I am writing this petition as a former resident of an apartment unit in which an unsolved murder occurred less than two years before I moved in, but for which I was not notified in advance. It is my hope to make it a federal mandate that all landlords be required to disclose deaths as a result of violent crime to a prospective tenant in writing if it occurred in the unit in question within the past five years if solved and ten years if unsolved, so that prospective tenants can make a fully informed decision whether to take the unit or not. I'll briefly share my own story, followed by some reasons to support my proposal.

In 2022, I and my then 11-year-old son moved in with my then boyfriend to an apartment in Oregon. Upon the walkthrough, the manager at the time noted some stains on the carpet which she stated were probably red paint and noted them on the inventory so we wouldn't be penalized for them, as well as some cracks in a couple of the doors which we didn't ask them to fix because they were cosmetic. However, after we had lived there for several months, I was speaking with another resident who was the parent of my son's friend and she informed me that she used to live next door and moved due to a murder that had occurred in my unit in 2020. I researched the incident, unwilling to blindly believe rumor, and confirmed that this was in fact true, and what was worse, the murder was unsolved.

Upon learning of the murder, we began to question several things about the unit. First, the so-called paint stains. There was nothing red in the rooms where the paint stains were and nothing that looked like it would've ever been red, or brown, or anything close to those stains, which looked like they may have been dried blood that was not cleaned properly. Now one would think after a murder that this would have been thoroughly cleaned, but whether it was or not, knowing about the murder was enough to make it a little creepy. In addition, we started paying closer attention to the cracks in the doors, noting that they looked like fist marks, another sign of violence occurring in the home. Realistically, the landlord should've resolved these things before even showing it to us, but we had told them not to worry about it as it was cosmetic, so we said nothing. However, I did speak to the second manager regarding my concerns about the paint stains, which she then claimed were nail polish without even looking at them. I told her I had heard about the murder and all she wanted to know was where, as if the person who told me was in trouble or something, but I did not give her a name, because I didn't feel the person who told me had done anything wrong. The manager stated that their protocol was to call in HAZMAT and follow their instructions, but that they never change the carpets between tenants. I was appalled. You won't even change the carpets after a murder? She also neglected to even offer to check the records to make sure all protocols were followed and documented appropriately. This gave me even more pause about the stains, especially since two different managers had given me two different stories.

I didn't bring it up to manager number three in less than two years, as by that point I was preparing to move out and to another state anyway. However, this whole incident was rather unnerving. My son started looking at the stains and trying to analyze them as if he were a forensic investigator, trying to figure out what they could indicate and getting more and more creeped out as he did so. By the time we left, we were itching to get out of that place and feel bad for the next tenant, but I feel that this should absolutely never have happened. When we were looking at apartments, they had two units available, but the one we took was due to be ready sooner. Had we been informed, we may have elected to take the other unit, or to move into a totally different apartment complex, but we should have been able to make a fully informed decision.

I am not asking that it be mandated that all deaths be disclosed to prospective tenants, such as accidents or natural causes, or even overdoses, but deaths due to murder should always be required to be disclosed if they occurred within the past five years, extended to ten if the case is unsolved, so that tenants can make an informed decision on whether to live there or not. There are a number of reasons this is recommended.

1. There is a chance the unit could still be a target for future crimes, diminishing the more time passes, but tenants should be able to decide if the risk is worth it to them.
2. Prospective tenants may have children and, while they may not feel concerned for themselves alone, do not wish to expose their children to the risks involved with living in a home that was the recent scene of violent crime.
3. Some people are psychologically uncomfortable with the fact that such an incident occurred, especially if recent, and it can detract from their enjoyment of the property, if not even their mental health, especially if they are already mentally fragile.
4. If nothing else, simply based on principle, people should have the right to make an informed decision on where they choose to live.

I will be sending a copy of this petition to President Donald Trump as well as any and all representatives and senators I can get ahold of, in order to see that as many lawmakers as possible can see it and decide for themselves whether it deserves their support. I am asking that this be a federal mandate and not a state by state one, because I feel that all Americans deserve the right to make informed decisions in situations like this.

I would ask that everyone consider this matter very seriously, regardless of your political affiliation, as this is not a partisan issue, but one that helps to protect all Americans, regardless of their political standing.

Thank you for your consideration of and support for this matter.

In order to read about this murder yourself, I am including the link to an original news article about it as well as an update a year later, indicating it remains unsolved. I have been unable to find any information later than 2021, but the second article is less than a year before we moved in.

Original article: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/news/read.cfm?id=251038

Follow-up article: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/cs/read.cfm?id=321862