How Much Notice Does a Landlord Have to Give in Oregon?

In Oregon, how much notice a landlord has to give depends entirely on what they are doing: 24 hours to enter the unit or terminate for a serious threat, 72 hours to 13 days for unpaid rent, 30 days for a lease violation or a no-cause termination during the first year, 90 days for a rent increase or a for-cause termination after the first year, and 31 days after move-out to return the security deposit. The exact number, the required contents of the notice, and the delivery method all matter. Get any of them wrong and the notice is invalid.

Notice at a Glance

Entry for repairs, inspections, or showings: 24 hours
Termination for a serious threat or substantial harm: 24 hours
Nonpayment of rent (week-to-week): 72 hours, starting day 5
Nonpayment of rent (monthly): 13 days from day 5, or 10 days from day 8
Week-to-week termination (either party): 10 days
Repeat lease violation within 6 months: 10 days, no cure
Landlord entry after emergency (notify tenant afterward): 24 hours
Domestic violence survivor early termination: 14 days
Lease violation (curable): 30 days, with at least 14 days to cure
No-cause termination during first year of occupancy: 30 days
Security deposit return: 31 days after move-out
Rent increase (week-to-week): 7 days
Rent increase (monthly, after first year): 90 days
For-cause termination after first year of occupancy: 90 days

If the notice is sent by first-class mail, add three days to whichever period applies.¹

Notice to End the Tenancy

Unpaid Rent

For a monthly tenancy, the landlord has two options. A 10-day notice can be issued starting on the eighth day of the rental period (counting the day rent was due as day one). Alternatively, a 13-day notice can be issued starting on the fifth day.² Both notices must state the exact amount owed and the deadline to pay. Paying the full amount before the deadline stops the termination.

For a week-to-week tenancy, the landlord can deliver a 72-hour notice starting on the fifth day of the rental period.²

Lease Violations Other Than Rent

For most lease violations, the landlord must deliver a 30-day written notice that identifies what the tenant did wrong. If the problem is fixable, the notice must describe at least one way to fix it and give the tenant at least 14 days to do so. Correcting the problem within that window stops the termination.³

Repeat violations move much faster. If the tenant commits the same type of violation within six months of a prior notice, the landlord can issue a 10-day termination notice with no opportunity to cure.³

24-Hour Notice for a Serious Threat

When a tenant, someone under the tenant’s control, or the tenant’s pet seriously threatens or inflicts substantial physical harm on another person at the property, the landlord can deliver a 24-hour written notice specifying what happened and when the tenancy ends. There is no cure period.⁴

Ending a Month-to-Month Tenancy Without a Violation

The rules split at the one-year mark, measured by how long any current tenant has lived in the unit rather than by when the current lease started.

During the first year of occupancy, the landlord can end a month-to-month tenancy with 30 days’ written notice and does not need to give a reason.⁵

After the first year, the landlord must give 90 days’ written notice and cite one of four qualifying reasons:⁵

The landlord or an immediate family member intends to move in as a primary residence, and the landlord does not own a comparable vacant unit in the same building.
The landlord has accepted a purchase offer from a buyer who plans to live in the unit.
Major repairs or renovations will make the unit unsafe or unfit to live in during construction.
The landlord plans to demolish the building or convert it to non-residential use.

The landlord must also pay the tenant relocation assistance equal to one month’s rent when the 90-day notice is delivered. Landlords who own four or fewer rental units are exempt from this payment.⁶

Week-to-Week Tenancies

Either party can end a week-to-week tenancy with at least 10 days’ written notice before the termination date. The first-year protections and qualifying-reason requirements that apply to monthly tenancies do not apply here.⁵

Fixed-Term Leases

During the fixed term, a landlord can only terminate for cause.⁵

What happens at the end of the term depends on how long the tenant has been there. If the lease ends within the first year of occupancy, the landlord can let it expire without renewal by giving 30 days’ notice before the end date. If the lease ends after the first year, it automatically converts to a month-to-month tenancy unless the parties agree to a new fixed term, the tenant gives 30 days’ notice to leave, or the landlord provides a 90-day notice with one of the four qualifying reasons described above, with relocation assistance where applicable.⁵

Notice to Raise Rent

Rent cannot be raised at all during the first year of a tenancy. After the first year, a rent increase requires at least 90 days’ written notice for any tenancy other than week-to-week, which requires seven days’ notice.⁷

