OR · Researched October 7, 2026
Oregon has statewide rent stabilization (9.5% maximum for 2026, no increase in the first year, 90 days' notice) and limits no-cause terminations after the first year of occupancy, often with one month's rent in relocation pay. Fees, late charges and screening charges are tightly regulated and penalties are steep. Managing rentals for others requires a property manager license or a principal broker license from the Oregon Real Estate Agency.
Managing rental real estate for others for compensation requires either a licensed real estate property manager or a managing principal broker. Unlicensed staff may do listed tasks like negotiating leases and collecting rent under a written delegation from the licensee.
Full-time employees of an owner working only on that owner's property; a regular full-time employee of a single owner who rents or manages that owner's property; attorneys; receivers, trustees and court-ordered acts; certain relatives acting under a recorded power of attorney.
Licensed property managers and managing principal brokers must keep one or more federally insured clients' trust accounts in Oregon for all trust funds, with no commingling. Interest-bearing accounts require written approval from all parties with an interest in the funds.
The deposit must be listed in the written lease and you must give a receipt. You cannot add or raise a deposit during the first year unless the tenant agrees to a change like adding a pet. After year one, give at least three months to pay a new or higher deposit. No pet deposit for an assistance animal.
Give a written accounting stating the specific basis for each claim (separately for prepaid rent) and refund the rest within 31 days, by personal delivery or first class mail. Deductions are limited to unpaid rent and damage beyond ordinary wear and tear; carpet cleaning only if the lease and statute conditions are met. Failing to account or withholding in bad faith costs twice the amount withheld.
The person holding the landlord's interest when the tenancy ends is responsible for the deposit. Deposits are not garnishable by the landlord's creditors. A last month's rent deposit must be applied to the last month when either side gives a termination notice. Licensed managers must hold deposits in a clients' trust account.
Choose one: a reasonable flat fee once per period; a daily fee starting day 5, capped at 6% of a reasonable flat fee per day; or 5% of the rent for each 5-day period late starting day 5. You need 30 days' written notice to change the fee in a periodic tenancy. A late fee alone cannot support a nonpayment notice.
Before taking a fee, give written screening criteria, the fee amount, and other required disclosures. Give a receipt, and refund within 30 days if you fill the unit before screening or never screen. Violations cost twice the fee plus $250. Limits apply to considering old evictions and criminal history.
The notice must state the increase amount, the new rent, the effective date, and any facts supporting an exemption. The cap is 7% plus CPI, never above 10%, set each September 30 by the state. Units with a first certificate of occupancy less than 15 years old and certain regulated affordable units are exempt from the cap. Violations cost three months' rent plus actual damages. Week-to-week tenancies need 7 days' notice.
ORS 90.323 limits increases to the yearly maximum set under ORS 90.324(1)(b): the lesser of 10% or 7% plus inflation. The state published 9.5% for 2026 and 10% for 2027. Buildings whose certificate of occupancy is under 15 years old and some affordable housing are exempt. Spaces in manufactured home parks with more than 30 spaces are capped at 6%. Increases need at least 90 days' written notice and only one is allowed every 12 months.
Week-to-week tenancies use a 72-hour notice served no sooner than day 5. The notice must state the exact amount owed and the date and time by which to pay. If served by mail only, a mailed payment within the notice period is usually timely. Do not include late fees in the amount needed to cure.
The notice must describe the violation, say whether it can be cured, give at least one way to cure, and set the cure date. A repeat of substantially the same violation within six months allows a 10-day notice with no cure right. Week-to-week periods are 7 and 4 days.
Qualifying reasons (demolition or conversion, major repairs, owner or family move-in, sale to an owner-occupant buyer) need 90 days' written notice stating the reason, plus one month's rent paid with the notice unless the landlord owns four or fewer units. A sale to an owner-occupant buyer can instead use 60 days' notice plus an extra month's rent. Owner-occupied buildings with two units or fewer have a separate 60-day rule. Wrongful termination costs three months' rent plus damages. Tenants may end month-to-month with 30 days' notice.
