6th Avenue, Suite 500, Portland, OR 97204.  Read the fully revised September 27, 2018 draft.