City Commissioner Dan Saltzman Wants to Require 90-Day Notice for Evictions and Rent Hikes

GRANT PARK VILLAGE 3215 NE WEIDLER ST. COMPLETED 2014
By AARON MESH

Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman today responded to outcry from local housing activists by proposing that landlords must provide tenants with a 90-day notice of no-fault evictions.

The city's current rules require a 30-day notice for eviction or a rent hike of more than 10 percent. Salesman's proposal would also increase the notice period for 10-percent rent increases to at least 90 days.

"Portland renters need additional protections," Saltzman said in a statement. "Our city is experiencing record low vacancy rates coupled with record high rents, creating the perfect storm of housing uncertainty for many Portland families."

Saltzman's proposal—announced with the support of Mayor Charlie Hales—arrives the morning after the Community Alliance of Tenants declared a "state of emergency" for Portland renters, citing several recent building-wide evictions. (The activists have not released any numbers on how widespread such evictions have become.)

The CAT wanted a year-long moratorium on all evictions and a 12-month notice for rent hikes larger than 5 percent.

Anxiety about the cost of rent has been growing all summer. The latest figures from commercial broker Marcus & Millichap show the average Portland apartment rent is at an all-time high of $1,110 per month.

"Renters need more advance notice of rental increases," Saltzman says. "30 days is hardly adequate for renters to budget for the exorbitant rental increases many families are facing."

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