Executive Director Message

Executive Director Message Ron Garcia, RHA Oregon Executive Director

As the saying goes, the third time is the charm! June 30th will be the third ending date that has been announced for Oregon’s Eviction Moratorium.

So what does this mean? Will we begin to finally get back to normal rent collections? Landlords and Tenants are wondering, “Is it really over or will it be extended again?” Tenants fear evictions for non-payment of rent will now resume. Landlords can no longer afford to stay in business. This massive gap of unpaid rent has devolved into a toxic unfilled crater. We are all asking, “What solutions are we being offered by our State?”

Let’s take a look at Oregon’s newest legislation, Senate Bill 282. It has just been passed after many rounds of work groups and lobbying efforts by both Tenant activists and Landlord groups.

The highlights of this law are:

A.The moratorium is NOT being extended beyond June 30, 2021. B.The required forgiveness for payment of back-rent WAS extended to February 28, 2022. C.Landlords CANNOT report any violations of rent non-payments accrued from April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021 nor deny applications to rent based on nonpayment of rent for this same period. D.Landlords CANNOT deny applications to rent for FED filings from April 1, 2020 to March 1, 2022 nor consider a judgement for applicant’s unpaid rent from April 1, 2020 to March 1, 2022. E.Extends the 72 / 144 Hour Notice to Pay Rent or Quit to 10 / 13 Days until March 1, 2022. F.Landlords CANNOT enforce restrictions against “Non-Tenant Guests” who stay through March 1, 2022, unless the denial is based on federal, state, or local occupancy guidelines. Any guests staying longer than 14 days MAY be required to be screened by Landlord (NOT for credit or income) and MAY be required to sign a Temporary Occupancy Agreement from Landlord. G.This bill is written as an Emergency Declaration and becomes law with the Governor’s signature.

SB 282 is yet another game-changing bill to Tenant-Landlord law in Oregon. However, it is written with a sunset clause that will end its specific regulations on March 1, 2022. One may wonder if these policies are intended to provide Rent Relief or are they primarily concerned with Eviction Protection?

During the workgroups, it was emphasized repeatedly that the primary justification for the extension of forgiveness and added Tenant protections is because Oregon stands to receive +/- $,2,000,000,000 in housing relief funds this year. Lawmakers understand that it will take time to push those funds through the system and get them paid to Landlords. They also wanted to allow time for the next Special Session in 2022 to modify provisions if necessary. Most important however, County Commissioners throughout the state likewise know what a monumental task this will be for their local jurisdictions, as they gear up for that challenge with its unprecedented demands on their servicing structures.

As an example of this, on May 19th a $200,000,000 program for rent relief was introduced on the website www.oregonrentalassistance.org. It is designed for Tenants to submit the application and will pay up to 100% of all pastdue rent from April 1,2020 through June 30, 2021, PLUS up to 3 months of forward rent to help them stay current after the Mortarium expires! Perhaps most importantly is that it will pay the funds directly to the Landlord if they provide a W-9 tax statement. Yet, as earnest as this program appears, at least 1 county (Clackamas) did not sign up to provide it upon its rollout, illustrating the complexities of local aid distribution.

I think we can all agree that the huge hole that has been dug needs to get filled in as soon as possible. And many hands make light of work! The truth is your Tenant did not create the problem, but they can help get the needed funds that are coming. I would like to take this opportunity to implore us all to wipe the sweat from our brow, stay focused and pick up a shovel and work together to help fill it in.

By Jerry L’Ecuyer & Frank Alvarez

Dear Maintenance Men: One of my maintenance chores I do is caulking and sealing shower/tub fixture flanges and shower walls. My problem is getting the caulking to dry before a resident uses the shower. Any Suggestions? David

Dear David: A lot of people will say: “Just tell the resident not to use the shower till the caulking is dry”. Well it doesn’t work and by the time you are driving away from the building, your resident is already taking a shower and your fresh caulking is washing down the drain. Your caulk should cure at least 24 hours before use. Water based latex caulking is easy to use, but very susceptible to water until it is cured. Try using a silicone or polyurethane based caulking for doing tubs, showers, toilets, sinks or other wet locations.It tends to set quickly and will repel water during its cure time.

Another solution we have found works well with very busy showers is to remove all the fixtures, including the showerhead & arm, valve handles and tub spout, before caulking. (A bit extreme, but effective) We then plug the showerhead and tub spout with a capped pipe. Then caulk the tub/shower. We come back 24 hours later and reinstall all the fixtures.

One more thought; if you have sliding shower doors for your tub, check the bottom track. If it is loose, do not caulk until the track is removed, cleaned and dried. Reinstall the track with new adhesive caulk to hold it down and caulk the edges to keep the water out. Dear Maintenance Men: How can I add more storage to my utilitarian type bathrooms? The residents complain that they need to store their toilet paper in the hallway! Please list a few suggestions on what to do? Robert

Dear Maintenance Men: My apartment building was built in the 1950 and has no insulation in the walls or ceiling. What do you recommend as the most cost effective method of insulating the building? Sam Dear Robert: It does seem bathrooms are sometimes designed as an afterthought. Sink, toilet, bath and that is it. A modern bathroom will take into consideration the need for storage, electrical devises, personal hygiene etc. The first item that comes to mind is installing a bath sink cabinet. An old style cabinet might only have a set of doors under the sink. We find this is not adequate and a cabinet should have drawers along with access to under the sink. The drawers can store hair dryers, and all manner of personal bath items. A unique system we like utilizes the space between the studs in the wall. Cabinet doors or mirrors can be used to cover storage in the walls. The wall storage is perfect for toilet paper, rolled up towels, tooth brushes, and most other small items. Install multiple towel racks on the back of the bathroom door for additional towel storage. The space above the toilet can easily accommodate an overhead cabinet for larger items. Reversing the swing of the bathroom door from inward to outward will greatly increase the usable room and make the bathroom appear larger.

Dear Sam: It is very common for older buildings to have no insulation whatsoever. As for where the best bang for your buck is concerned; ceiling insulation is the winner. For single story or top story units, ceiling insulation is very easy and inexpensive to install. Wall insulation is much harder and involves a more invasive approach. To illustrate the differences; ceiling insulation can be either batt insulation or loose fill insulation. The batt method is a bit more labor intensive and is less effective than loose fill. If you decide to use loose fill, be careful not to block ventilation holes or cover any through the ceiling light fixtures. Insulating existing walls typically involves drilling holes just below any fire blocks and blowing loose fill insulation into the wall cavity. Repairs to walls will be needed after the work is completed. The best of all worlds would be to do both wall and attic insulation. But if you must choose one over the other, we recommend doing the attic first as we have found this to be the most effective at cutting heating and cooling costs. You may want to check with your city or utility supplier; they often have low cost energy saving programs, or rebates.

Bio: If you need maintenance work or consultation for your building or project, please feel free to contact us. We are available throughout Southern California. For an appointment please call Buffalo Maintenance, Inc. at 714 956-8371 Frank Alvarez is licensed contractor and the Operations Director and co-owner of Buffalo Maintenance, Inc. He has been involved with apartment maintenance & construction for over 30 years. Frankie is President of the Apartment Association of Orange County and a lecturer, educational instructor and Chair of the Education Committee of the AAOC. He is also Chairman of the Product Service Counsel. Frank can be reached at (714) 956-8371 Frankie@BuffaloMaintenance.com For more info please go to: www.BuffaloMaintenance.com Jerry L’Ecuyer is a real estate broker. He is currently a Director Emeritus and Past President of the Apartment Association of Orange County and past Chairman of the association’s Education Committee. Jerry has been involved with apartments as a professional since 1988.