Oregon Rent Increase Notice
Oregon caps a rent increase at 7 percent plus inflation, a maximum the state set at 9.5 percent for 2026, bars any increase in the first year, and requires at least 90 days notice after that. Attorney review available.
Introduction
Two limits set an Oregon rent increase apart from most states: a ceiling on the amount and a bar on raising rent early. Before the mechanics, the basics. A rent increase notice is the written notice an Oregon landlord serves a tenant to move the rent up on a residential tenancy, naming the new monthly figure and the day it starts. On the amount, Senate Bill 608 caps any 12-month increase at the lesser of 10 percent or 7 percent plus the change in the regional cost of living, and the Oregon Department of Administrative Services publishes the exact figure each September; for calendar year 2026 that ceiling is 9.5 percent (ORS 90.324). On timing, a landlord may not raise the rent at all during the first year of the tenancy, and after the first year may do so only once in any 12-month period, with at least 90 days written notice before the new rent starts; a week-to-week tenancy needs only 7 days (ORS 90.323). A dwelling first occupied less than 15 years before the notice is exempt from the cap but not from the 90-day rule. Serving by first class mail adds 3 days (ORS 90.155). Because Oregon treats rent control as a matter of statewide concern and bars city ordinances, the same cap and the same 90-day clock run in Portland, Eugene, and every other town (ORS 91.225). A fixed-term lease holds its rent until the term ends unless the lease says otherwise. DocDraft assembles the Oregon notice from the figures you enter, with attorney review on offer before you serve it.
Key Things to Know
- 1
A rent increase notice is the written notice an Oregon landlord serves a tenant to raise the rent on a residential tenancy, naming the new monthly rent and the date it begins.
- 2
Oregon caps a 12-month increase at the lesser of 10 percent or 7 percent plus the regional cost-of-living change, and the state published a 9.5 percent maximum for calendar year 2026 (ORS 90.324).
- 3
A landlord may not raise the rent at all during the first year, and after that only once in any 12-month period with at least 90 days written notice (ORS 90.323).
- 4
A week-to-week tenancy takes only 7 days written notice rather than 90 (ORS 90.323).
- 5
A dwelling whose first certificate of occupancy issued less than 15 years before the notice is exempt from the percentage cap, though the 90-day notice and first-year bar still apply (ORS 90.323).
- 6
Service by first class mail adds 3 days to the 90-day period (ORS 90.155), and because Oregon preempts local rent control the statewide rules apply in every city (ORS 91.225).
- 7
Rent fixed by a term lease cannot move before the term ends unless the lease allows it; the 90-day and cap rules govern periodic tenancies such as month-to-month.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Rent Increase Notice in Oregon, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Rent Increase Notice guide walks through them.
Open the Rent Increase Notice guideCustomize your Rent Increase Notice Template with DocDraft
Oregon Requirements for Rent Increase Notice
On a month-to-month tenancy an Oregon landlord may not raise the rent during the first year, and after the first year must give at least 90 days written notice before the increase takes effect, no more than once in any 12-month period (ORS 90.323). A week-to-week tenancy needs at least 7 days notice. The effective date must give the tenant at least that many days.
Over any 12-month period an Oregon landlord may not raise the rent more than the lesser of 10 percent, or 7 percent plus the change in the regional cost of living (ORS 90.324). The Oregon Department of Administrative Services publishes the exact maximum each year and set it at 9.5 percent for calendar year 2026. The new amount in the notice must stay within that limit.
Dwellings whose first certificate of occupancy was issued less than 15 years before the notice are exempt from the statewide cap (ORS 90.323). An exempt unit is still subject to the 90-day notice rule and the first-year bar; only the percentage limit does not apply.
Rent on a fixed-term lease cannot be raised during the term unless the lease specifically allows it, because the rent is a fixed term of the contract. The 90-day notice and cap rules apply to a periodic tenancy such as month-to-month, and rent may be raised no more than once in any 12-month period (ORS 90.323).
The landlord may deliver the notice to the tenant personally or serve it by first class mail (ORS 90.155). When the notice is mailed, Oregon adds 3 days to the 90-day notice period. Notice periods run in consecutive calendar days, not counting the day of service and including the last day until 11:59 p.m. (ORS 90.160).
Count at least 90 days from when the notice is served, and add 3 days when it is served by first class mail (ORS 90.323; ORS 90.155). The increase takes effect only on or after the first day past that period stated in the notice, and only if the tenancy is past its first year and no other increase took effect in the previous 12 months.
The notice should identify the landlord and tenant, give the rental address, state the current monthly rent and the new monthly rent, and state the effective date, confirming it gives at least the 90 days ORS 90.323 requires. It should confirm the new amount is within the statewide cap for the year unless the unit is exempt (ORS 90.324).
Oregon preempts local rent control: a city or county may not enact an ordinance that controls the rent charged for a dwelling unit (ORS 91.225). The statewide 90-day notice rule and the annual cap apply the same way in every Oregon city, and a notice that gives less time than the law requires does not take effect until a proper notice period runs.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is the written notice an Oregon landlord serves to raise the rent on a residential tenancy, naming the new monthly amount and its start date. It adjusts one term, the rent, and leaves the tenancy in place. Two Oregon rules shape it: the landlord cannot raise rent in the first year or more than once every 12 months, and after the first year must give at least 90 days notice (ORS 90.323). Rent locked by a term lease stays put until the term ends unless the lease provides otherwise.
After the first year of a month-to-month tenancy, at least 90 days written notice before the new rent takes effect, and no more than one increase in any 12-month window (ORS 90.323). During the first year the rent cannot go up at all. A week-to-week tenancy needs 7 days. Sending the notice by first class mail adds 3 days to the count (ORS 90.155).
No more than the lesser of 10 percent or 7 percent plus the regional cost-of-living change over any 12-month period (ORS 90.324). The Oregon Department of Administrative Services calculates and posts the figure by late September each year; for 2026 the maximum is 9.5 percent, down from 10.0 percent in 2025. A unit first occupied within the last 15 years is exempt from this ceiling.
No. Oregon forbids any rent increase during the first year after a tenancy begins (ORS 90.323). Rent set by a fixed-term lease is likewise frozen for the term unless the lease itself permits a change. Once the first year passes, a month-to-month landlord may raise the rent once in a 12-month period on at least 90 days written notice.
Deliver it in hand or send it by first class mail (ORS 90.155); mailing stretches the 90-day minimum by 3 days. Oregon counts the period in consecutive calendar days, skipping the day of service and running through 11:59 p.m. on the final day (ORS 90.160). Documenting the date and method of service protects an Oregon landlord if the timing is later questioned.
It should name the landlord and tenant, give the rental address, show the current and new monthly rent, and fix an effective date at least 90 days out (ORS 90.323). It should confirm the increase sits within the year's published cap unless the unit qualifies for the new-construction exemption (ORS 90.324), and explain how rent is paid going forward. That keeps an Oregon notice clear on both the timing and the amount.
No. Oregon declares rent control a matter of statewide concern and forbids any city or county from enacting an ordinance that controls the rent for a dwelling (ORS 91.225). The 90-day notice rule and the annual cap under ORS 90.323 and 90.324 therefore apply identically across Oregon, with no separate municipal ceiling stacked on top.
The increase does not take hold on the date stated. An Oregon increase served with under 90 days, during the first year, or a second time inside 12 months is ineffective until a proper notice runs (ORS 90.323; add 3 days for mail under ORS 90.155). A tenant may keep paying the prior rent until then, and a landlord who charges above the annual cap can owe the tenant damages (ORS 90.324).