No Application Fees
Rental fees can range from $35 to $100 per person – but most apartment-seekers have to apply to many apartments to find a place to live, meaning a renter can pay hundreds of dollars before finding a home. A simple background check only costs $33 from the city, so anything above and beyond only lines the landlord’s pockets. Applications are a cost of doing business.
Caps on Security Deposits
In addition to the money spent while trying to find a place to live, a renter must also have a significant amount of money saved for security deposits, sometimes more than three times the monthly rent. This money is retained by the landlord, and the landlord receives any interest accrued. We demand relief to this exploitative practice in the form of a realistic cap on security deposits.
Eviction Protections for Vulnerable Populations
No child should be homeless. Children experiencing homelessness suffer an emotional and physical toll that can last their entire life. We demand an eviction moratorium during the school year for households with K-12 students, for low-income residents, or for everyone during severe weather events.
Protection of Rights, No Matter Your Lease
Landlords can and do insert clauses into their leases that force tenants to waive their rights to arbitration or other legal protections. In a tight housing market, tenants may be forced to cede their rights in order to obtain housing. Renters should be able to exercise their full rights. We demand an end to this unfair practice.
Relocation Assistance for Evictions
In Benton County, 293 people received eviction filings – but over two-thirds of eviction filings that go to court end in a dismissal. Eviction proceedings are also disproportionately filed against Black and Latine renters. Landlords over-use the tool of eviction. We demand relocation assistance for the people in our city being displaced.
References
- Application fees from Realtor.com
- Background check prices from City of Corvallis.
- Security deposit information from ORS 90.300
- Effects of homelessness on children from the American Psychological Association and The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
- Rights in a lease from National Law Review and ORS 90.245
- Eviction statistics from Evicted in Oregon