OGDEN -- The Ogden Civic Action Network and the Ogden-Weber Community Action Partnership are teaming up to provide information for renters in Weber County.

With the Eccles Community Art Center -- located at 2580 Jefferson Ave. -- serving as the venue, the organizations will co-host a "Renters Open House" from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. Admission to the event is free and food will be provided.

"We're borrowing that idea of an open house, which can be familiar to anyone who's looking for a place to rent," Isaac Farley, one of the event's organizers, told the Standard-Examiner. "And we're turning a historic home in east-central Ogden into a hub about housing for a day."

Per the latest available one-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, there were roughly 25,100 occupied rental units (out of 95,099 occupied housing units total) in Weber County in 2022.

Meanwhile, the median rent cost for all bedrooms and all property types in Utah, as tracked by Zillow, currently sits at a whopping $1,825 per month. And it was over $2,000 as recently as last year.

With the cost of living trending ever upward in the state, renters have much to contend with. The goal of the open house is to provide them with the knowledge they need to better navigate their housing situations.

"We're spending more to find a place to live than anything," Farley said. "But besides that, a lot of people have questions about pets ... getting some clarity about those laws. ... Another that I've been hearing a lot is people just not having a lot of clarity or confidence in interacting with their landlord."

Farley also mentioned a lack of understanding with the eviction process. Those issues and others will be covered during the open house, which is set to feature a myriad of presenters.

The Renters Justice Coalition will be doing a presentation on tenant rights. America First Credit Union will discuss financial planning/rental affordability. Other presenters will cover topics ranging from utility bills to becoming more attractive as a renter and more.

"Just knowing the laws, I think, is really important. And understanding what, according to the letter of the law, the landlords can or cannot do," Farley said. "Knowledge is power. The more you know, the better time you'll have, the better experience with renting. So I think that's really the overall theme of the event."

For more information or to RSVP, go to https://ogdenopenhouse.carrd.co.

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