EVICTION MORITORIUM EXTENSION

Oregon renters have received another temporary reprieve, thanks to an executive order issued last month.

On Sept. 28, Gov. Kate Brown issued Executive Order No. 20-56, extending Oregon House Bill 4213’s ban on the evictions of tenants for non-payment of rent, or without cause, for the remainder of the year.

This extension does not include commercial properties previously covered by HB 4213. It comesin response to a continued state of emergency caused by the coronavirus pandemic, as well as a second crisis, the Oregon wildfireslast month.

A separate mortgage foreclosure moratorium previously also received an extension through the end of the calendar year.

The rent moratorium is set to expire Dec. 31. Landlords receiving payments are required by the executive order to apply any payments by tenants first to current (ongoing)rent periods. No late fees may be applied by landlords during this period of state of emergency, nor during the six-month repayment grace period after the moratorium expires.

While Brown’s order does protect Oregon renters from being displaced for the time being, larger questions remain: namely, how residents who have been unemployed or without income from April 2020 when the House Bill was passed, can pay for eight months of back rent in a period of six months while staying current on their bills.

If you’re looking for rental assistance in the state of Oregon check the following websites:

• https://www.rentassistance.us/st/oregon •

https://www.oregon.gov/ohcs/housing-assistance/Pages/index.aspx

Or, dial 211 information if in the Portland metro area. Note that assistance is limited and usually on a first-come, first-served basis that refreshes at the beginning of the month.

The executive order may be read in its entirety at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ad81k_OuJeAXq6RzCw-CWCuL2ZlQAlil/view