Do this today
- Keep move-in and move-out photos, dated, of every room and the condition of walls, floors, appliances, and keys.
- Keep the lease, the receipt for the deposit, and a record of how keys were returned.
- Give a forwarding address in writing.
- List each disputed deduction in one sentence with the reason.
What usually has to be proven?
A deposit dispute in Oregon is a records problem first. What was paid, what was deducted, what the unit looked like at both ends, and whether keys were returned as the lease required. Oregon Residential Landlord and Tenant Act is the chapter to open for caps, timing, and itemization — not a national chart.
Should I send a demand letter?
A calm, dated letter that lists each deduction and a way to reach you is something any renter can write. Send it in a way you can prove. Small-claims court exists in Oregon; whether it is worth filing, and what the court can order, is a question for legal aid or the court's own self-help materials.
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.
The Oregon chapter
Oregon Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Or. Rev. Stat. §§ 90.100 to 90.875) is the starting point. We name it. We do not paraphrase a day-count or a dollar cap out of it.
Oregon's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act is Chapter 90 of the Oregon Revised Statutes. Oregon is unusual in that some rent and termination rules operate statewide rather than city by city — which makes reading the current statute text especially important, because the Legislature has amended this chapter repeatedly.
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.
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.
- Statute indexCornell LII landlord-tenant tableOr. Rev. Stat. §§ 90.100 to 90.875
- FederalHUD — Oregon
- Free legal helpLawHelp.org — Oregon
Common questions
Is there a national cap on security deposits in Oregon?
No. Any cap, any itemization rule, and any return deadline for Oregon live in Oregon Residential Landlord and Tenant Act — sometimes in a city rule too. This site does not reprint them.
Can my landlord in Oregon keep the deposit for normal wear?
Ordinary wear and damage are different ideas in most states. What counts as each is a Oregon and facts question. Photos from move-in and move-out are what make that argument possible.
Where do I confirm the Oregon deposit rule?
Open Oregon Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, or take the file to legal aid. A city housing department may add rules the state does not.
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.
The national security deposit guide has the full sequence. Open the security deposit guide
People also ask
Last reviewed 8 September 2026. Legal information, not legal advice. Not a law firm. hello@renterprotection.org