Woman worried about catching COVID-19 after getting eviction notice

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    ALBANY, Ore. (KPTV) — An Albany woman said she feared for her life after she was served an eviction notice in the middle of the pandemic.

Jo Ruggles, 65, said a 90-day eviction notice was plastered on the door of her apartment on July 31. It gave her until the end of October to move out so her unit can be repaired and renovated.

Ruggles lives in a unit of a triplex off 23rd Court SE and relies on government assistance to pay her rent.

Aside from going to the grocery store, Ruggles said she has stayed home throughout the pandemic because she’s high-risk.

Ruggles told Fox 12 she became immediately terrified of catching COVID-19 at the thought of searching for a new place to live.

“If I catch coronavirus, I know I’m doomed,” Ruggles said. “To go out and about when I’ve been home (for months) I can’t. I have COPD and other underlying conditions and I’m scared.”

Ruggles said she’s reached out to Gov. Brown and congressional leaders because she wasn’t sure if the eviction notice was legal.

Oregon lawmakers have passed special temporary rules to protect tenants during the pandemic.

Several lawyers who specialize in tenant rights told Fox 12 the eviction notice appears to be unlawful.

“It wouldn’t stand in court,” Troy Pickard, the managing attorney at Portland Defender.

Pickard said House Bill 4213, passed earlier this summer during Oregon’s special emergency session, temporarily prohibits landlords from issuing evictions for purposes of repairs or remodeling, moving into a unit themselves, or for demolishing a building.

According to the Oregon Law Center, eviction notices cannot be issued until after the statewide eviction moratorium expires on September 30.

The owner of the Triplex is M&EM Investments LLC., according to property records.

After learning that Fox 12 was working on a story about the evictions, the property owners contacted their tenants, according to the owner’s lawyer.

Attorney James Cleary said the owners told tenants they would not enforce the 90-day eviction notice and would help them tenants find new apartments, as well as assist in their move.

The statement on behalf of the owners reads in part:

“We issued notice of evictions to the tenants on that property so that we could rehab and renovate the property. We purchased the property recently and the seller informed us that nothing has been done to the property for years. This is a huge safety concern for us. We are experienced in real estate and are aware of the multitude of issues that can occur with old and neglected properties. We are intending to renovate these properties to ensure our tenants safety for years to come. We have spoken with the current tenants today to ensure that they were being heard. Until today, they had not voiced any concerns to us about their safety in moving out. As soon as we learned of this, we approached the tenants and informed them that we would by no means enforce the 90-day requirement if they had safety concerns. In addition, we informed them that we would do everything in our power to help with transition including walking through properties on their behalf, assisting with moving, and ensuring they feel comfortable with the time they have to move. The intent of the renovation eviction is to increase safety, so we have never had any desire to put anyone at greater risk. We believe that the tenants would report the same to you if you ask.”

Ruggles told FOX 12 that she would rather stay in her apartment not only because of COVID-19 concerns but also because of the difficulty of finding low-income housing that’s available.

Ruggles said she only brings in about $800 a month on her disability and relies on government assistance through the federal HUD program to pay most of her rent.

“I’m very close to homeless,” Ruggles said. “If I don’t find a HUD housing – I don’t have anybody here, all my family is in California and I can’t live there.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Ruggles said.

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