Hi, I’m Coty Thurman, here to offer you a rental market update for the Portland-Vancouver Metro Region for November 2025.
Washington
Let’s start in Washington, where big changes are rolling in. The state just joined Oregon in adopting rent stabilization, setting limits on rent increases statewide. And right on cue, the city of Vancouver also launched a new Rental Registration Program starting in 2026.
The thirty-dollar registration fee will help build a citywide database and inspection program. It means a little more paperwork for housing providers, but it also adds visibility and accountability that ultimately benefits everyone.
Vacancy
The latest data from Multifamily North West’s Fall Report shows Clark County is still the star of the metro area. The biggest change — East Vancouver vacancy came down from 6.2 down to 4.3 percent. Downtown Portland also moved in the right direction (heeey), with a small but steady decrease in vacant units.
Inner Southeast, on the other hand, saw vacancy go the other direction. A three percent increase.—a reminder that the recalibration of our city is very much in motion.
While the Multifamily North West report focuses primarily on apartments, we manage single-family homes and have noticed our own trends.
On average, it’s taking about 18 days to secure an approved applicant, which occasionally means offering a small rent adjustment or a move-in concession to get the right renter in place. Even with that, rents are holding strong, with new leases signing at 99% of the prior tenant’s rent levels.
Okay, let’s touch on the topic nobody enjoys—evictions.
Since Senate Bill 2001 passed two years ago in Oregon, most rental assistance programs now require a formal eviction filing before a tenant’s request for help is taken seriously. No court date = no money. That means landlords are filing evictions just to get the ball rolling, which naturally creates tension between landlords and tenants.
Add in Oregon’s court backlog—where cases in Multnomah County can stretch beyond four months—and it’s no surprise that both renters and property owners are worn thin. For housing providers trying to manage both sides, it’s hard. Really hard.
We’ve made some sharp turns with housing policy lately, and it’s time to get back on a path that works for everyone. Because at the end of the day, behind every lease are real people—residents working to stay housed and owners trying to make their investments make sense. The layers of regulation have made it harder to navigate these moments with empathy…and honestly, it’s taken some of the joy out of serving this industry that I care so deeply about.
Still, I have faith that we’ll figure it out—to keep landlords investing in our city and to make sure renters continue to have housing choices beyond the large apartment complexes.
Make A Move
As we head into a season of gratitude, I’ll be raising my glass to stability, human connection, and continuing to make room to live.