House Bill 2639 Now in Effect

  House Bill 2639 went into effect on July 1, 2014 and will offer Source of Income Protection for our tenants and a Landlord Guarantee Program for landlords. 

Oregon law has long prohibited discrimination in rental or for-sale housing (including advertising the sale or rental of housing) on the basis of protected class status, including race, religion, national origin, sex, marital or familial status, and source of income. Prior to passage of HB 2639 in 2013, the “source of income” category explicitly excluded federal rent assistance, which primarily refers to the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, which meant that Oregon landlords could refuse to rent to applicants, or even to consider them, just because they had a Section 8 voucher. HB 2639, passed under the leadership of House of Representatives Speaker Tina Kotek, removes that exception and explicitly states that federal or any other housing assistance is included in the source of income protection.

For more information view a brief PowerPoint presentation regarding HB2639.  Too many tenants struggle to find places where their vouchers will be accepted. Fear of administrative issues causes landlord reluctance to participate. When vouchers are not accepted, the important public purpose of the housing assistance program is undermined, and the stability of low-income families is threatened.
If you would like further information Lane County Legal aid has come out with a list of Landlord Frequently Asked Questions about HB 2639. These are still in “draft” status, so are not finalized by the Lane County Legal Aid. We will update these frequently asked questions as soon as we are provided a finalized version.