Oregon Landlord-Tenant Laws: What Renters Need to Know

1. Overview: Oregon’s Landlord-Tenant Laws

Oregon is one of the most tenant-friendly states in the country. And it’s not even close. In 2019, Oregon became the first state in the nation to pass statewide rent control with Senate Bill 608, which also introduced mandatory just cause eviction protections after a tenant’s first year of occupancy. Those protections sit on top of an already robust Residential Landlord and Tenant Act codified in ORS Chapter 90.

Here’s the thing: Oregon’s tenant protections aren’t scattered across random sections the way some states handle it. Almost everything you need lives in ORS Chapter 90 — security deposits, habitability, eviction procedures, retaliation protections, landlord entry rules, and more. That makes it easier to look things up, and harder for landlords to pretend the rules don’t exist.

These laws apply to most residential rentals. Some provisions exempt owner-occupied buildings with fewer than five units, and there are separate rules for manufactured dwelling parks and marinas in the second half of Chapter 90 (ORS 90.505–90.875). Commercial leases and short-term vacation rentals aren’t covered.

2. Security Deposit Rules

Security deposit disputes are the most common landlord-tenant fight in Oregon. The rules are straightforward, but landlords break them constantly — which is actually good news for you, because Oregon’s penalties have real teeth.

Deposit Limits

Oregon has no statutory cap on security deposit amounts. Your landlord can charge whatever they want, but all deposit amounts and terms must be written into the rental agreement. Most landlords charge one to two months’ rent. If the amount feels unreasonable, push back before you sign.

Return Deadline

Under ORS 90.300, your landlord has 31 days after the tenancy ends and you surrender the premises to return your deposit. That’s 31 calendar days — not business days. Along with whatever portion of the deposit they’re returning, they must include a written itemized accounting of every deduction. A vague line like “cleaning and repairs: $500” doesn’t cut it. You’re entitled to specifics.

What They Can (and Can’t) Deduct

Your landlord can deduct for unpaid rent, damages beyond ordinary wear and tear, and cleaning costs to restore the unit to its move-in condition. But they can’t charge you for normal wear — things like minor scuff marks on walls, worn carpet from regular foot traffic, or faded paint. Those are the cost of doing business as a landlord.

Penalty for Non-Compliance

This is where Oregon gets serious. If your landlord fails to return your deposit or provide an itemized accounting within 31 days, or if they withhold your deposit in bad faith, you can recover twice the amount wrongfully withheld plus court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees under ORS 90.300. So if your landlord kept $800 without justification, you could recover $1,600 plus legal costs.

3. Eviction Procedures and Notice Requirements

Oregon’s eviction rules changed dramatically with Senate Bill 608 in 2019, and then again with HB 2001 in 2023. Your landlord can’t just decide they want you out. After your first year in a rental, they need a legally recognized reason. And even during that first year, they still have to follow proper notice procedures.

Just Cause Eviction (After 12 Months)

Under ORS 90.427 (as amended by SB 608), once you’ve lived in your rental for 12 months or more, your landlord can only terminate your tenancy for cause. They can’t just hand you a no-cause termination notice and call it a day. This applies to month-to-month tenancies — fixed-term leases simply expire at their end date, but even then the landlord can’t refuse to renew without cause after the first year of occupancy.

First Year: No-Cause Termination

During your first 12 months of occupancy, your landlord can terminate a month-to-month tenancy without cause by giving 30 days’ written notice. But here’s a catch: if they use a no-cause termination during the first year, they can’t raise the rent for the next tenant above what they could have charged you under the rent cap (ORS 90.323). This discourages landlords from cycling tenants to jack up prices.

Portland and some other Oregon cities require 90 days’ notice for no-cause terminations even during the first year, plus mandatory relocation assistance.

Notice for Unpaid Rent

If you don’t pay rent, the notice period depends on your tenancy type. For month-to-month and fixed-term tenancies, your landlord must give you at least 10 days’ written notice(if served no sooner than the eighth day of the rental period) or 13 days’ written notice(if served no sooner than the fifth day) under ORS 90.394. For week-to-week tenancies, the notice period is 72 hours. If you pay the full amount within the notice period, the eviction process stops.

Notice for Lease Violations

For material lease violations — unauthorized pets, noise issues, unauthorized occupants — your landlord must give you a 30-day written notice for month-to-month tenancies or a 14-day noticefor week-to-week tenancies under ORS 90.392. You get the chance to cure the violation within that window. If you fix the problem, the tenancy continues.

