What Portland’s 2026 Rental Laws Mean for Property Owners
The Legislative Landscape Is Shifting
If you own rental property in Portland, you already know that the city changes the rules often. Next year, 2026, is shaping up to be another round of significant updates, and staying ahead of those shifts can make the difference between compliance and costly penalties.
The City of Portland and the State of Oregon are both reviewing new measures that touch nearly every part of rental operations, from tenant protections to maintenance standards and security deposit handling. These aren’t theoretical changes; they are real policy moves that likely will affect your bottom line. Regardless, they will impact the time you need to spend administratively and increase your headaches.
Extended Notice Periods and Renewal Rules
Portland is considering adjustments to notice periods for non-renewal and rent increases, building on the relocation assistance framework already in place. For landlords, this may mean providing 90–120 days’ notice for rent adjustments or non-renewals, depending on tenancy length.
It’s a small change that could have a big impact on planning. Aligning lease end dates, maintenance schedules, and pricing updates will require tighter coordination and forecasting — something professional property managers already systematize. Additionally, most property managers already struggle with forecasting future rent rate adjustments and anticipating economic impacts.
Repair and Habitability Accountability
Proposed legislation would increase city oversight of response times for repairs, and the documentation landlords must maintain. Expect clearer timelines for essential fixes (heat, water, safety hazards), and heavier fines for missed deadlines.
This means landlords will need strong vendor relationships, rapid access to warranty documentation, and well-documented maintenance workflows. Many owners find that turning this part of the business over to established property management teams prevents both frustration and liability.
Security Deposit and Fee Restrictions
A statewide proposal under review would limit non-refundable fees and standardize how deposits are handled. The intent is to promote transparency — but in practice, it will require updated lease language and accounting processes.
Tenant Communication Requirements
One subtle but important change coming to Portland’s rental code involves tenant communication tracking. The city may require landlords to maintain a digital paper trail of all notices and repair requests.
For self-managed owners, that can feel like another layer of administrative work. For professional managers, it’s already part of the system — automated, time-stamped, and archived.
Staying Ahead of the Curve
These pending updates reflect Portland’s ongoing focus on tenant rights and housing quality, which ultimately raise the bar for professional landlords. The best move right now is preparation: audit your leases, review maintenance response times, and stay current on evolving city rules.
For many owners, partnering with a professional management firm ensures they stay compliant, avoid penalties, and continue to operate profitably even as the laws evolve.
A few reasons to consider Westy Properties your trusted property management team.
Extended Notice Periods and Renewal Rules
For the past year, Westy Properties has been using a detailed analysis approach of rental adjustments for our owners at the time of renewal (90 days). We provide the owners with a summary of their properties that factors in seven primary data points including features, location, and time forecasting. The analysis uses between 10-12 data sources depending on location, and our analysts use their historical analysis skills and AI to provide the outputs. Making the shift from 90-120 days is a simple input shift and will yield the same accurate forecasting.
Repair and Habitability Accountability
Westy’s growing in house team of general contractors, our stable of expert vendors, and our purchasing team have established workflows and relationships to expedite repair timelines for compliance, and do so in a cost-effective manner.
Security Deposit and Fee Restrictions
At Westy Properties, we’re already reviewing our leases, and anticipating where they need to be adjusted to align with likely 2026 standards, ensuring that owners won’t need last-minute adjustments when the laws take effect.
Tenant Communication Requirements
This is a commoditized element of property management firms and Westy uses a top-tier software solution to ensure we are not limited by sub-par solutions in the marketplace. We also have integrated technology to ensure all communication is tracked and archived according to the jurisdictional requirements.
Contact Westy Properties today at (503) 319‑4123 or email owners@westyproperties.com to set up your free consultation