What should I do if I get an eviction notice in Oregon?
Treat it as time-sensitive, not as an eviction. A landlord notice in Oregon is usually a step before a court case — not a judgment and not a lockout. If the paper names a court, a case number, or a date to appear, a case has been filed and a response window is running. Write down when and how it arrived, keep the original, and call legal aid the same day if a court is named. How long the notice runs is in Oregon Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, not in a national chart.
How do security deposits work in Oregon?
Oregon Residential Landlord and Tenant Act is where Oregon sets whether there is a cap, what may be deducted, and how long a landlord has to return what is left. Those figures change, and reprinting a stale number is how people miss a window. Document the unit at move-in and move-out, return keys the way the lease requires, keep a forwarding address, then read the chapter or take the file to legal aid.
What if my landlord will not make repairs in Oregon?
Most states, including Oregon, expect a landlord to keep a rental fit to live in. The exact process — written notice, a waiting period, repair-and-deduct, escrow, or a code complaint — is a Oregon question, and withholding rent without checking is one of the highest-risk moves a renter can make. Put the request in writing, date it, photograph the condition, and ask legal aid before you skip a payment.
Can my landlord enter without notice in Oregon?
Entry rules in Oregon are in Oregon Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, and they often differ for emergencies, repairs, and showings. This site does not invent a national hour-count. If an entry felt improper, write down the date, time, who entered, and whether you were told in advance — then confirm the statute or ask legal aid.
Does my city in Oregon add extra renter rules?
Portland has a Rental Services Office and additional local renter-protection requirements. Use the Portland desk on this site for the city offices. Other Oregon cities may have local screening or relocation rules. Community Alliance of Tenants and oregonrentersrights.org remain statewide education doors — they are not the court.
Where is free legal help in Oregon?
LawHelp.org routes Oregon renters to nonprofit legal-aid offices. Dial 211 for local rent, shelter, or utility help in many languages. If you have court papers, call legal aid the same day and ask about walk-in or self-help hours at the courthouse. Those resources are free and are never behind a sign-up on this site.
What are SB 608, SB 611, and HB 2001 in Oregon?
Community Alliance of Tenants names those session laws on their Know Your Rights page: SB 608 (just-cause / rent-increase overlay), SB 611 (rent-cap protections), and House Bill 2001 (eviction timelines). The names are real. The current text is a now-question in ORS Chapter 90. We do not reprint a cap or a day-count.
What is an FED in Oregon?
Forcible entry and detainer — the circuit-court possession case. Multnomah County Circuit Court for Portland. A landlord notice is a step. FED papers are same-day legal aid. Rental Services is not the court.
Oregon CAT, oregonrentersrights.org, or 211info?
Community Alliance of Tenants is a tenants union. oregonrentersrights.org is a self-help handbook hub and a pointer to the Eviction Defense Project. 211info.org is regional 211. Oregon Law Help is legal aid. Four different doors. ORS Chapter 90 is the statute.
Where do Oregon sample renter letters actually live?
Community Alliance of Tenants publishes repair, move-out, and deposit samples on oregoncat.org/know-your-rights. oregonrentersrights.org publishes handbooks and letters. This classroom points at those files. It does not host a copy that will go stale.
Is the Fair Housing Council of Oregon the same as CAT?
No. The Fair Housing Council of Oregon takes discrimination. Community Alliance of Tenants is a tenants union. Oregon Law Help takes an FED. HUD is the federal floor. Three local doors plus the Act.
What these Oregon sources cover
- ORS Chapter 90 addresses rental agreements, deposits and fees, habitability and repairs, landlord entry, rent increases, termination notices, and the process for ending a tenancy.
- Oregon Law Help publishes tenant-facing guides on notices, evictions and lockouts.
- Eviction cases in Oregon are filed as forcible entry and detainer (FED) actions in circuit court.
Official sources
- StatuteORS Chapter 90 — Residential Landlord and TenantOregon Legislative Assembly, the state's official statute publisher.
- Free legal helpOregon Law HelpStatewide legal-aid guides for Oregon renters, in several languages.
- Self-help hubOregon Renters RightsHandbooks, sample letters, and a pointer to the Eviction Defense Project. Not the statute.
