Affordable Housing: Portland Passes Emergency Tenant Protections

The Portland City Council passed emergency protections for tenants Thursday night. requiring landlords in many cases to help pay moving expenses for tenants they have evicted. The vote came after more than 100 people testified.

The law - passed by newly-elected Commissioner Chloe Eudaly along with Mayor Ted Wheeler - requires landlords pay moving costs for tenants they have evicted without cause or people forced to move because their rent has been raised by more than 10 percent in one year.

Under the law, landlords will have to pay between $2,900 and $4,500.

A last minute change provides exemptions for landlords who manage only one rental unit.

The law is an emergency measure, which meant it required a unanimous vote of the council.

"It's for only eight months," said Commissioner Amanda Fritz, who was said to have been wavering in the days before the vote. "I have at this hearing decided I could enthusiastically support it."

A landlords group has said they will sue the city if they pass the law. Eudaly has said the law withstand any challenge.

The policy takes effect immediately.