Immediate and Serious Violations

For outrageous conduct — acts that are a serious threat to others’ safety or involve drug- or alcohol-related criminal activity — Oregon allows a 24-hour notice under ORS 90.396. This is reserved for truly severe situations, not garden-variety lease complaints.

Landlord-Based Just Cause Terminations

Even after 12 months, landlords can still terminate for certain no-fault reasons under SB 608 — but they must give 90 days’ notice and pay one month’s rent in relocation assistance. Valid no-fault grounds include:

• Demolition or conversion of the property
• Major renovations that require the unit to be vacant
• The landlord or a family member moving into the unit
• Sale of the property to a buyer who intends to occupy it — under SB 586 (2025), landlords may use a shorter 60-day notice for this ground if they provide written evidence of an accepted purchase offer and pay one month’s rent in relocation assistance (relocation payment required only for landlords who own more than four residential rental units in Oregon)

Illegal Self-Help Evictions

Changing the locks, shutting off utilities, removing your belongings, or physically blocking you from your unit is illegal in Oregon under ORS 90.375. Only a court can order an eviction, and only a sheriff or constable can carry it out. If your landlord tries a self-help eviction, you can recover damages plus attorney’s fees.

4. Landlord Entry and Notice Rules

Your landlord owns the building, but you’re paying for the right to live there. Oregon law protects your privacy with clear rules about when and how a landlord can enter your unit.

24-Hour Notice Requirement

Under ORS 90.322, your landlord must give you at least 24 hours’ actual notice before entering your unit. The notice must state the landlord’s intent to enter, and entry must be at a reasonable time. “Actual notice” means the tenant has to actually receive it — just dropping a note under your door while you’re out of town doesn’t count unless you actually see it.

When They Can Enter

Your landlord can enter for legitimate reasons including repairs, inspections, showings to prospective tenants or buyers, and to supply agreed-upon services. But every entry requires 24 hours’ notice and must be at a reasonable time, unless the tenant agrees otherwise for a specific entry.

Emergency Exception

The only exception to the 24-hour rule is a genuine emergency — a burst pipe, a fire, a gas leak. In an emergency, your landlord can enter without notice. But if they enter while you’re away, they must give you actual notice within 24 hours after the entry, including the date and time of the entry, the nature of the emergency, and the names of the people who entered.

Remedies for Unlawful Entry

If your landlord repeatedly enters without proper notice or at unreasonable times, you can seek damages under ORS 90.322. This isn’t just theoretical — courts take unlawful entry seriously, especially when it becomes a pattern.

5. Habitability Standards and Repairs

Oregon’s warranty of habitability is codified at ORS 90.320 and it can’t be waived. Any lease clause that tries to make you responsible for maintaining the premises in habitable condition is void. Your landlord must maintain the dwelling unit in a habitable condition at all times during the tenancy, at their own expense.

What Your Landlord Must Provide

Under ORS 90.320, a dwelling is considered unhabitable if it substantially lacks any of the following:

• Effective waterproofing and weather protection of roof and exterior walls, including windows and doors
• Plumbing in good working order that conforms to applicable law
• Hot and cold running water under the tenant’s or landlord’s control
• Adequate heating facilities in good working order
• Electrical lighting and wiring in good working order
• Buildings, grounds, and common areas that are safe, clean, sanitary, and free of debris, rodents, and vermin
• Working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
• Working locks and security devices

Your Remedies

Oregon gives you several options when your landlord won’t fix things:

• Essential services (ORS 90.365): If your landlord fails to supply heat, water, electricity, or another essential service, you can give written notice, allow reasonable time for repair, then procure the service yourself and deduct the actual cost from rent. You can also recover damages based on the reduced rental value of the unit.
• Minor habitability defects (ORS 90.368): For minor issues, you can give at least 7 days’ written notice, then hire someone (not yourself) to make the repair and deduct up to $300 from your next rent payment.
• Terminate the tenancy: For serious habitability failures, you can terminate the rental agreement and move out.

One important detail: these remedies don’t apply if you or someone you let into the unit caused the problem.

6. Rent Payment Rules

When Is Rent Due?

Rent is due on the date specified in your lease. If your lease doesn’t specify, rent is typically payable at the beginning of each rental period. Most leases set the first of the month.

