The TeaScape Massage and Teahouse in Southeast Portland had been open just two months last year when Oregon ordered it and other massage therapists to close in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak.
Those restrictions eased a couple months later, but only about a third of TeaScape Massage’s clientele has returned. That left the business with far more in expenses than revenue. Owner Miho Hatanaka told Oregon lawmakers Tuesday that her business is now $25,000 behind on rent.
Oregon lawmakers allowed the state’s moratorium on commercial evictions to expire last September but gave business owners until the end of March to repay their outstanding rent, potentially preventing an onslaught of commercial evictions over the last six months.
With that March 31 deadline now looming, business owners say they need more time.
Business owners and Portland city leaders urged Oregon lawmakers Tuesday to support a proposal that would give commercial tenants until the end of September to repay rent bills they accumulated during the worst days of the coronavirus recession last year.
Rep. Rob Nosse, D-Portland, is floating the proposal as an amendment to a bill that would prohibit evictions of commercial tenants whose outstanding rent does not exceed their security deposits.
“This will be a big help for us and many business owners who are trying to get back on their feet,” Hatanaka told lawmakers during Tuesday’s public hearing.
The looming deadline for business owners to repay outstanding rent comes just as the state is getting its $100 million commercial rent relief program off the ground. Advocates say the state shouldn’t put business owners in a position to be evicted just as they are about to get money to repay their late rent.
Business Oregon, which is administering the commercial rent relief program, received 1,889 applications requesting nearly $49 million in funding from landlords on behalf of commercial tenants in the first week since applications opened. Applications for the first round of funding close March 22.
The agency plans to distribute $50 million during the first round of funding, with landlords receiving grants of up to $100,000 per business tenant for a maximum of $3 million going to each landlord. The application process for a second round of funding will open in late April.
But even landlords approved for the first round of funding won’t start receiving grants until April – after tenants are supposed to have repaid their outstanding payments under the state’s current guidelines.
It’s unclear how many business owners across the state are behind on rent and could face eviction if the repayment period isn’t extended.
Rep. John Lively, D-Springfield, chairs the House Committee On Economic Recovery and Prosperity. During Tuesday’s hearing, he said lawmakers will look at the number of applications submitted to the commercial rent relief program to determine whether more support is needed.
But some business owners say their landlords aren’t applying for the grants.
While both landlords and tenants must participate in the application process, landlords are required to submit the initial application and the grants will be paid directly to them. The grants must bring tenants current on their rent and the state is requiring landlords who accept the funding to sign an agreement forgiving any outstanding penalties or interest and ensuring that their tenants won’t be evicted.
Melanie Marconi, the owner of Vida, a coworking space in Northeast Portland, told lawmakers Tuesday that her landlord had not applied for the funds. She urged lawmakers to extend the repayment period to give her more time to get together the money she needs to repay her debt.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and the Portland City Council also sent a letter to lawmakers Monday urging them to extend the repayment period. Along with accessing funding through the commercial rent relief program, they said additional resources could be coming to business owners through the federal government’s latest relief package and that those businesses should be given time to access that help.
“Businesses across Oregon are still struggling to survive and adapt during this protracted public health emergency, and businesses owned by BIPOC Oregonians are particularly vulnerable to this severe disruption in the economy,” they wrote. “We cannot allow their last line of protection to expire before they can take advantage of these critical funding lifelines.”
-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com | @jamiebgoldberg
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Oregon business owners ask lawmakers for more time to repay late rent - OregonLive
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