Rent Control Gains Support in Oregon

Polling firm DHM Research has found that a slight majority of Oregon residents now support the repeal of the statewide ban on rent control, with 52 percent of Oregonians supporting the change. Jim Redden of the Portland Tribunereports that the majority of the support comes from the Portland-metro region where housing affordability issues have been front and center.

DHM Research says the debate over rent control is happening at a time when many Oregon voters are feeling squeezed by the cost of housing. A little more than one-quarter of respondents indicate that their housing costs, including basic utilities, exceed 30 percent of their income.

Although the affordability issue affects residents from all parts of the state, in the Portland area, 28 percent of voters say their housing costs are too high. That compares to 23 percent in the Willamette Valley and 25 percent in the rest of the state.

The push to repeal the ban has also gained the support of at least one legislator, with House Speaker Tina Kotek saying she will ask the State legislature to repeal the ban in the upcoming legislative session.