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Housing Self-Help Guides

These guides contain legal information about renters' rights in Oregon.

The guides are not a substitute for legal advice. Read our disclaimers here.

Dollar Bill in Jar

Security Deposits

Your landlord must return your security deposit or provide a written accounting if it is not returned. This guide will help you ensure your landlord returns your security deposit when you move out and provides steps to take if you have a dispute with a prior landlord about a security deposit.

Wheelchair

Disability & Reasonable Accommodation

If you or someone in your household has a disability, your landlord is required to make reasonable changes to rules and policies in order to give you an equal opportunity in your housing. This guide will help you understand your rights and request an accommodation or modification that you need.

School Application

Applications and Tenant Screening

Landlords are required to follow certain requirements for how they advertise available rental units located in the City of Portland, how they process applications for available rental units, and how they screen applicants. This guide has information about the City of Portland's rental application and screening laws.

Stack of Files

Sealing Eviction Records

Renters in the Oregon can erase old eviction records under certain circumstances for free. This guide will help you understand what eviction records qualify for being erased and the steps a tenant needs to take in order to have an eviction record expunged.

Moving Boxes

Relocation Assistance

If you live in the City of Portland and receive a No Cause Termination Notice or a Rent Increase Notice, you may have the right to a relocation assistance payment from your landlord. This guide will help you find out if you are eligible for relocation assistance and provide instructions for claiming your relocation assistance payment.

Hardware Tools

Repairs

Your landlord is required to make necessary repairs to keep your rental housing habitable. This guide will help you to document habitability problems, request repairs, and take action if your landlord fails to make necessary repairs.

Padlock

Lock-Outs & Unlawful Ouster

Your landlord is not allowed to lock you out of your rental housing without first giving you notice and getting an eviction judgment against you. This guide will explain your rights if you are illegally locked out of your rental housing.

Gavel

Termination Notices & Eviction

The law requires that a landlord follow specific rules when giving a termination notice to a tenant. If the landlord does not follow those rules, the notice may not be enforceable and you may not have to move. This guide will help you understand your rights when you receive a termination notice, whether the notice is valid, and your possible defenses in eviction court.

Gavel

Small Claims Court

If you have a dispute with your landlord and an attorney, housing advocate, or one of these guides suggests enforcing your rights in small claims court, this guide explains the step-by-step process for pursuing a small claims case.

Trailer Set Up

Manufactured Home Parks

Residents of Manufactured Home Parks have different rights and responsibilities than other renters. This guide contains information about laws that apply specifically to Manufactured Home Parks.

Mold Making

Mold

Most varieties of mold and mildew do not pose a risk to your health. You and your landlord are both required to take certain action to prevent mold growth and remedy the causes of mold growth.

Little Mouse

Infestation

This guide has information about your rights and responsibilities and steps you should take if your rental housing becomes infested with bedbugs, roaches, rats, or other pests.

Hostile Living Environment

If a neighbor, onsite manager, maintenance worker or someone else on the property has used a racial slur against you, made you feel uncomfortable or unwelcome because of your gender, race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status, or disability, you can consult this packet for how to respond to discrimination.