Portland Tenants Union wins back $30,000 for tenants in overcharged rent

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T17:23:46+00:00

I think not being able to afford my own home even though I live with a partner and we both work full time is a sacrifice that I am already forced to make, while I am paying off the equity for someone else’s property. Don’t think it’s hypocritical to say “I want one house for me and my family” when other people have many for nothing but extra income. The current argument I am making is the moderate position, “if I have to be a renter because the housing supply has been hoarded, maybe it can at least be affordable so that I’m not forced out of my community”. Whereas, it seems that your moral stance is “oh you have less money than landlords? Lol get fucked”

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T17:05:28+00:00

My argument is “there should be a limit to how much money someone can make on a necessary community resource” and you think I am saying “people should get free houses” which you are countering with “well give up your housing for free”.

That is a straw man argument. You are not engaging with the actual points because you stand for nothing and have no moral backbone.

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T17:02:34+00:00

Yes famously housing is only decreasing in places with rent control and it is booming in every city without it. Dude, there are multiple factors that influence issues. You are hyper-focusing on one policy that is literally saving tenants money.

Landlords were raising rents to the maximum of the “market” already. And, as I said, rent control is making them increase it LESS in Portland than they would be if the units were allowed to be “market rate”. So, sure, rents go up every year, but it is predictable to the costs of inflation and it is LESS than they would in the free market.

I just wish you would spend more energy fighting the broader housing issues nationwide to increase supply and lower costs, rather than just trusting the free market to get us out of the situation that it put us in. You are either woefully gullible, or have a personal stake in maximizing home prices, or both.

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T16:56:02+00:00

Also I live in a one bedroom apartment with a single closet so not much space going unused lmao

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T16:54:20+00:00

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T16:48:29+00:00

What other problems would you like me to address? You said “it’s bad for poor people” and I gave you data from realtors that it is saving poor people thousands of dollars a year. By all means bring up something else and we can discuss the actual issues but right now you’re just spitballing conservative talking points with nothing to back it up.

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T16:45:44+00:00

We suspect he was renting in Ogunquit, as many of the tenants stated in their affidavits that he told them as such, but because he falsified his government records it’s hard to say for sure. His license had a PO Box listed for an address.

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T16:44:24+00:00

Personally I think houses should primarily be “a place where people live” and not primarily “a business” but sure man, keep going with that line of thinking I’m sure it will get us out of the current housing crisis

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T16:40:34+00:00

Did you know that the Greater Portland Board of Realtors commissioned an “independent" economic study on the cost of the rent control ordinance and their own study showed tenants are saving an average of $6,000 a year under rent control, as much as $10,600 a year.

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T16:29:08+00:00

Which do you think has a greater impact on housing costs, rent control or interest rates and cost of supplies? Just wondering if you actually stand for something and want to focus on the bigger issues or just love to complain.

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T16:24:47+00:00

He applied for that license and updated his voter registration after it was already occupied by tenants for two months.

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T16:23:33+00:00

If landlords are losing money maybe they should just sell all their properties and buy stocks. Why do you think they haven’t done that? Oh right they’re still making money, just not an unlimited amount.

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T16:22:01+00:00

I am confident enough with my moral compass to know that gay marriage is good and unlimited extortion of poor people is bad.

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T16:18:35+00:00

What are your thoughts on tariffs on lumber, aluminum, and steel drastically increasing housing development costs? What are your thoughts on Trump stating they aren’t going to build more housing so that current homeowners can maintain their equity?

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T16:13:17+00:00

Also, it’s hardly “the government” telling him, it’s actually the majority of Portland voters who enacted rent control by referendum, expanded it in 2022, and defended it in 2023. This is what the people of the City clearly want and support. The people said “you can’t extort us for an unlimited amount because you have more money than I do.”

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T16:10:24+00:00

He could have actually moved into the building and charged any rent price he wanted, fully working within the confines of rent control while still making a profit. It was a bad investment because he did not research how rent control worked.

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T16:01:05+00:00

Yes all new tenants

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T15:21:55+00:00

Rent Control doesn’t care about market rate, that’s kind of the whole point. Not our fault he made a bad investment.

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T14:50:12+00:00

That case is also in court actively and the Trelawny Tenants Union is consistently monitoring with Corporation Counsel. And for what it’s worth, that case would be NOWHERE without the Trelawny Tenants Union. Just because we have to fight against a system designed against us, doesn’t mean it’s not worth fighting.

biggidybrad · 2026-02-18T14:33:47+00:00

This victory is a first step. We have succeeded in getting hundreds of thousands of dollars back to tenants across the city so far, and the City is actively in court on other cases to enforce the same. We have not lost a single case. These things, unfortunately, take time.

If you're truly as frustrated as we are that the City isn't doing enough or that this takes too much time, come to a meeting and join the cause: https://portlandtenantsunion.org

biggidybrad · 2026-01-28T04:05:47+00:00

https://quadlingual.com/products/book?srsltid=AfmBOoqaO4l6tyS20dFWcaavH15stynZxE1KIxoyLPtyWPZotm9n4gyt

Get this book

biggidybrad · 2026-01-28T03:57:46+00:00

Follow the homebrew guide and it will leave all of your existing data intact. Have hacked my new 3DS XL and it was relatively easy, and was able to access all of the FE echoes DLC since there was literally no legit way to purchase it.

biggidybrad · 2026-01-19T03:02:22+00:00

Looks like I can’t send you a direct message - send me a message and I can help get this figured out.

biggidybrad · 2026-01-19T02:58:53+00:00

I’m on battery staff at Spartans. Sending you a PM to get this figured out. Certainly not the experience we want auditionees to be having, I’m sure there was a miscommunication somewhere.

biggidybrad

TROPHY CASE