Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Report: Portland Rents Estimated to Decline 1.60% by Year's End

Multi-Housing News indicates that the Coronavirus is causing price decreases in stabilized Class A properties. Yardi Matrix expects these decreases to cascade, extending into B and C properties as well.

Some markets will see growth this year, including Indianapolis which is forecast to see rents rise 3.20%. Tampa, Florida is also expected to see rents rise 2.80%.

Seattle had been expected to see rents increase by 3.80% this year but that forecast is now +0.90%. Las Vegas' predicted 2.40% increase now appears more likely to decline by 5.40%.

Portland, Oregon had been forecast to see a slight rent increase by year's end, and that has now changed to a decrease of 1.60%.  Read more. 

Monday, June 29, 2020

What Oregon House Bill 4213 Means for Landlords


As noted in our post on Friday, the Oregon legislature has extended an eviction moratorium through September 30, 2020.

Multifamily NW is providing additional analysis of what that means.

NOTE: This is not intended as legal advice. Please obtain the advice of an attorney for any policy change or decisions regarding your individual residential and commercial Landlord-Tenant matters, as well as laws that impact your local jurisdictions. 

On June 26, 2020, the State of Oregon passed HB 4213 which added new restrictions limiting Landlords’ ability to enforce the right to rent payments, among other things. The new laws became effective upon passage. Consequently, you need to familiarize yourself with them immediately and adjust any policies or procedures accordingly. This legal update addresses these changes as they relate to residential tenancies only.

I. General

a. Governed period of time 

The law creates protections based upon three different time periods that are interrelated:

April 1, 2020 through September 30, 2020 (the “Emergency Period”);
October 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021 (the “Grace Period”); and
April 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021 (the “Regulated Year”).

b.  Defined terms 

‘Nonpayment’ is defined as “the nonpayment of a payment that becomes due during the emergency period to a Landlord, including payment of rent, late charges, utility or service charges or any other charge or fee as described in the rental agreement or ORS 90.140, 90.302, 90.315, 90.392, 90.394, 90.560 to 90.584 or 90.630.” It seems to include any debt incurred during the emergency period (4/1 – 9/30).

‘Nonpayment Balance’ is defined to “include all or a part of the net total amount of all items of nonpayment by a Tenant.”

‘Termination Notice Without Cause’ is defined as “a notice delivered by a Landlord under ORS 90.427 (3)(b), (4)(b) or (c), (5)(a) to (c), or (8)(a)(B) or (b)(B).” This includes:
  • Terminations without stated cause for month-to-month tenancies in the first year of occupancy.
  • Non-renewals without stated cause of fixed-term tenancies in the first year of occupancy.
  • Terminations without cause by live-in Landlords at a property with two dwellings or less (e.g. duplexes or homes with ADUs).
  • ”Qualifying Landlord Reason” (QLR) termination notices. These include:
  • Termination for plans for demolition or conversion
  • Termination for plans to repair or renovate
  • Termination because Landlord or Landlord’s family intends to move in
Note: Termination notice without cause does not include the QLR termination notice allowing Landlords to terminate a tenancy when they have accepted an offer from a buyer who intends to occupy the dwelling as their primary residence.

Note: Termination notice without cause does not apply to “3-strike” non-renewals so long as the underlying notices of violation are not based upon “nonpayment.” as described above.

II. Restrictions

a. Prohibited Conduct. The Regulated Year Restrictions (April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021)

During the Regulated Year (April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021), Landlords may not do or threaten (orally or in writing) to do any the following:
  1. Deliver a termination notice for Nonpayment Balance (4/1/2020 – 9/30/2020 debts);
  2. Initiate or continue an eviction action based upon notice of termination for nonpayment delivered after April 1, 2020;
  3. Take any action that would interfere with a Tenant’s possession or use of a dwelling unit based on a Tenant’s nonpayment balance;
  4. Assess a late fee or any other penalty on a Tenant’s nonpayment (4/1 – 9/30 debts); or
  5. Report a Tenant’s nonpayment balance as delinquent to any consumer credit reporting agency.
Practice Tip 1: Clients should inspect their forms to ensure language that threatens such action is removed during the applicable period.

