What Are Your Rights As A Tenant In Oregon? Learn More Here!
Are you searching for more information on what your rights are as a tenant in Oregon? If so, you’ve come to the right place!
In this article, we will answer this question and provide you with insight into how to navigate the often-delicate landlord-tenant relationship in the State of Oregon.
Understanding Your Rights As a Tenant In Oregon
The first thing to understand as a tenant is that you have the right to a property that’s insulated, heat, running water, pest free and is safe / secure.
You also have the right as a tenant to ‘quiet enjoyment’, this means that you have the right to enjoy your property without having to deal with noise that may stop you from being able to have a good night’s sleep or peaceful evening at home.
Landlords also must respect your rights as a tenant and this means that they are legally required to give you 24-hour notice when they need to enter the rental property.
Once your landlord has met their basic responsibilities, then there are other rights including the following.
Oregon has a statewide rent control law that limits the amount of rent increases, bars landlords from raising rent more than once in any 12-month period, and requires landlords to give tenants proper notice before raising rent.
During any 12-month period, landlords cannot raise the rent more than 7% plus the consumer price index above the existing rent—no matter how long the tenancy. Every September 30, the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis will publish the maximum annual rent increase percentage for the following year.
For week-to-week tenancies, landlords can raise the rent after giving seven days’ written notice. For all other tenancies, landlords cannot raise rent within the first year of a tenancy. After the first year of a tenancy, landlords must give 90 days’ written notice before raising the rent.
Landlords who illegally increase rent must pay tenants an amount equal to three months’ rent, plus any damages the tenants suffered from the increase (such as interest on money they borrowed to cover rent). (Or. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 90.323.)
Tenant Rights to Withhold Rent in Oregon
When landlords fail to comply with a term of the lease or rental agreement, or fail to maintain the premises in a habitable condition, tenants may notify their landlord of the breach and give a 30-day notice to terminate if the landlord doesn’t fix the condition within a certain amount of time. (Or. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 90.360.) Tenants also may withhold rent for some minor defects that can be reasonably repaired for not more than $300—but must follow the statute’s rules regarding notice (Or. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 90.368).
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