Here's what's on our mind.

On the reservation of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs in Central Oregon, it’s wildfire season. As of August 25, two fires were burning.

On August 31, Oregon Governor Kate Brown issued Executive Order 20-37, extending prohibitions on residential and commercial foreclosures in Oregon through December 31, 2020. This Order was issued under the Governor’s authority given by Oregon…

Companies across the state, and around the country, have suffered significant loss of income due to interruptions to their business caused by the spread of COVID-19 and the ensuing government-ordered closures. These companies have been disappointed…

Like most other industries, the real estate business was turned upside-down in March when the COVID-19 outbreak got real. Now that five months have passed and life with COVID-19 appears to be the new normal, some real estate trends are starting to…

In a prior blog post , we identified the recent trend to adoption of e-notarization in several states in response to the COVID crisis. As of that time, Oregon had not authorized e-notarization on either a permanent or temporary basis.

The COVID-19 health crisis has indelibly affected society, impacting our behaviors, habits, and priorities. Unlike previous recessions, our relationship to spending and saving may be markedly different in our current circumstance. One clear example…

During the special session held between June 24 and June 26, the Oregon legislature passed, and Governor Brown signed into law, HB 4204, which prohibits foreclosures in Oregon from March 8, 2020 until September 30, 2020. It applies to both…

On June 26, state lawmakers approved House Bill 4213 extending Governor Brown’s executive order temporarily prohibiting evictions of both residential and commercial tenants for non-payment of rent or other charges under a lease. Under the Governor’s…

In previous updates Tonkon Torp attorneys have addressed the applicability of force majeure clauses in commercial contracts. As expected, commercial renters are taking a beating, and many have been forced to close as a result of the pandemic.

It is the first day of May, and in normal times the rent would be due again. But these are far from normal times, and in many cases the likelihood that rent will actually be paid (or paid in full) is quite low. As tenants search their couches for…

On April 9th, the IRS released Notice 2020-23. The Notice pertains to Section 1031 like-kind exchanges to defer capital gains tax on the sale of real property. Under the Notice, the 45-day identification deadlines and 180-day exchange deadlines that…

On April 1, 2020, Oregon Governor Kate Brown issued Executive Order 20-13, expanding certain coronavirus-related eviction protections to include commercial tenants. This order follows a series of emergency moratoria issued by Governor Brown, the City…

Remote online notarization of documents, often called e-notarization, permits the execution of notarized documents via an audio-visual link between the signer and the notary. This eliminates the need for the signer and notary to be physically present…

On Wednesday evening the Senate passed a $2 trillion stimulus package. What follows are some of the highlights of the bill that are most pertinent to commercial real estate.

Force majeure clauses in contracts are intended to allow performing parties to avoid liability if certain natural or unavoidable events or catastrophes interrupt the expected course of events and impact the parties’ ability to perform.

Happy belated World Water Day. It was Sunday, March 22, but you could be forgiven for missing it, since we're all paying attention to the COVID-19 pandemic instead. But what about water and the coronavirus?

On March 22, Oregon Governor Kate Brown issued an executive order temporarily prohibiting law enforcement officers from acting on evictions as a result of nonpayment of rent. This followed the City of Portland and Multnomah County (which includes…

In this age of non-stop news coverage, we continue to be bombarded with news of how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting our world. Most of us would likely agree that the pandemic was unforeseeable and that it was out of anyone’s control.

While I was social distancing at home, I was talking with an electrician friend and he said that builders are not slowing down on projects at all. If anything they are accelerating.

As cases of COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, surpass 5,000 in the United States as of March 17 and global stock markets tumble amidst concerns over economic uncertainty, the Federal Reserve has taken measures to address economic turmoil. Most…