Grace Periods

Oregon law provides a four-day grace period before any late fees can be assessed. Under ORS 90.260, a landlord cannot impose a late charge unless the rent payment is more than four days late. So if your rent is due on the first, no late fee can kick in until the fifth.

Late Fees

Oregon regulates late fees under ORS 90.260. Your landlord can either charge a reasonable flat fee once per rental period, or a reasonable daily fee beginning on the fifth day of the rental period. Daily fees can accrue until the rent is paid in full, but only through that rental period. The late fee must be clearly stated in the rental agreement to be enforceable. If your lease doesn’t mention late fees, your landlord can’t charge one.

Rent Increase Limits

Oregon caps annual rent increases at 7% plus the consumer price index (CPI), with a hard cap of 10% regardless of CPI, for rental units that are 15 years old or older (ORS 90.323). For 2026, the maximum allowable increase is 9.5% (7% + 2.5% CPI). New construction under 15 years old is exempt from the cap.

For month-to-month tenancies, your landlord must give at least 90 days’ written noticebefore any rent increase takes effect. For week-to-week tenancies, at least 7 days’ notice is required. During a fixed-term lease, your rent cannot increase unless the lease includes a rent escalation clause.

7. Lease Termination and Breaking a Lease

Ending a Month-to-Month Tenancy

As a tenant, you can terminate a month-to-month tenancy by giving your landlord at least 30 days’ written notice before the next rent due date. For week-to-week tenancies, you need at least 10 days’ notice. Your landlord’s ability to terminate depends on how long you’ve lived there — 30 days’ no-cause notice during the first year, and just cause with 90 days’ notice after that.

Breaking a Fixed-Term Lease

If you’re locked into a 12-month lease and need to leave early, you’re generally liable for the remaining rent. But Oregon recognizes several legitimate reasons for early termination:

• Uninhabitable conditions: If your landlord won’t fix serious habitability problems after proper notice
• Illegal lockout or utility shutoff: Self-help eviction by the landlord (ORS 90.375)
• Domestic violence, sexual assault, bias crimes, or stalking: Under ORS 90.453, you can terminate with just 14 days’ written notice accompanied by a verification statement. You won’t owe rent or damages after the release date, and you can’t be charged an early termination fee.
• Military deployment: Under the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (50 U.S.C. §§ 3901–4043), active-duty members can terminate with 30 days’ notice after receiving deployment or PCS orders

Landlord’s Duty to Re-Rent

If you do break a lease, your landlord must make reasonable efforts to re-rent the unit under ORS 90.410. You’re only liable for rent until a new tenant moves in. Your landlord can’t just leave the unit empty and send you the bill for the entire remaining lease term. That’s not how Oregon law works.

8. Retaliation Protections

Oregon’s anti-retaliation law is one of your most important protections — and one that too many tenants don’t know about. If you’re afraid to complain about a leaking roof because your landlord might raise your rent or try to evict you, this section is for you.

Under ORS 90.385, your landlord cannot retaliate against you for:

• Complaining to a government agency about building, health, or housing code violations that materially affect health or safety
• Complaining to the landlord about the same
• Organizing or participating in a tenants’ organization
• Exercising any right secured under federal, state, or local law

What Counts as Retaliation

Prohibited retaliatory actions include raising rent, decreasing services, serving a termination notice, or bringing an eviction action. If your landlord takes any of these actions within a reasonable time after you engaged in a protected activity, the timing itself can be evidence of retaliation.

Your Remedies

If your landlord retaliates, you have a defense in any eviction action brought against you. You can also recover damages under ORS 90.375. The retaliation defense is powerful because it can stop an eviction cold — a landlord who retaliates may find their eviction case thrown out.

9. Fair Housing Protections

Oregon’s fair housing protections are broader than federal law. If you’ve been discriminated against in housing, Oregon gives you more protected categories and stronger enforcement.

Oregon Fair Housing Law (ORS 659A)

Under ORS 659A.421, it’s illegal to discriminate in housing based on:

• Race
• Color
• Religion
• Sex
• National origin
• Disability
• Familial status (having children under 18)
• Sexual orientation (including gender identity)
• Marital status
• Source of income (including Section 8 vouchers and other lawful housing assistance)

That last one is a big deal. Oregon landlords cannot refuse to rent to you because you pay with a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) or another lawful source of income. This protection has been in effect since July 1, 2014. Many states still don’t have it.

