Introducing a "Tenant Opportunity to Purchase" in Eugene

A Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) is a policy that gives tenants the legal right to organize and purchase their rental property before the owner sells it to someone else. TOPA originated in Washington, D.C. in 1980 amidst a wave of urban renewal and gentrification, and the policy has since made a meaningful impact on improving the District’s affordable housing stock and reducing displacement.

By empowering tenants with the right to organize and purchase their housing, TOPA presents a powerful tool for preventing displacement, preserving affordable housing, and promoting conversion to resident-owned cooperatives.

In Oregon, there are already existing state laws to help facilitate converting manufactured home parks to resident-owned cooperatives, and there is a strong opportunity to build on the success of this concept by expanding it to also include multi-family rental housing.

SquareOne Villages and the Springfield Eugene Tenant Association are currently advocating for Eugene's City Council to include TOPA in the city’s Phase Three Renter Protections.

• Read the Eugene TOPA one-pager for a concise guide explaining how the policy works. 

• Sign this petition to tell Eugene City Council: "Pass a Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) in Phase 3 Renter Protections."

Additional Work by SquareOne on TOPA

In Summer 2024, staff from SquareOne Villages and CASA of Oregon teamed up to complete a survey of Eugene's "co-op conversions" ecosystem as part of the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board's National Incubator for Permanently Affordable Co-op Housing Practitioners.

This research included an inventory of the roles, timeline, and financing tools necessary for supporting co-op conversions. It also compared the existing State policy for Manufactured Home Parks with a potential policy for multi-family TOPA in Eugene to identify the opportunities and gaps in resources necessary to support policy implementation.

View the full slide presentation here >>

The SquareOne team also participated in the Housing Oregon 2024 Conference, presenting on the "Exploring a Tenant's Opportunity to Purchase Framework for Oregon" panel. The discussion covered key findings and next steps for advancing TOPA as a tool to support affordable housing and renter protections. Watch the video below.