Eviction ban extended through end of year

Published 2:57 pm Tuesday, September 29, 2020

A state ban on evictions from residential rental units has been extended through the end of the year.

The order by Gov. Kate Brown comes after she had extended a ban on mortgage foreclosures until Dec. 31. Brown left open the possibility of extending the ban again, saying that restrictions need to be in place until the Legislature meets next January.

Brown’s issued executive orders banning residential evictions in March and added a commercial eviction ban in April. The move comes amid widespread unemployment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdown or cutbacks of businesses around the state.

During the first special session of the Legislature in June, lawmakers passed a bill barring residential and commercial evictions through Sept. 30.

Brown said the pandemic, wildfires, the flu season and the onset of colder weather made the extension of the residential ban by executive order necessary.

“Every Oregonian deserves a warm, safe, dry place to call home,” Brown said.

Brown’s order did not address the status of commercial evictions.

Brown issued the residential eviction order despite a weaker nationwide eviction moratorium put in place earlier this month by the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC’s plan requires renters to prove they met certain financial hardship criteria criteria to qualify.

The ban in Oregon bars all “non-payment and other no-cause” evictions. There are no requirements that renters submit information on their economic status to landlords or government officials.

When the moratorium is eventually lifted, renters will likely owe back rent unless there is a government aid. The legislation approved in June outlined a six-month repayment plan of back rent.