Where to File a Complaint

The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) Civil Rights Division enforces the state’s fair housing law. You must file within one year of the discriminatory act. You can file online at BOLI’s Fair Housing page.

Federal Protections

The federal Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 3601–3619) provides baseline protections covering seven classes: race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, and familial status. You can file a federal complaint with HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity within one year.

10. Oregon-Specific Laws: Rent Control & SB 608

Oregon made national headlines in 2019 when it became the first state to enact statewide rent control. Senate Bill 608 was a landmark, and it’s still one of the strongest renter protection packages in the country. Here’s how it works.

Rent Stabilization (ORS 90.323)

Landlords cannot increase rent by more than 7% plus the annual consumer price index (CPI) in any 12-month period for residential rental units that are 15 years old or older. Since 2023, there’s also a hard cap of 10% — even if 7% + CPI would exceed that, the landlord can never raise rent more than 10% in a year (SB 611, 2023).

For 2026, with CPI at 2.5%, the maximum allowable increase is 9.5%. The Oregon Department of Administrative Services publishes the annual cap each September for the following year.

Exemptions from Rent Control

The rent cap does not apply to:

• New construction less than 15 years old (to encourage housing development)
• Subsidized housing where the rent is set by a government agency
• The first rent charged to a new tenant after a vacancy (no vacancy decontrol limits, but see below)

But there’s a clever anti-circumvention rule: if a landlord terminates a tenancy without cause during the first year using a 30-day notice under ORS 90.427, they cannot charge the next tenant more than the rent cap would have allowed for the terminated tenant. This prevents landlords from evicting tenants just to reset the rent.

Just Cause Eviction Protections

SB 608’s just cause protections kick in after 12 months of occupancy. After that point, your landlord needs a legally recognized reason to end your tenancy. For no-fault terminations (demolition, landlord move-in, major renovation, sale to owner-occupant), they must provide 90 days’ notice and one month’s rent in relocation assistance.

Portland’s Additional Protections

Portland goes further than state law. Under Portland’s Mandatory Renter Relocation Assistance ordinance, landlords who issue no-cause terminations or rent increases of 10% or more must pay relocation assistance based on unit size: $2,900 for studios, $3,300 for one-bedrooms, $4,200 for two-bedrooms, and $4,500 for three-bedrooms or larger. Landlords who fail to comply can be liable for up to three times the monthly rent plus actual damages and attorney’s fees.

11. Small Claims Court

Oregon’s small claims courts are an accessible option for most landlord-tenant disputes.

• Maximum claim amount: $10,000
• Where to file: The justice court or circuit court in the county where the rental property is located
• Attorney optional: You can represent yourself
• No jury trials: A judge decides the case

For security deposit disputes, small claims court is usually the fastest and cheapest route. Bring your lease, move-in and move-out photos, copies of correspondence with your landlord, and the itemized deduction statement (or evidence that one was never provided). Given the double damages provision in ORS 90.300, even a modest deposit dispute can be worth pursuing.

12. Key Oregon Statutes

Here’s a quick-reference table of the most important Oregon landlord-tenant statutes. All are part of ORS Chapter 90 (Residential Landlord and Tenant) unless otherwise noted.

13. Frequently Asked Questions

14. Sources and References

This guide is based on the following Oregon statutes and legal resources. Laws can change — always verify current statutes through official sources.

Oregon Statutes

• ORS Chapter 90 — Residential Landlord and Tenant
• SB 608 (2019) — Relating to Housing; Rent Control and Just Cause Eviction
• ORS 90.323 — Maximum Rent Increase; Exceptions; Notice
• ORS 659A.421 — Discrimination in Selling, Renting or Leasing Real Property
• SB 586 (2025) — 60-Day Notice for Sale of Rental Property

Federal Statutes

• Fair Housing Act — 42 U.S.C. §§ 3601–3619
• Servicemembers Civil Relief Act — 50 U.S.C. §§ 3901–4043

Oregon Legal Aid

• Oregon Law Help — free legal information and referrals for Oregonians
• Oregon State Bar — Landlord and Tenant Law
• BOLI Civil Rights Division — Fair Housing
• Oregon Judicial Department — Landlord-Tenant Self-Help
• Oregon Department of Administrative Services — Rent Stabilization

Federal Resources

• HUD Fair Housing Complaint Portal

For tenant rights that apply nationwide, see our Tenant Rights Guide. Looking for another state? Browse our state landlord-tenant law directory. Not sure what a legal term means? Check our rental glossary.