HB 2134 - Allows tenants to terminate a lease without penalty if their landlord notifies them that their lease will terminate - PTU Supports

This bill passed in the house and is currently in the Senate Committee on Housing and Development. There is a work session on Monday, 4/28/25.

HB 2134 main points

• Currently, landlords can terminate a tenancy with 90 days notice in several circumstances
• Tenants face many challenges finding new housing when their tenancy ends
• This bill helps tenants secure housing by enabling them to end the tenancy within 30 days so they can move into their new housing
• This prevents tenants from finding housing that meets their needs, but not being able to take advantage because it stops being available by the time their tenancy ends

HB 3521 - If a landlord breaches an agreement to rent to a tenant after the tenant has paid a deposit, this bill requires the landlord to pay the tenant their deposit plus additional damages - PTU Supports

This bill passed in the house and is currently in the Senate Committee on Education. There is a work session on Monday, 4/28/25.

HB 3521 main points

• A landlord breaching an agreement before a tenant moves in puts that tenant at risk of losing housing
• Currently, landlords face no consequences for breaching agreements like this, while tenants can face homelessness
• This bill creates balancing consequences while providing tenants damages that can keep them off the street temporarily if they need to look for housing last minute

SB 586 - Reduces the number of days notice a landlord must give a tenant before selling the tenant's home, also removes a prohibition on selling multiple dwellings at once - PTU Opposes

This bill passed in the senate and is currently in the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness. There are currently no other events scheduled.

SB 586 main points

• The law already allows landlords to evict tenants when they are selling the home to a buyer who intends to move in.
• Any legislation that makes it harder for tenants to deal with a sudden eviction in the midst of a housing emergency is a mistake.

SB 1095 - Authorizes cities to impose vacancy fees on noncommercial residences that are vacant for 180 days or more in a year or consecutively - PTU Supports

This bill was passed by the Senate Committee on Housing and Development. It was then referred to the Senate Finance Committee and had a public hearing. No further events are scheduled.

SB 1095 main points

• This bill would help municipalities stop out-of-town purchasers buying properties as speculative property, removing them from the housing market.
• This bill will push properties into the market, putting downward pressure on housing costs.

SB 722 - Fines landlords who use price fixing apps like RealPage AND reduces the period for which new units are exempt from limits on rent hikes from 15 to 7 years - PTU Supports

There are no more scheduled legislative events, and this bill is likely dead for this session.

SB 722 main points

• These algorithmic devices allow landlords to engage in anti-competitive behavior
• They drive up rental prices beyond their market value
• High rent prices make the Portland homelessness crisis worse
• This law closes a loophole the prohibit cartel behavior that is already banned
• Capping rent increases on more units will help control skyrocketing rents

Sample testimony for SB 722

It's always great to add a personal story if you have one. Personal stories are the most impactful testimony, so please consider sharing how you have been or would be affected by excess fees charged by landlords, especially screening fees.

Dear Senator Pham and Senators of the Senate Committee on Housing and Development,

My name is [Your Name] and I live in [city]. I write to you in support of SB 722 which will stop landlords from using algorithmic services to collude to fix rent pricing.

High rents continue to exacerbate the homelessness crisis affecting Portland and all of Oregon and are a burden on all Oregon tenants. One recent factor in raising rents is the use of third-party companies like RealPage, Yardi, and YieldStar to work together to fix rental prices. Anti-competitive practices make a housing market already failing to serve Oregonians even worse. These services allow landlords to skirt antitrust policies to create de facto cartels to drive up rent.

It is absolutely vital that bodies like this one, who are interested in housing all Oregonians, take action to end these practices among landlords in our state. This is the first step in stopping unfair, anti-competitive practices among landlords in the state. Hopefully more legislation will follow to create stronger enforcement mechanisms and go after other common malfeasance among landlords like tenant harassment, bad faith complaints, and non-adherence to minimum housing quality standards.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

HB 2305 - Creates a "3-strikes law" to help landlords evict tenants - PTU Opposes

There are no more scheduled legislative events, and this bill is likely dead for this session. 🎉

HB 2305 main points

• Worsens the homelessness crisis
• Removes the tenants' right to cure
• Targets marginalized communities most of all (BIPOC, LGBTQ+, low income)
• Landlords can already evict tenants, this skips existing fair processes

Sample testimony for HB 2305

It's always great to add a personal story if you have one. Personal stories are the most impactful testimony, so please consider sharing how you have been or would be affected by a eviction or avoiding eviction with the right to cure.

[Your Representative],

I am [your name] from [your city], and I am writing to express strong opposition to HB 2305. This proposed bill would allow landlords to evict tenants for late rent payments without the opportunity to cure and would make it easier to evict for minor lease violations. In a time when job losses and economic hardship are widespread, creating a three‐strike law for housing is both unjust and dangerous. A few days’ delay in rent should never result in eviction when tenants face challenges such as delayed rent assistance or unexpected job loss.

HB 2305 undermines essential housing protections, disproportionately harming BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and low‐income communities. I urge you to consider the human impact and vote no on advancing this bill out of committee. We deserve dignity, stability, and respect. Supporting fair, humane housing policies is absolutely essential for building a resilient community.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

HB 2967 - Prohibits landlords from charging screening fees - PTU Supports

There are no more scheduled legislative events, and this bill is likely dead for this session.

HB 2967 main points

• Excessive add-on fees are one of multiple factors contributing to exploding rent, this bill would end one type of excess fee.

Sample testimony for HB 2967

It's always great to add a personal story if you have one. Personal stories are the most impactful testimony, so please consider sharing how you have been or would be affected by excess fees charged by landlords, especially screening fees.

[Your Representative],

My name is [your name] and I live in [your city]. I urge you to pass HB 2967 to prohibit landlords from charging application fees. These fees create a major financial burden for low-income renters, making it harder to secure stable housing.

These fees disproportionately affect marginalized communities and keep families trapped in unstable housing situations. Landlords have little incentive to keep these fees low. Existing regulations make it difficult for tenants to enforce their rights.

Eliminating these fees will help reduce barriers to housing and give renters a better chance at stability.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

SB 54 - Requires landlords to provide cooling in buildings with 10 or more residences. - PTU Supports

There are no more scheduled legislative events, and this bill is likely dead for this session.

SB 54 main points

• Every year, tenants die from heat-related illness
• Climate change will only lead to more extreme heat during Summers