Practice Tip 2: Ensure that your procedures or automated actions do not violate these restrictions. For example, if your software automatically sends cases to collections you should ensure that any agent, including a collection agency, is not reporting “nonpayment balances” to credit reporting bureaus.

b. Application of payments during Regulated Year (4/1/2020-3/31/2021)

Landlords shall apply payments in the following order, to:
  1. Rent for the current rental period
  2. Utility or service charges;
  3. Late rent payment charges; and lastly to
  4. Fees or charges owed by the Tenant under ORS 90.302 or other fees or charges related to damage claims or other claims against the Tenant.
c. Notices regarding balances during the Emergency Period (4/1/2020 – 9/30/2020)
  
During the Emergency Period, Landlord may give Tenants written notice stating that Tenants continue to owe any outstanding rent. However, if a Landlord elects to send such notice, it must include a statement that eviction for non-payment is not allowed before September 30, 2020.

d. Prohibition on delivery Termination Notice Without Cause during the during the Emergency Period (4/1/2020 – 9/30/2020)

During the Emergency Period, Landlords may not issue a Termination Notice Without Stated Cause or file an eviction action based upon one. For any tenancy in which the first year of occupancy has or will end during the Emergency Period, the law extends the first-year occupancy for a period of 30 days after the Emergency Period (i.e. until October 30, 2020).
         
e. Prohibited Conduct during the Grace Period (October 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021)

Tenants have until March 31, 2021 to pay Landlord any outstanding Nonpayment Balance.

On or after October 1, 2020, Landlords may give written notice to Tenants that substantially states:

The date the Emergency Period ended (Sept 30, 2020);
  1. That if rents and other payments that come due after the emergency period are not timely paid, the Landlord may terminate the tenancy;
  2. That the nonpayment balance that accrued during the emergency period is still due and must be paid;
  3. That the Tenant will not owe a late charge for the nonpayment balance; 
  4. That the Tenant is entitled to a six-month grace period to repay the nonpayment balance ending on March 31, 2021;
  5. That within a specified date stated in the notice given under this subsection that is no earlier than 14 days following the delivery of the notice, the Tenant must pay the nonpayment balance or notify the Landlord that the Tenant intends to pay the nonpayment balance by the end of the six-month grace period described in HB 4213 Section 3, subsection (6);
  6. That failure of a Tenant to give notice to the Landlord of utilization of the grace period described in HB 4213 Section 3, subsection (6) may result in a penalty described in subsection HB 4213 Section 3, subsection (10); and
  7. That rents and other charges or fees that come due after the emergency period must be paid as usual or the Landlord may terminate the tenancy under ORS 90.392, 90.394 or 90.630.
Landlord’s letter may also offer an alternate voluntary payment plan for the Nonpayment Balance. If the Landlord chooses to do so, the notice must state that the alternate payment plan is voluntary.
If Landlord delivers the notice described above, the Tenant must notify the Landlord by actual notice of their intent to use the Grace Period to pay the Nonpayment Balance by the deadline in the notice. “Actual notice” means communicating the request verbally, by leaving a voicemail, by written notice given personally, left at the rental office, by fax, posted to the Landlord’s residence, or by fist class mail, by electronic means, or any other method permitted in the lease.
Tenant’s failure to timely give the required noticed entitles Landlord to receive 50% of one month’s rent following the Grace Period (i.e. on April 1, 2021).

f. Landlord penalties

If Landlord violates any of the provisions of the law, including those summarized herein, Tenants may obtain injunctive relief to recover possession or address any other violation. In addition, Tenants may cover up to three month’s periodic rent plus any actual damages.

g. Waiver not applicable to acceptance of partial payments

The new law limits the application of waiver by acceptance of partial payments. Specifically, “ORS 90.412 does not apply to a Landlord that accepts a partial rent payment.”

III. Sunset Clause

The laws described above are automatically repealed on March 31, 2021.

IV. Tolling of Statute of Limitations

The new law tolls Landlords’ claims for Nonpayment or Nonpayment Balance until March 31, 2021. Normally, residential Landlords only have 1 year to commence an action from the date of lease violation. Exactly how much time a Landlord has after March 31, 2021 to file a claim will depend on the underlying facts of the claim and the interpretation of when HB 4312’s tolling date commences.

