The eviction moratorium that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic has made a massive impact on both renters and landlords. While the moratorium helped prevent an eviction crisis mid-pandemic, landlords are increasingly realizing they can’t afford to keep going.
Ron Garcia, executive director of Rental Housing Alliance Oregon (RHAO), told KATU, “This whole process just needs to end. A lot of small landlords, they have single-family homes that they rent out. They’re all saying they just have to sell.”
RHAO assists landlords in navigating the pandemic. Some landlords have told KATU that they haven’t received rent from tenants in months, which could limit their options going forward. Without state assistance or owed rent being repaid, many may be forced to sell.
While the Landlord Guarantee Fund had roughly $15 million available following a December special session that tripled the available pool, there’s a catch.
Home Forward is the agency that approves and gives out the Landlord Guarantee Fund, though they say that so far only $1.2 million has been distributed.
Taylor Smiley Wolfe, the director of policy and planning with Home Forward, told KATU, “It’s difficult to know how many landlords there are that are actually eligible. You’re totally right, there’s no shortage of landlords who are in need and this program, it is really narrowly tailored. So, it’s for landlords who provided a safe harbor to their tenant and then experience non-payment during that safe harbor. I would say that’s one of the primary reasons why we are undersubscribed at this point.”
To qualify, landlords must meet three metrics:
- They must have an Oregonian tenant,
- The tenant must have initiated Safe Harbor,
- And the landlord has to have experienced nonpayment during Safe Harbor.
The safe harbor period ends June 30. Before then, there’s no way for landlords to know how much rent they’ll be short, preventing them from applying for assistance. While there’s still a possibility that landlords will be able to get assistance, many will be forced to wait and see.
“I can’t do anything,” said Garcia. “Landlords keep asking, can I do anything yet, and the answer is probably not. You just have to wait it out.”
By Ethan Hauck
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