The Oregon rental agreements are binding legal contracts between a landlord and a tenant for the use of real property. The agreements set the terms for the property, including the amount of rent, duration of the tenancy, and more. All terms must comply with the Oregon landlord-tenant laws.
Oregon Rental Agreement Types
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Oregon Required Lease Disclosures
- Flood Plain Disclosure (required for some) – For any Oregon property that is located in a flood plain, there must be a flood plain disclosure in or alongside the lease alerting potential tenants to the hazard so that the landlord is not liable for damages occurring as a result of flooding.
- Lead Based Paint Disclosure (required for some) – Any rental unit in Oregon that is located within a building built before 1978 must include a lead based paint disclosure and EPA-approved pamphlet in addition to notice of any existing hazards to protect new tenants.
To learn more about required disclosures in Oregon, click here.
Oregon Landlord Tenant Laws
- Warranty of Habitability – All rental units in Oregon must include sealed doors and windows, clean common areas, adequate plumbing, in-unit heating, air-conditioning, and more. Landlords must provide these, as well as repairs in a “timely manner” such that the issue does not become worse. If they delay repairs, though, a tenant may choose to withhold rent payments or make the repairs on their own.
- Evictions – Non-payment of rent can be used as justification for eviction after the passage of a grace period of 5 days (144-hour notice) or 7 days (72-hour notice). Lease term violations (30-day notice) and illegal acts (24-hour notice) can also be used to precipitate eviction. In any case, most of these evictions take around 1 to 2 weeks.
- Security Deposits – Oregon state law does not currently limit landlords when it comes to setting security deposit values. Their laws do require landlords to return any remaining security deposit funds within 31 days of a lease’s conclusion.
- Lease Termination – Month-to-month leases of differing overall lengths are treated differently when it comes to premature termination. Those of less than 1 year require 30 days of notice, while those of over 1 year require 60 days of notice. Fixed-term leases of any length can also be broken early, typically by filing for exception for active military duty, landlord harassment, unit uninhabitability, or domestic violence.
- Rent Increases & Fees – Oregon does maintain a statewide rent control policy. As such, most rental units in the state cannot have their rent raised by more than 7% annually. It also means that all increase must be pre-empted by a 30 day notice. Some operational fees are also limited by law. This includes late rent fees (6% of the original flat rate fee) and bounced check fees ($35).
- Landlord Entry – All landlords in Oregon must provide 24 hours of notice before entering an occupied unit. This notice must also specify the intended entry time, as well as the individual who will enter. These requirements do not apply in emergency situations, though.
- Settling Legal Disputes – Oregon’s counties each operate their own courts for handling landlord-tenant disputes. Typically, these courts cap case values at around $10,000. Also, some courts handle eviction cases while others do not.
To learn more about landlord tenant laws in Oregon, click here.