The notice must include the dollar amount of the increase, the new rent total, and the date the increase takes effect. Oregon also caps the size of the annual increase; for 2026, the maximum is 9.5%.⁸ A landlord who raises rent without proper notice, or above the cap, is liable for three months’ rent plus any actual damages the tenant proves.⁷

Notice to Enter the Unit

For inspections, repairs, or showings to prospective tenants or buyers, the landlord must give at least 24 hours of actual notice and enter only at a reasonable time. “Actual notice” means the tenant personally received the information, not just that a letter was mailed.⁹

Even with proper 24-hour notice, the tenant can deny consent by telling the landlord directly or by posting a written denial on the main entrance before the landlord arrives.⁹

When 24 Hours Isn’t Required

In an emergency such as a burst pipe or a fire, the landlord can enter without notice. If the tenant was not home, the landlord must notify the tenant within 24 hours afterward, explaining what happened, when, and who entered.⁹

When a tenant submits a written repair request, the landlord can enter without further notice to perform those specific repairs. This open-access window lasts seven days from the request unless the repairs are still actively in progress. Entry must still happen at a reasonable time unless the tenant specified particular hours.⁹

Notice to Return the Security Deposit

After move-out, the landlord has 31 days to return the deposit along with a written accounting of any deductions. If the landlord keeps part of the deposit for damages or unpaid rent, each charge must be explained specifically; a vague line like “cleaning and repairs” does not satisfy the requirement.¹⁰

The 31-day clock starts when the tenancy ends and the tenant surrenders possession, so both events must occur before it begins to run. A landlord who withholds any portion without the required accounting, or in bad faith, can be liable for twice the amount wrongfully kept.¹⁰

Special Situations

Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Stalking, or Bias Crime Survivors

A tenant who is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or a bias crime can end the lease early by giving the landlord at least 14 days’ written notice. The notice must state the release date and list any immediate family members who are also leaving. Verification must accompany the notice, and acceptable forms include a protective order, a police report, a criminal conviction related to the abuse, or a signed statement from the tenant. The qualifying incident must have occurred within 90 days before the notice, though time the perpetrator spent incarcerated or living more than 100 miles away does not count against that window.¹¹

Active-Duty Military

Under the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, an active-duty servicemember who receives deployment orders or a permanent change of station can terminate a residential lease by delivering written notice with a copy of the orders. For a lease with monthly rent, termination takes effect 30 days after the next rent payment is due following delivery of the notice. The landlord cannot charge early termination fees, and rent for the partial final month is prorated.¹²

How the Notice Must Be Delivered

Delivery method changes the effective notice period. Oregon recognizes four methods:¹

Personal delivery, handed directly to the other party. The clock starts immediately.
First-class mail. Add three days to the notice period. A 10-day nonpayment notice sent by mail effectively gives the tenant 13 days to pay.
Mail plus posting on the main entrance, only if the lease specifically allows it and grants the tenant the same option in return.
Email, only if the parties signed a separate addendum after the tenancy began specifying each party’s email address. Termination notices sent by email must also be sent by first-class mail.

If the Landlord’s Notice Is Wrong

A notice that fails Oregon’s requirements is invalid, and the tenant does not have to comply with it. A termination notice with the wrong timeline, missing required information, or delivered improperly can be raised as a defense in an eviction case, and courts will typically dismiss the case and require the landlord to start over.

Improper entry has its own remedies. If a landlord makes an unlawful entry, enters in an unreasonable manner, or makes repeated entry demands that amount to harassment, the tenant can seek a court order to stop the behavior or terminate the lease. The tenant can also recover actual damages of at least one month’s rent, or one week’s rent for a week-to-week tenancy.⁹

A defective rent increase carries the largest penalty: three months’ rent plus any actual damages the tenant proves.⁷

1
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 90.155 – Service or Delivery of Written Notice
2
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 90.394 – Termination of Tenancy for Failure to Pay Rent
3
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 90.392 – Termination of Tenancy for Cause; Tenant Right to Cure Violation
4
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 90.396 – Acts or Omissions Justifying Termination 24 Hours After Notice
5
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 90.427 – Termination of Tenancy Without Tenant Cause
6
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 90.427 – Termination of Tenancy Without Tenant Cause
7
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 90.323 – Maximum Rent Increase; Exceptions; Notice
8
Oregon.gov. Correction – 2026 Rent Stabilization Percentages
9
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 90.322 – Landlord or Agent Access to Premises; Remedies
10
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 90.300 – Security Deposits; Prepaid Rent
11
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 90.453 – Release of Victim From Tenancy
12
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 50 USC 3955 – Termination of Residential or Motor Vehicle Leases