Today, Mayor Ted Wheeler and his colleagues in City Council unanimously voted to approve an Emergency Ordinance introduced by Mayor Wheeler, officially adopting Multnomah County’s residential eviction moratorium policy. The joint County-City adoption of a single policy ensures that community members and landlords are clear about their rights and responsibilities during this event. The County’s policy adopted by the City builds on Mayor Wheeler’s citywide Emergency Declaration and it includes:
- A temporary moratorium on all residential evictions in the City of Portland and Multnomah County for tenants on the basis of nonpayment of rent, due to wage loss resulting from COVID-19.
- No late fee may be charged or collected for rent that is delayed for the reasons stated in the moratorium;
- After the emergency declaration is lifted, renters will have 6 months to repay the rent they owe. This action does not freeze rents, it gives people extra time to pay
“I’m very proud of the partnership we’ve had with Chair Kafoury and Multnomah County, and the way our Council has come together to respond aggressively and in a unified way to this crisis,” Mayor Wheeler said. “My colleagues and I are laser-focused on supporting the resilience and recovery of our community.”
The passing of a City ordinance adopting the County’ s eviction moratorium is just a first step. Addressing relief for landlords, Mayor Wheeler and the City of Portland are having conversations with banks, lending institutions and state and federal partners to ensure an equitable outcome for everyone within the economic cycle affected by the eviction moratorium.
“The best way to slow the spread of the economic fallout of this virus is to do everything we can to support local residents, landlords, workers and employers,” Mayor Wheeler said. “We will get through this together, and on the other side we will rebuild, together.”
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