Landlords: Please support Multifamily NW through a paid membership at www.multifamilynw.org

NOTE: The above is not intended as legal advice. Please obtain the advice of an attorney for any policy change or decisions regarding your individual residential and commercial Landlord-Tenant matters, as well as laws that impact your local jurisdictions. 




Oregon Legislature Votes to Extend Eviction Moratorium

A wood and metal plaque that says, "tenancy law" in capital letters in front of a judge's gavel. Both are on a wooden surface.
The Oregon Legislature passed HB 4213 on Friday, which extends Governor Brown's eviction moratorium to September 30th. Tenants will be responsible for paying any back rent owed by March 31, 2021. Tenants are required to inform their landlords within two weeks of the moratorium's end date if they plan to use the grace period to pay back the rent they owe. If a tenant fails to do so, the landlord can charge the tenant with a penalty equal to half of the monthly rent. Read more.

Friday, June 26, 2020

Thursday, June 25, 2020

About 15% of Oregon Renters Late with Monthly Payments in June, an Increase from May

The Oregonian reported data released by HFO in a story posted late Thursday. The data, obtained through a survey of more than 74,000 apartment units in the Portland metro area by Multifamly NW, indicates that nonpayment of rent climbed from 12% in May to 15.4% in June.

Statewide, the number of renters failing to make full rent payments increased from 11.8% to 15.1%. The July rent survey results are anticipated some time the week of July 6th.
Click to Enlarge


Multifamily NW collaborated with an array of housing providers (housing authorities, nonprofits, state agencies) to collect surveys of conventional and affordable rental housing to establish the ongoing impact on rent payment of the COVID -19 crisis. The June Rent Survey represented nearly 1/6th of the rental units in Oregon. We found that on average, 15.8% of Oregon households could not pay their rent due to loss of income. This is an increase of approximately 4% from May. Digging into data collected in June, we also found that the impacts of COVID-19 continue to be very clearly regressive.

Unfortunately, job losses combined with delays processing unemployment claims and slow implementation of statewide emergency rental assistance to worsen the situation for many renters.

Both surveys asked: How many households were unable to pay full rent by the 8th day of the month? The survey adjusted for vacancy in order to arrive at the true percentage of renters impacted. The broader impact on the market can, therefore, be extrapolated from these numbers.
  • Overall in the State of Oregon, 15.1% of renter households were unable to pay rent in June, compared to 11.8% in May.
  • Statewide, of renter households living in Affordable Tax Credit units, 15.4% were unable to pay rent, compared to 11.8% in May.
  • The impact is greatest for households living in non-assisted, conventional “Class-C” workforce multifamily housing, which experienced an 18.2% inability to pay rent, up slightly from 17.8% last month.
  • Overall, 1.7% of households were reported to be on a formal repayment plan.
  • 4.9% were two or more months in arrears on rent.
Optional Covid-19 -related expense questions were asked in the June survey, with varying responses:

Cleaning – This question received 121 responses. All responses suggested that cleaning costs were up dramatically, most in the 50-100% increase range.

Personal Protection (PPE) - Counting 106 responses, this category also dramatically increased by 25-50% for all respondents. Where in some cases this had not even been a budget line item, many reported between $150-500 or more in expense per property.

Security - 30 surveys responded to the security question, with 22 indicating there was no change in this expense for their properties. Seven indicated increases of 10-50%.  One survey indicated security had to be canceled. Although many reported many more incidents, this does not necessarily correlate with more expenses under existing security contracts.

Other - With only 16 responses to this question, the highlights include:  Increases to all utility expenses (water, sewer, electric, garbage) with everyone at home most of the time.  Several reported staffing hours increasing by up to 20%. 

Oregon Legislative Committee Weighing Eviction Moratorium Extension

The Oregon State Capitol Building in Salem, Oregon
A joint committee within the Oregon Legislature is considering a bill that would extend Governor Brown's eviction moratorium. The original order is set to expire June 30th, but House Bill 4213 would extend the moratorium until 90 days after the state of emergency is ended. An amendment to the bill sets September 30, 2020 as a hard date for the end of the moratorium. If that amendment passes, rent that went unpaid during the time the moratorium was in effect would then be due March 31, 2021. Washington has already extended its eviction moratorium to August 1st. Oregon legislators heard public testimony on HB 4213 on Wednesday, and could vote as early as today on the bill. Read more.

