Just Cause Eviction: Portland vs Troutdale

Can a Portland landlord evict a long-term tenant without cause?

No. After the first 12 months, Oregon ORS 90.427 prohibits no-cause terminations. The landlord must show a tenant cause (nonpayment, lease violation, outrageous conduct) or a 'qualifying landlord reason' such as demolition, major repairs, owner move-in, or sale to a buyer-occupant, with 90 days notice and relocation payments.

Does Portland add anything beyond the state just-cause law?

Yes. The Portland FAIR Ordinance (PCC 30.01.085) requires mandatory relocation assistance of $2,900 to $4,500 (by unit size) for any qualifying-reason or first-year no-cause termination, and unlike state law it has no small-landlord exemption.

Does Troutdale have a just-cause eviction ordinance?

Troutdale has not enacted a city-level just-cause ordinance, but Oregon Senate Bill 608 (2019), codified at ORS 90.427, imposes statewide just-cause protection that applies to every Troutdale tenancy after the first 12 months of occupancy. After the first year, a landlord may not terminate a month-to-month tenancy without cause; termination requires either a tenant-cause ground (non-payment, material violation, repeat violations, outrageous conduct) or a qualifying landlord reason (demolition/conversion, major repair/renovation, landlord or family occupancy, or sale to an owner-occupant buyer) with 90 days' written notice and one month's relocation assistance (subject to ORS 90.427(8) exemptions).

Which Troutdale landlords are exempt from the SB 608 relocation-assistance payment?

ORS 90.427(8) exempts two categories: (1) a landlord who owns four or fewer residential dwelling units in the state of Oregon, and (2) a landlord who is the owner-occupant of a duplex residing in one of the two units. Exempt landlords must still give the 90-day notice and must still have a qualifying landlord reason; the exemption removes only the one-month relocation-assistance payment, not the notice or just-cause requirements themselves.

What happens if a Troutdale landlord violates SB 608?

ORS 90.427(9) and ORS 90.375 provide the tenant with damages equal to three months' rent plus actual damages, attorney fees, and costs. Self-help eviction (lockouts, utility shut-offs) is independently prohibited and exposes the landlord to two months' periodic rent or twice the actual damages, whichever is greater. Multnomah County Circuit Court is the operative forum for both eviction filings and tenant counterclaims; Troutdale does not operate a city-level housing court or right-to-counsel program.