Sen. Rod Monroe Proposes Amendments to HB 2004

The Portland Tribune reports that Senator Rod Monroe, an East Portland landlord and hold-out vote on HB 2004, has proposed amendments he believes will balance tenant protections with landlord realities.

On the tenant protection side, Monroe proposes:

• Limiting rent increases to once per year
• Requiring leases be a minimum of 6 months
• Requiring landlords to notify tenants at least 90 days before the end of a lease of a rent increase, or of the intention not to renew a lease
• Requiring tenants to inform landlords of plans to stay or move 45 days prior to the end of a lease

Monroe also proposes limiting the situations in which relocation costs are paid, and removing a ban on no-cause evictions. His proposed changes include:

• Landlords with more than 5 units would only be required to pay relocation costs if evicting 50% or more of tenants in a multifamily complex in the first year after the landlord has purchased the property
• Landlords with fewer than 5 units would not be required to pay relocation costs

John DiLorenzo of More Housing Now supports Monroe's amendments, arguing that they would target bad actors while still giving most landlords the option to use no-cause evictions when necessary. Read more.