As Eugene resident Deborah Strochlic wrote recently (Letters, April 6), the Eugene City Council will soon vote on new regulations that will drastically affect Eugene’s housing supply. Similar laws passed in Portland resulted in many landlords selling off their properties, and Portland now has fewer available rentals.
When you are not a perfect applicant, there are fewer rentals available, and it’s harder to find a nice place to rent. Almost all of the many landlords I know personally are women who rent to people with red flags, questionable credit, etc. These are the kind of landlords who fix things as soon as they break, or allow a down-on-their-luck tenant to pay their cleaning deposit in monthly payments. I have even seen some who have helped homeless refugee families.
No one trusts or listens to landlords, because it’s easier and more fashionable to dismiss them as mean or greedy.
But I’m telling you, these are the conscientious landlords that are going to be selling properties if these new regulations pass. It will just be too much work — as well as too much liability — to do so.
Much to the detriment of our housing situation, which is already bad, Eugene could go the way of Portland.
If you’re concerned that these new measures are likely to reduce rental availability, please call the mayor’s office and share your concerns.
Cynthia Orlando
Springfield
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