Do this today
- Put the repair request in writing. Date it. Keep a copy.
- Photograph the condition, including anything that is unsafe — no heat, no water, mold, pests, broken locks.
- Do not withhold rent until you have confirmed that Oregon allows a process for it.
- Ask the city housing or health department whether they take condition complaints.
What should I put in writing?
What is broken, since when, how it affects living in the unit, and that you are asking for repair. Send it in a way you can prove. Oregon Residential Landlord and Tenant Act may require written notice before other remedies exist. A text can help; a dated letter you can produce later is stronger.
Can I withhold rent in ${n}?
Sometimes a state has a lawful process for withholding, escrow, or repair-and-deduct. Sometimes skipping rent is itself grounds for eviction. That split is why this site will not tell you to withhold. Confirm Oregon Residential Landlord and Tenant Act or ask legal aid in Oregon first.
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
Does Oregon require my landlord to make repairs?
Most states impose a duty to keep a rental habitable. The exact list of systems, the notice you must give, and the remedies are in Oregon Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. This page tells you what to write down, not which lever to pull.
Can I withhold rent in Oregon if nothing is fixed?
Only if Oregon law provides a process for it, and only if you follow that process. Ask legal aid before you skip a payment. A wrong withhold can become an eviction case.
Who else can I call in Oregon?
City housing or health departments often take condition complaints. 211 can route you. Legal aid is the right call if a notice or a court paper arrived after you complained.
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 repairs guide has the full sequence. Open the repairs guide
People also ask
Last reviewed 8 September 2026. Legal information, not legal advice. Not a law firm. hello@renterprotection.org