You got a notice from your landlord

Let's pick the right path. Look at the notice, what does it say is the reason?

24-hour notices are rare and serious. They apply only to: threats of violence, substantial property damage, illegal activity (drugs, etc.), or "outrageous" conduct. If you got a 24-hour notice, call Oregon Law Center immediately at 888-585-9638.

Source: ORS 90.396, Acts justifying termination 24 hours after notice

For curable violations (noise, pets, extra occupants), you get a 30-day notice with a 14-day window to fix it. If you fix it in 14 days, they can't proceed. Write down what you did and when.

Source: ORS 90.392, Termination of rental agreement by landlord for cause

After your first year of tenancy, landlords CANNOT evict for no cause. Exception: if they live on-site in a 1-2 unit building. Otherwise, "no cause" after year 1 = illegal notice. If this is your first year, they need 30 days notice statewide (90 in Portland).

Source: ORS 90.427 | Portland: Portland City Code 30.01.085

If this is a nonpayment notice, you have more time than you think. HB 2001 requires:

• 10 days to pay if the notice was served on/after the 8th of the month
• 13 days to pay if served on/after the 5th
• 72 hours only for week-to-week tenancies

The notice MUST include an HB 2001 mandatory disclosure form. If it doesn't, the case gets thrown out automatically. You can pay in full ANY time before a judgment is entered, even during trial, and the case is dismissed.

Source: ORS 90.394, Termination of rental agreement for failure to pay rent

If your landlord owns 5+ units and is issuing a 90-day qualifying reason notice (they're selling, moving in, renovating), they owe you one month's rent as relocation assistance. In Portland, that's $2,900, $4,500 depending on unit size, paid 45 days before the termination.

Source: ORS 90.427(7) | Portland-specific: PHB Relocation Assistance

No shame in that. Call CAT's renters' rights hotline at 503-288-0130, they'll read the notice with you and tell you what path you're on. Free, confidential.

Start a paper trail now, even if you're not sure where this is going.

• Save the notice (photo of the envelope and the notice itself).
• Note the date you received it.
• If there have been prior conversations, texts, emails, in-person, write down what you remember.
• Keep copies of any rent payments (bank statements, receipts).

Documentation protects you. It also makes any legal help you get later far more effective.

Pick what fits where you are.

Need to dig deeper into the law yourself? Oregon Law Help, Rental Housing Topics has a plain-language version of every right we just covered.