Renter Protections Process

Renter Protections Update:

 

  • A work session regarding the Phase II Renter Protections Draft Ordinance is scheduled for June 26th at 5:30pm on the City Council Tentative Working Agenda
  • For more information about the Renter Protections process and next steps, please sign up for the  Renter Protections Interested Parties email list or visit the Eugene Renter Protections Process webpage.  
  • City Council held a public forum on the Phase II Renter Protections Draft Ordinance on March 13th at 5:30pm. The recording is available at City of Eugene Public Meeting YouTube channel. The Council packet for the public forum is available here.
  • The Court determined on January 31, 2023 that the City is preempted by state law from imposing or enforcing a $10 cap on applicant screening charges. 
  • No additional enforcement language related to the $10 cap has been included in the Phase II draft ordinance in Attachment A of the Agenda Item Summary for Renter Protections. 

Renter Protections in the City of Eugene 


The City of Eugene is engaging in a multi-phase  process to review and potentially update renter protections.  Renter protections are broadly defined and include programs like the City’s Rental Housing Code program, which regulates rental properties in the city by creating minimum habitability standards. Renter protections can also include anti-discrimination protections like the ones found in Eugene’s Human Rights Code.   They can even include rent stabilization and limitations on no-cause evictions like those found in SB  608 (2019).


Phase I

In July 2022, City Council voted to approve an ordinance and adopted  Phase I of the Renter Protections Roadmap. 


Phase I of Renter Protections requires that the City provide documentation and information for tenants and landlords. Those documents can be found at eugenerentalcode.org. For more details about the Phase I ordinance and process, please see below.


Phase II

On March 13, 2023 Council held a Public Hearing on the Phase II draft ordinance for Renter Protections. Phase II Protections Include:

  • Limit Security Deposits
  • Process Applications in the Order Received
  • Relocation Assistance

Additionally, the draft ordinance includes a Small Landlord Compensation Fund for Relocation Assistance and language that requires landlords to report evictions to the City.


Phase III

Staff will return to Council with more information on Renter Protections Phase III in Fall 2023.

To provide comment or to sign up for the Renter Protections interested parties email list, please email renterprotections@eugene-or.gov or click on "stay informed."

  1. Phase II Renter Protections
  2. Phase I Renter Protections
  3. Renter Protections Committee 2019-2021
  4. 2017 - 2019 Renter Protection Work 
  5. FAQ's

Phase II Protections Under Consideration Include:

  1. Limit Security Deposits. Limit landlords to charging a maximum of two times the monthly rent for a deposit (including security, cleaning, and last month rent deposits). Not including pet deposits.
  2. Process Applications in the Order Received. Require landlords to process applications first-come, first-served. 
  3. Displacement Prevention Assistance (DPA). Require landlords to pay displacement assistance for legal no cause evictions, substantial changes in the lease, or substantial increases in the rent by the landlord. 

Phase II Process:

  • During September to early October 2022, staff researched Phase II items, hosted listening sessions, and solicited initial feedback from Housing Policy Board (HPB) on DPA.  
  • On October 24, 2022 Council held a work session on Renter Protections Phase II. Council directed the City Manager to bring back an ordinance limiting the amount of deposits a landlord may charge, requiring that applications be processed in the order they are received, providing for additional enforcement options for violations of the screening fee cap, and requiring eviction data reporting and providing for enforcement. Additionally, requiring landlords provide displacement prevention assistance in the amount equal to three times the current market rate rent published by HUD when either 1) the tenant is no-cause evicted or 2) the tenant rent is increased by five percent or more in a twelve month period and the tenant chooses to move rather than pay the increased rate, and create a small landlord compensation fund for landlords that earn less than 80 percent of area median income.
  • HPB met to discuss DPA seven times  between October 3, 2022 and April 3, 2023.
  • The Phase II draft ordinance was posted on February 26, 2023. 
  • Council held a public hearing on the draft ordinance on March 13, 2023.
  • A work session regarding the Phase II Renter Protections Draft Ordinance is scheduled for June 26th at 5:30pm on the City Council Tentative Working Agenda

Phase II Listening Sessions: 

The City of Eugene held two small group input sessions on Renter Protections Phase II on Sept. 30, 2022. One group consisted of tenants and tenant advocates, and one group consisted of landlords, property managers, and real estate professionals. Facilitation was provided by Cogito, a public involvement firm based in Eugene. Hosted online, the purpose of the 1.5-hour meetings were to listen for feedback on Phase II components being researched. The majority of the feedback requested was on Displacement Prevention/Relocation Assistance components, using Portland as an example because it recently implemented a detailed program. Notes from each listening session can be found here.

Contact Us

  1. Community Development

    Amy Cameron

    Rental Housing Navigator

    99 W. 10th Ave.

    Eugene, OR 97401

    Ph: 541-682-5383