Thursday, June 11, 2020

Sold! 24 Units in Gresham

HFO Is pleased to announce our recent sale of Mountain Crest Apartments in Gresham. This property's convenient location combined with unit size/mix made it an excellent opportunity for an experienced investor looking to expand their portfolio. Both buyer and seller participated in exchanges.


HFO-TV: Oregon workforce analyst Christian Kaylor offers the latest Portland metro jobs update.

This mid-year workforce update includes the latest employment data available following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.


Wednesday, June 10, 2020

HFO-TV: Dr. Mike Wilkerson of ECONorthwest on COVID-19's impact on the economy & housing in Oregon.

In this video, Dr. Michael Wilkerson of ECONorthwest provides a detailed look at the current and future potential impacts of COVID-19 on rental housing in Oregon and on the economy as a whole.


Seattle Times: Some Rents in Seattle Decrease, Most Rents Flat

The Seattle Times reports that while most rents in Seattle remain flat, but "cheaper apartments" and those in West Seattle experience a decrease. Read more.

Monday, June 8, 2020

State of Oregon Allocates Additional $55 Million to Landlords for Renter Assistance

A bipartisan committee of legislators has agreed to dole out an additional $55 million to help with renter assistance. The funding is part of $247 million received from the federal government. It will be allocated through the housing agencies that were responsible for allocating $8.5 million in state renter assistance in April and May. 

Friday, June 5, 2020

King County Assessor Proposes Plan to Lower Taxes for Landlords

Washington State Capitol Building in Olympia
King County Assessor John Wilson proposed a plan to the state legislature Thursday aimed at helping multifamily and commercial landlords who have seen a decrease in rent collections due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wilson's plan would allow counties to lower the taxable value of commercial properties that have seen a drop in rent collections. It would apply to property taxes for the second half of 2020. Read more.

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Washington State's Eviction Moratorium Extended Through August 1, 2020

Washington state, eviction moratorium, seattle,
On June 2nd, Washington Governor Jay Inslee extended the state's eviction moratorium by an additional 60 days, to August 1, 2020. The moratorium, which has been the topic of recent HFO-TV segments and related lawsuits in Massachusetts and New York, is extended to August 1, 2020.





The new moratorium:
  • Continues to prohibit the service of any notice where remedy may include eviction, except where the action is necessary to respond to a significant and immediate risk to the health, safety, or property of others created by the resident.
  • Permits termination with 60 days' written notice of intent (1) to personally occupy the premises as a primary residence or (ii) to sell the property. Because of the timing, any termination under this section is likely to become effective August 31.
  • Creates a defense to eviction if the housing provider failed to offer a reasonable payment plan.
  • Exempts commercial properties from the rent control provisions where an automatic rent increase was agreed to and executed prior to February 29. 
  • Adds a retaliation provision for invoking their rights under any of the Governor's eviction Proclamation or other rights provided by the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act.
  • Permits reasonable communications with residents to explore repayment plans.  

Landlord Times: Handling Apartment Maintenance Issues During a Pandemic

Warren Allen LLP attorney Bradley S. Kraus explores the legal issues surrounding a landlord handling maintenance issues during a pandemic in this article from this month's Landlord Times. Read more. 

How The Strain From the Pandemic is Affecting Multifamily Managers

Ron Garcia of Garcia Group Property Management offers a stark look at what's happening 90 days into Oregon's non-eviction order from a rental management perspective. Read more in the Rental Housing Journal. 

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Owners in Boston and New York Sue to Overturn Eviction Moratoriums

Landlords in New York and Massachusetts have filed legal challenges to eviction moratoriums, arguing the bans are unconstitutional. Read more.

Monday, June 1, 2020

More Than Half of Washington State Counties Get OK to Reopen; King County to Apply for Modified Phase 1

More than half of Washington State counties get approval to enter the second phase of the state's four-phase coronavirus recovery plan, the governor announced last week.

Meanwhile, County executive Dow Constantine announced Friday that King County will apply for approval to enter a modified Phase 1 reopening.