Oregon Month to Month Lease

Oregon Month to Month Lease — Notice Rules and Your Rights (2026)

By Oleg Kachko · Updated September 29, 2026

✓ Law Verified September 2026

Oregon month to month lease rules answer the question every renter without a current lease eventually asks: how much notice do I have to give, how much does the landlord have to give me, and can they raise the rent or end it whenever they like? This guide gives the Oregon answers in plain English, verified against official Oregon sources as of September 2026.

Oregon Month to Month Lease Rules at a Glance

Notice YOU must give to leave An Oregon tenant must give at least 30 days’ written notice before the termination date stated in the notice (ORS 90.427(2)). The notice does not have to line up with the rent due date or the end of a rental period. Add 3 days if you send it only by first class mail (ORS 90.155).
Notice the LANDLORD must give During the first year of occupancy, a landlord may end a month-to-month tenancy without cause on at least 30 days’ written notice. After the first year, the landlord needs either tenant cause or a qualifying landlord reason under ORS 90.427(5). The qualifying reasons are demolition or conversion, repairs that make the unit unsafe to live in, the landlord or an immediate family member moving in, or a sale to a buyer who will live in the unit. A qualifying-reason termination needs at least 90 days’ written notice, and the landlord must also pay one month’s rent in relocation assistance unless the landlord owns 4 or fewer units.
Notice before a rent increase A landlord must give at least 90 days’ written notice before a rent increase. The notice must state the amount of the increase, the new rent and the date it takes effect (ORS 90.323). No increase is allowed during the first year of occupancy, and only 1 increase is allowed in any 12-month period. For most tenancies the 2026 cap is 9.5 percent. The 2027 cap, announced September 28, 2026, is 10 percent. Buildings whose first certificate of occupancy is less than 15 years old are exempt from the cap.
Reason required to end the tenancy YES. After the first year of occupancy, Oregon statewide law (ORS 90.427, from SB 608 in 2019) only lets a landlord end a month-to-month tenancy for tenant cause or a qualifying landlord reason (demolition or conversion, major repairs, owner or family move-in, or sale to a buyer who will live there), with 90 days’ notice and relocation assistance where required. Portland also requires landlords to pay relocation assistance of 2900 to 4500 dollars, depending on unit size, for no-cause terminations and certain qualifying-reason terminations (Portland City Code 30.01.085). Some tenancies, such as when the tenant shares the unit with the landlord, may be excluded, so you may want to check with a legal aid office.

How a Month to Month Tenancy Starts in Oregon

In Oregon a month-to-month tenancy can start from an oral agreement or a written month-to-month rental agreement where rent is paid monthly with no fixed end date. It also arises when a fixed-term lease ends after the first year of occupancy: under ORS 90.427(4) that lease automatically becomes a month-to-month tenancy unless the tenant gives notice or the landlord has a legal reason to end it.

When a fixed lease ends and you stay: When a fixed-term lease ends after the first year of occupancy and the tenant stays, it automatically becomes a month-to-month tenancy. The landlord cannot end it just because the lease expired (ORS 90.427(4)). The landlord needs tenant cause or a qualifying landlord reason with 90 days’ notice.

If the fixed term ends during the first year, the landlord may be able to end the tenancy on 30 days’ written notice.

Most renters land on an Oregon month to month lease without ever signing one: the year lease ends, nobody calls, rent keeps getting paid and accepted. From that point the notice rules on this page control, not the expired lease’s term, though its other clauses usually carry over.

Ending An Oregon Month to Month Lease: The Notice Rules

If you want to leave: An Oregon tenant must give at least 30 days’ written notice before the termination date stated in the notice (ORS 90.427(2)). The notice does not have to line up with the rent due date or the end of a rental period. Add 3 days if you send it only by first class mail (ORS 90.155).

If the landlord wants you out: During the first year of occupancy, a landlord may end a month-to-month tenancy without cause on at least 30 days’ written notice. After the first year, the landlord needs either tenant cause or a qualifying landlord reason under ORS 90.427(5).

The qualifying reasons are demolition or conversion, repairs that make the unit unsafe to live in, the landlord or an immediate family member moving in, or a sale to a buyer who will live in the unit.

A qualifying-reason termination needs at least 90 days’ written notice, and the landlord must also pay one month’s rent in relocation assistance unless the landlord owns 4 or fewer units.

How the notice has to be given: Notices must be in writing. They can be delivered in person, sent by first class mail with 3 days added, or sent by mail and also attached to the main entrance, but only if the written rental agreement allows that for both landlord and tenant (ORS 90.155).

The tenancy ends on the termination date named in the notice; it does not need to be the end of a rental period. You still have to pay rent through that date.

The mistake that costs renters a month of rent is timing. Under the Oregon month to month lease rules, notice that arrives after the rent due date usually does not take effect until the end of the following rental period. Give notice in writing, keep proof of the date it was delivered, and count the days from that date.

Rent Increases on a Month to Month Tenancy

Required notice: A landlord must give at least 90 days’ written notice before a rent increase. The notice must state the amount of the increase, the new rent and the date it takes effect (ORS 90.323). No increase is allowed during the first year of occupancy, and only 1 increase is allowed in any 12-month period. For most tenancies the 2026 cap is 9.5 percent. The 2027 cap, announced September 28, 2026, is 10 percent.