The clerk mails the summons and a process server serves it by the next judicial day. The first appearance can be delayed up to 7 more days for court scheduling. If the tenant contests, trial follows later.
Store the property safely. The notice must say the property is considered abandoned, where it is stored, how to arrange removal, and what happens if it is not claimed. After the deadlines you may sell or dispose of it as the statute allows. Manufactured homes and floating homes have longer periods.
The tenant can deny consent by giving notice, and you may not enter over that denial except in emergencies or other listed cases. After an emergency entry while the tenant is away, give notice within 24 hours. A written repair request allows entry for those repairs for 7 days. Unlawful entry exposes you to at least one month's rent in damages.
The statute lists required items, including weatherproofing, plumbing, hot and cold water, heat, electrical, smoke alarms, safe premises, garbage service, and working locks and window latches. Since January 1, 2026, a landlord who uses phone-app entry must also offer another way in, such as a code, fob, key card or key. A 2026 law (SB 1523) extends this to common areas: tenants must have at least one way in that does not use a tenant portal.
At or before move-in, disclose in writing who manages the property and who accepts legal notices for the owner, and keep it current. For premises with four or fewer units, disclose any pending foreclosure, notice of default, forfeiture or tax lien foreclosure before signing. Federal lead paint disclosure applies to pre-1978 housing.
You may still deny based on past conduct consistent with fair housing law or inability to pay, but you must count housing assistance toward the rent. A 2025 law (SB 599) bars discrimination based on immigration or citizenship status.
The state published the 2026 maximum increase for most tenancies at 9.5%, and 6% for manufactured home park spaces in parks with more than 30 spaces.
The state set the 2027 maximum at 10% for tenancies under ORS 90.324(1)(b), which covers ordinary residential tenancies under ORS 90.323. The 7% plus inflation formula came to about 10.1%, so the 10% ceiling applies.
Rent increases for spaces in manufactured home parks with more than 30 spaces are capped at 6% a year. A park may raise rent up to 12% once every five years for a major infrastructure project approved in writing by 51% of occupied spaces.
A landlord who accepts an offer from a buyer who will live in the unit may give 90 days' notice, or 60 days' notice if the landlord pays one extra month's rent on top of any relocation payment owed. Written evidence of the offer must go with the notice. Takes effect the 91st day after the 2025 session adjourned.
Landlords may not ask about or discriminate based on immigration or citizenship status, and may not reject an applicant who lacks a Social Security number but offers other listed ID. The rules became operative 30 days after the emergency law took effect.
If a landlord gives a 90-day qualifying-reason notice ending a fixed-term lease, the tenant may move out sooner with 30 days' written notice, with no early termination fee or rent after that date and move-out. It applies to fixed-term leases signed on or after January 1, 2026.
Before taking a hold deposit, a landlord must give a written statement of the rent, fees, deposit terms and refund conditions. The deposit must be returned within 5 business days if the landlord backs out or the applicant rejects the unit for a material habitability defect, or a penalty applies.
A landlord who uses a phone-app entry system must also offer at least one other way in, such as an access code, fob, key card or key. The bill also restated the existing lock and window latch habitability rule.
An owner or landlord can file an eviction case against a squatter after giving 24 hours' written notice, using the residential eviction procedure. The notice does not give the squatter any right to stay.
Landlords who use a tenant portal must offer a non-portal option on written request, must accept rent by check or another reasonable non-electronic method, and must give tenants a non-portal way into common areas. Takes effect the 91st day after the 2026 session adjourned.
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Compare with other states: security deposit limit, deposit return deadline, deposit interest and holding rules, late fees, application and screening fees, rent increase notice, rent control, notice for unpaid rent, notice for lease violations, ending a month-to-month, eviction timeline, abandoned property, landlord entry, repairs and habitability, required disclosures, state fair housing protections.