Do this today
- Write the date, time, and how they entered.
- Ask in writing for notice next time, if that is the rule.
- If it felt like harassment, Portland Rental Services Office or legal aid — not a group chat.
Can a landlord in Portland enter whenever they want?
Generally no — except that emergencies and the lease can change the picture. Oregon Residential Landlord and Tenant Act is the Oregon starting point. Write down any entry you believe was improper. Oregon’s Chapter 90 is the statewide book. Portland’s Rental Services Office is the local desk. Coverage of any Portland-only screening or relocation rule is an address-and-ordinance question.
What if they keep coming in?
A pattern of unannounced entry can be a harassment or privacy problem. Portland Rental Services Office may take a complaint. Legal aid can tell you whether Oregon gives a specific remedy. Do not change the locks without advice.
What does Portland’s Rental Services Office actually do?
It publishes local rules, screens some notices, and answers coverage questions for City ordinances. It is not a court and it is not legal aid. Multnomah County Circuit Court hears possession cases. Oregon’s landlord-tenant chapter is still the floor.
Oregon CAT, oregonrentersrights.org, or 211info — which one?
Community Alliance of Tenants (oregoncat.org) is a tenants union — education and organizing. oregonrentersrights.org is a self-help handbook hub and a pointer to the Eviction Defense Project. 211info.org is regional 211 for rent, shelter, food, and utilities. ORS Chapter 90 is the statute. Portland Rental Services is the City office. They are not interchangeable.
The Portland layer
Oregon’s Chapter 90 is the statewide book. Portland’s Rental Services Office is the local desk. Coverage of any Portland-only screening or relocation rule is an address-and-ordinance question.
Oregon Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Or. Rev. Stat. §§ 90.100 to 90.875) is the Oregon floor. We name it. We do not paraphrase a day-count or a dollar cap out of it.
Portland questions
How much notice does a landlord in Portland have to give before entering?
That hour-count or day-count is in Oregon Residential Landlord and Tenant Act and sometimes in a city rule. This desk does not invent it. Write down what happened and take it to legal aid or Portland Rental Services Office.
What does Portland’s Rental Services Office actually do?
It publishes local rules, screens some notices, and answers coverage questions for City ordinances. It is not a court and it is not legal aid. Multnomah County Circuit Court hears possession cases. Oregon’s landlord-tenant chapter is still the floor.
Oregon CAT, oregonrentersrights.org, or 211info — which one?
Community Alliance of Tenants (oregoncat.org) is a tenants union — education and organizing. oregonrentersrights.org is a self-help handbook hub and a pointer to the Eviction Defense Project. 211info.org is regional 211 for rent, shelter, food, and utilities. ORS Chapter 90 is the statute. Portland Rental Services is the City office. They are not interchangeable.
What number should I call in Portland?
Danger: 911. Mental-health crisis: 988. City services: 311. Court papers: LawHelp.org the same day. Portland Rental Services Office does not replace legal aid when a case is filed.
National answers on this desk
Last reviewed 8 September 2026. Legal information, not legal advice. Not a law firm. hello@renterprotection.org