Gov. Brown signs nation’s first statewide rent control

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has signed the first mandatory statewide rent control bill for the U.S. as the economically booming state struggles to control a spiraling housing crisis.

The Democratic governor at a signing ceremony Thursday said the measure will “provide some immediate relief to Oregonians struggling to keep up with rising rents.”

The law will limit rent increases to 7 percent each year plus inflation. Landlords must also provide just cause before evicting tenants after the first year of occupancy.

The law takes effect immediately because Democrats who control the Legislature say the housing crisis is an emergency.

New York has a statewide rent control law, but cities can choose whether to participate.

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News release from governor’s office:

Governor Kate Brown on Thursday signed Senate Bill 608, which provides protections for renters related to no-cause evictions and rent increases — the first such statewide action in the nation. At the same time, the governor called for additional investments to stabilize the housing market and increase the supply of affordable homes.

“This legislation will provide some immediate relief to Oregonians struggling to keep up with rising rents and a tight rental market,” Brown said. “But it does not work alone. It will take much more to ensure that every Oregonian, in communities large and small, has access to housing choices that allow them and their families to thrive.”

The governor’s proposed 2019-21 budget includes $400 million in new investments aimed at ending homelessness for Oregon’s children, providing permanent supportive housing for the chronically homeless, housing Oregon’s veterans, and accelerating the growth of housing supply by tripling the existing pipeline of affordable housing by 2023.

To read the governor’s housing policy agenda, click here.