Q: Rent increase Portland OR - landlord won't provide written notice
Landlord called Jan 2 to tell me he's raising my rent by more than 25%. He wanted to make it effective Jan 1 but, since I'd already sent out my rent check, he said he'd "do me a favor" and make it effective Feb 1. When I asked about the 90-day requirement in for rentals in Portland city limits, he told me that if I wanted that he would "have to make it a bigger increase". I requested that he put in writing twice before we hung up and followed up with a written request for official notice a week later. As of today, I have not received anything except a missed call from him - no message. I plan to send my rent check in the form of a cashier's check with certificate of mailing at the regular amount (pre-increase) along with another letter explaining that I won't pay the higher amount without official notice.
My question is: am I handling this situation properly and covering all my bases? I want to be sure that I'm not leaving anything out.
A: It depends upon what you want. You should just continue to pay your normal rent in a timely manner. If the landlord wants to do something about it, it will be his burden to prove that he gave you the required 90 day notice (now required statewide for rent increases). If the dwelling is within the Portland City limits, the landlord also is subject to the relocation assistance payment rules. They include his providing you written notice of your rights to such payments at the time he issues a rent increase notice of 5% or more. So you may want to document as best you can the verbal rent increase notices. Also be aware that if you are on a month to month tenancy, the landlord may decide to terminate your tenancy. Yes, retaliating that way is unlawful but it is very difficult for you to prove. So all in all, you may want to review everything in detail with a landlord-tenant attorney to learn your exact rights and to create a game plan for how to best go forward. A single session should answer all your questions. Good luck.
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