Buildings whose first certificate of occupancy is less than 15 years old are exempt from the cap.

A rent increase on an Oregon month to month lease is really a notice ending the old terms and offering new ones, which is why Oregon ties it to the same notice clock. An increase served with short notice is not owed until the proper period has run, and paying the old amount on time while you say so in writing keeps you current.

Does the Landlord Need a Reason?

YES. After the first year of occupancy, Oregon statewide law (ORS 90.427, from SB 608 in 2019) only lets a landlord end a month-to-month tenancy for tenant cause or a qualifying landlord reason (demolition or conversion, major repairs, owner or family move-in, or sale to a buyer who will live there), with 90 days’ notice and relocation assistance where required.

Portland also requires landlords to pay relocation assistance of 2900 to 4500 dollars, depending on unit size, for no-cause terminations and certain qualifying-reason terminations (Portland City Code 30.01.085). Some tenancies, such as when the tenant shares the unit with the landlord, may be excluded, so you may want to check with a legal aid office.

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Even where no reason is required, the eviction process is. A landlord who ends an Oregon month to month lease and then changes the locks, shuts off utilities, or removes belongings has skipped the court, and that is illegal in every state.

The Rights You Keep on a Month to Month Lease

Month-to-month tenants in Oregon keep the same protections as tenants with a lease. These include the habitability duties in ORS 90.320, the security deposit rules in ORS 90.300 (the deposit or an itemized accounting is due within 31 days after the tenancy ends), and the ban on retaliation in ORS 90.385. The landlord must also go through a court eviction case in circuit court.

Self-help eviction such as lockouts or utility shutoffs is illegal, and only a sheriff can remove a tenant after the court enters a judgment.

Nothing about the Oregon month to month lease weakens the deposit rules, the landlord’s duty to make repairs, the ban on retaliation, or the requirement to go through court before any eviction. The only thing that changes is how long each side has to say goodbye.

Leaving Cleanly: A Renter’s Checklist

Give the notice in writing with a specific move-out date, timed so it lands before the rent due date. Keep paying rent through the notice period; a landlord can accept rent and still hold you to the notice, and skipping the last month is the fastest way to lose a deposit.

Photograph the unit on the way out, return every key, and put your forwarding address in writing so the deposit deadline starts running. On an Oregon month to month lease the last month is where most deposit disputes are born, and a dated paper trail ends nearly all of them.

If You Want to Stay: Turning Flexibility Into Security

Month-to-month is convenient until you need certainty. If you want to stay put, ask for a fixed-term lease in writing; a landlord who is happy with you usually says yes, and a signed term takes the short-notice risk off the table for both sides.

If the answer is no, keep your position strong the ordinary way: rent on time, repair requests in writing, and a copy of every notice. The Oregon month to month lease gives the landlord a short clock, but it never gives them permission to skip the law.

Recent changes in Oregon: Oregon’s rent cap is set every year as 7 percent plus CPI, capped at 10 percent; it is 9.5 percent for 2026 and 10 percent for 2027. HB 3054 (2025) set a separate 6 percent cap for manufactured home parks and floating home marinas with more than 30 spaces. Portland requires relocation assistance of 2900 to 4500 dollars on top of state rules.

Oregon Month to Month Lease: Quick Answers

How much notice do I have to give to move out? An Oregon tenant must give at least 30 days’ written notice before the termination date stated in the notice (ORS 90.427(2)). The notice does not have to line up with the rent due date or the end of a rental period. Add 3 days if you send it only by first class mail (ORS 90.155).

Can the landlord end it for no reason? Only for a lawful reason; see the just-cause rules above for the Oregon month to month lease.

Does my old lease still apply? Usually its terms carry over to the Oregon month to month lease except the length; the notice rules on this page replace the fixed term.

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Official Oregon Sources & Resources

Making Your Oregon Month to Month Lease Work for You

Flexibility is the whole point of the Oregon month to month lease, and it cuts both ways: you can leave with short notice, and so can the landlord. Calendar the notice period the day you move to month-to-month, and give your own notice in writing, dated, and timed to the rent due date so it counts.

Every other tenant right still applies on the Oregon month to month lease, the deposit rules, the repair duty, the ban on retaliation, and the court process before any eviction. A landlord who treats the Oregon month to month lease as permission to skip those steps is breaking the law, not exercising a right.

This guide to the oregon month to month lease was last verified against official sources in September 2026. Notice periods and just-cause rules have changed in several states since 2024, re-check before relying on a deadline.

More Oregon Tenant Rights Guides

Disclaimer: This guide is informational only and is not legal advice. Landlord-tenant laws change and vary by city and county within a state. Verify current rules with your state, your local court, or a free legal-aid office before acting. If you are facing eviction, contact a local tenant attorney or legal-aid organization right away.

Renting? Protect your belongings — compare renters insurance at Home Insure Guide. Divorce involving a lease? See Divorce Help Guide. Unsafe housing / toxic mold injury? Some cases qualify — see Mass Tort Info.