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Portland, Oregon

Portland Landlord-Tenant Laws

Security deposit limits, eviction notices, rent control, and more for Portland, Oregon.

How we research these summaries

Every rule on this page is drawn from state statutes and municipal codes and summarized with AI assistance. Each one cites the statute it's based on and links to a published text of that law so you can read it firsthand. Where a page says a city or county has no local rule on a topic, that means none was found for the topics covered here — not that none exists. Local governments also regulate rental housing in ways these pages don't track, including registration, licensing, inspections and habitability standards. These summaries may be incomplete or out of date, laws change often, and every property and tenancy has specifics a summary can't capture — so treat this as a starting point for your own research, not as legal advice, and check with the local jurisdiction and a qualified attorney before acting on your particular situation.

What to Know in Portland

Sources last checked July 2026

Portland does not cap rent increases beyond Oregon's statewide limit, but a landlord who raises rent 10% or more within 12 months must pay the tenant relocation assistance — from $2,900 for a studio to $4,500 for three or more bedrooms — under Portland City Code § 30.01.085. The same relocation payments apply when a landlord issues a no-cause termination or ends a fixed-term lease for a qualifying reason, with only narrow exemptions remaining. Portland also limits deposits below Oregon's open-ended standard: no more than half a month's rent where last month's rent is also collected.

  • Oregon law already restricts terminating a tenancy after the first year, and Portland layers mandatory relocation assistance on top of it.
  • Portland does not cap rent increases beyond Oregon's statewide limit, but it attaches a real cost to large ones.
  • Portland limits security deposits in a way Oregon state law does not.
  • 90-day advance written notice required for rent increases
  • For a month-to-month tenancy the tenant may terminate at any time during the tenancy on not less than 30 days' notice (ORS 90.427(3)(a)).
5 rules summarized · Each linked to the law it cites

Portland Local Rules

Eviction Notice Requirements

What are the eviction notice requirements in Portland?

Oregon law already restricts terminating a tenancy after the first year, and Portland layers mandatory relocation assistance on top of it. A landlord issuing a no-cause termination, declining to renew a fixed-term lease that will not roll to month-to-month, or terminating for a qualifying landlord reason must pay the tenant relocation assistance on the same unit-size schedule that applies to large rent increases: $2,900 for a studio or single-room occupancy, $3,300 for a one-bedroom, $4,200 for a two-bedroom and $4,500 for three bedrooms or more. Payment is due no less than 45 days before the termination date. The exemption for landlords renting a single unit was removed in 2018; those that remain are narrow, including where the landlord and tenant share the same dwelling unit and where an owner is temporarily renting out their own principal residence.

Portland City Code § 30.01.085
Rent Control / Rent Increase Caps

Is there rent control in Portland?

Portland does not cap rent increases beyond Oregon's statewide limit, but it attaches a real cost to large ones. Where a landlord raises rent or associated housing costs by 10% or more within a rolling twelve-month period, the tenant may require the landlord to pay relocation assistance: $2,900 for a studio or single-room occupancy, $3,300 for a one-bedroom, $4,200 for a two-bedroom and $4,500 for three bedrooms or more. The tenant has 45 days from receiving the increase notice to request it, and the landlord has 31 days from that request to pay. There is no blanket exemption for landlords who own only one unit — that exemption was removed in 2018. The exemptions that remain are narrow and situational, such as where landlord and tenant share the same dwelling unit, or where an owner is temporarily letting out their own principal residence.

Portland City Code § 30.01.085
Security Deposit Limits

What is the security deposit limit in Portland?

Portland limits security deposits in a way Oregon state law does not. Where the landlord also requires last month's rent, the security deposit may not exceed one half of one month's rent. Where last month's rent is not required, the deposit may not exceed one month's rent. Portland separately regulates screening: application fees are tied to the actual cost of screening rather than capped at a flat figure, and a landlord must publish their screening criteria in a notice of unit availability at least 72 hours before accepting applications.

Portland City Code § 30.01.087

Applicable Oregon State Rules

These state-level rules apply in Portland where no local override exists.

Rent Increase Notice Periods State Law

How much notice is required for rent increases in Portland?

For tenancies other than week-to-week, an Oregon landlord may not increase the rent during the first year after the tenancy begins, may not increase it after the first year without giving at least 90 days' written notice before the effective date, and may not increase it more than once in any 12-month period (ORS 90.323(2)). Week-to-week tenancies are governed separately and more simply: the landlord may not increase the rent without giving at least seven days' written notice before the effective date, with no first-year bar and no once-a-year frequency limit (ORS 90.323(1)).

ORS 90.323
Move-Out & Lease Termination Notice State Law

What is the move-out notice requirement in Portland?

For a month-to-month tenancy the tenant may terminate at any time during the tenancy on not less than 30 days' notice (ORS 90.427(3)(a)). A landlord's position is different, and it changes at the one-year mark. During the first year of occupancy the landlord may terminate without cause on not less than 30 days' notice (§ 90.427(3)(b)). After the first year of occupancy the landlord may terminate only for cause, with the notice period set by the applicable cause statute, or for a qualifying landlord reason on at least 90 days' notice together with one month's rent as relocation assistance (§ 90.427(3)(c)). A landlord past the tenant's first year cannot end a month-to-month tenancy on 30 days' no-cause notice.

ORS 90.427

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