NLIHC’s State and Local Innovation (SLI) project released on July 25 a case study on just cause eviction laws. The publication highlights two successful efforts to pass just cause protections – one in Oregon and the other in Washington State. The case study is part of NLIHC’s State and Local Tenant Protection Series: A Primer on Renters’ Rights, a collection of resources aiming to shape the conversation about state and local tenant protections. Read the new case study.
Just cause eviction laws, which define the permissible reasons for which a landlord can evict a tenant or refuse to renew a tenant’s lease, are intended to prevent arbitrary, retaliatory, and discriminatory evictions. In addition to defining the allowable grounds for eviction, just cause laws often include notice requirements to ensure that tenants have advanced warning of an impending eviction and enforcement mechanisms to ensure landlords and property managers comply with the law.
The new case study explores a multi-year campaign by Stable Homes for Oregon Families that culminated in passage of “S.B. 608” and an effort in Washington that resulted in passage of “H.B. 1236.” The publication gives an overview of the two pieces of legislation, details advocacy efforts by state-level organizations, and explains the impacts of the protections on the lowest-income and most marginalized households. Like other materials in the State and Local Tenant Protection Series, the new case study is meant to help state and local advocates identify successful tactics for advancing, enacting, and implementing just cause protections in their own jurisdictions, as well as to offer insights into the challenges that can occur during the advocacy and legislative processes.
NLIHC will publish three more case studies this year highlighting additional tenant protections that can work in tandem with just cause protections to ensure housing stability and prevent evictions. Explore NLIHC’s State and Local Tenant Protections Database to learn about the more than 600 tenant protections that have been enacted in states and localities around the country.
Download the new case study here.
Find a list of existing state and local “just cause” laws here.
Lear more about NLIHC's SLI project here.