- Tenants unionCommunity Alliance of Tenants — Know Your RightsOregon tenants-union education, organizing, and the renter hotline they publish.
- 211211infoRegional 211 for Oregon and southwest Washington — rent, shelter, food, utilities.
- StatuteOregon Residential Landlord and Tenant ActOr. Rev. Stat. §§ 90.100 to 90.875
- FederalHUD — tenant rights for OregonHUD’s state tenant-rights page, with a national index as fallback.
- Free legal helpLawHelp.org — find help in OregonRoutes to nonprofit legal aid. Free. Start here for court papers.
Oregon city desks
City ordinances sit on top of Oregon law. Each desk names the local office and the court. We do not invent a local deadline.
Questions on this desk
Common questions
Is there a national tenant-rights law that covers Oregon?
No. Oregon renters are covered by a federal floor (mostly discrimination and consumer protection), Oregon Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, and whatever their city adds. This page routes you to official Oregon sources rather than reprinting numbers that go stale.
What should I do after an eviction notice in Oregon?
Identify whether it is a landlord notice or court papers (a court name, case number, or appearance date). Date it. Keep the original. If a court is named, call legal aid the same day. The length of the notice is in Oregon Residential Landlord and Tenant Act — we do not print a number here.
How do I get my security deposit back in Oregon?
Document the unit, return keys as the lease requires, and keep a forwarding address. Caps, allowed deductions, and return deadlines are Oregon questions in Oregon Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. Confirm the current statute or ask legal aid before sending a demand.
Can my landlord in Oregon raise the rent whenever they want?
It depends on the lease, on Oregon Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, and on whether your city has rent stabilization or just-cause rules. A fixed-term lease usually holds the rent until it ends; a month-to-month tenancy is different. There is no national rent-increase percentage we can honestly quote.
What if the rental in Oregon is unsafe?
Write the landlord, date it, photograph the condition, and ask the city housing or health department about a complaint process. Whether you may withhold rent, repair-and-deduct, or must keep paying is a Oregon question. Ask legal aid before you skip a payment.
How do I find free legal aid in Oregon?
Use LawHelp.org to find a nonprofit office that serves Oregon. If you have court papers, call the same day. Dial 211 for local rent, shelter, or utility help. Those resources are free and are never behind a sign-up on this site.
Does my city in Oregon add extra renter rules?
Often. Rent stabilization, just-cause eviction, relocation assistance, and extra protected classes are usually local. Oregon state law is the floor, not the whole answer. Check your city housing department or rent board in addition to the sources on this page.
Does Renter Protection give legal advice for Oregon?
No. This is general educational information about Oregon renter law, not legal advice, and we are not a law firm. We do not review your papers or tell you what to do in your case. When a lawyer is needed, we say so and point you to free legal aid.
What are SB 608, SB 611, and HB 2001 in Oregon?
Community Alliance of Tenants names those session laws on their Know Your Rights page: SB 608 (just-cause / rent-increase overlay), SB 611 (rent-cap protections), and House Bill 2001 (eviction timelines). The names are real. The current text is a now-question in ORS Chapter 90. We do not reprint a cap or a day-count.
What is an FED in Oregon?
Forcible entry and detainer — the circuit-court possession case. Multnomah County Circuit Court for Portland. A landlord notice is a step. FED papers are same-day legal aid. Rental Services is not the court.
Oregon CAT, oregonrentersrights.org, or 211info?
Community Alliance of Tenants is a tenants union. oregonrentersrights.org is a self-help handbook hub and a pointer to the Eviction Defense Project. 211info.org is regional 211. Oregon Law Help is legal aid. Four different doors. ORS Chapter 90 is the statute.
Where do Oregon sample renter letters actually live?
Community Alliance of Tenants publishes repair, move-out, and deposit samples on oregoncat.org/know-your-rights. oregonrentersrights.org publishes handbooks and letters. This classroom points at those files. It does not host a copy that will go stale.
Is the Fair Housing Council of Oregon the same as CAT?
No. The Fair Housing Council of Oregon takes discrimination. Community Alliance of Tenants is a tenants union. Oregon Law Help takes an FED. HUD is the federal floor. Three local doors plus the Act.
Last reviewed 8 September 2026. Legal information, not legal advice. Not a law firm. hello@renterprotection.org