A tenant who pays rent on time has much more value to a landlord than a vacant apartment. Eviction is expensive and time consuming, and not something landlords take lightly.

I was a tenant for many years and know what it feels like to be harassed by neighbors, barking dogs in no-dog buildings, and feeling generally unsafe and powerless. As a tenant, I relied on my landlord to respect my lease and take care of nuisance tenants. In turn, as a landlord, I make that promise to my tenants.

Question 1 takes this power away from landlords and isn’t fair to tenants who follow the rules; problem tenants will get months to stay on as their cases move through City Hall.

There is a shortage of affordable housing in Portland; why punish those who invest in our neighborhoods and provide safe, clean housing? I encourage you to vote no on Question 1.

Rose Greely
Falmouth