$1,000 Rent Increase Notice Rescinded After Online Outrage

By Rob Manning (OPB)
Portland, Oregon July 24, 2015 10:16 p.m.

An apparent rent increase at an affordable housing apartment complex in Portland sparked outrage online Friday. But it all proved to be a misunderstanding.

The notice to residents of the McCoy Village Apartments on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard said rents were going to more than double in October. The building's manager, Cascade Management, Inc., sent the message out to renters. Worried residents quickly posted news of a $1,000 monthly rent hike on social media websites Facebook, Twitter and reddit.

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Renters at the McCoy Village Apartments say they received a notice of rent increase Friday that would more than double their payment.

Renters at the McCoy Village Apartments say they received a notice of rent increase Friday that would more than double their payment.

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The building owner, Catholic Charities, and rental subsidy provider Home Forward are also mentioned in the notice.

Home Forward spokesperson Shelley Marchesi said Cascade Management wrote the notices, and included incorrect numbers. She said they've been rescinded.

Marchesi says the $1,926 rental figure raised a flag with Home Forward because it matches the maximum rental subsidy for four-bedroom apartments in the area.

Cascade Management's director of marketing, Tiffany Roderick, issued a statement Friday saying the notices were sent to renters in error.

"The intent of the previous notices and any future notices is to determine how much Home Forward will allow to be paid for the unit," Roderick said. "Any increase is intended to have minimal impact on the resident portion of the rent payment."

Roderick said the company plans to clarify any future increases with its residents and will hold a meeting.

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