Oregon ORS 90.385 and Portland enforcement protect tenants from retaliation after they exercise rights such as repair requests, code complaints, organizing efforts, or relocation-assistance demands. Suspicious post-complaint terminations create a presumption of retaliation.
Oregon ORS 90.385 forbids landlords from terminating, raising rent, decreasing services, or filing eviction proceedings in retaliation against a tenant who in good faith complained to a code authority, requested repairs, joined a tenant organization, exercised legal rights, or invoked Portland's relocation-assistance ordinance. Adverse landlord action within six months of the protected activity raises a rebuttable presumption of retaliation. Tenants may use retaliation as an affirmative defense in eviction court and may also affirmatively sue for damages, including the greater of two months rent or twice actual damages, plus attorney fees.
Retaliatory rent increases, no-cause terminations after code complaints, or service reductions expose landlords to two months rent or twice actual damages, attorney fees, and dismissal of any related eviction action.
See how Portland's tenant anti-harassment rules stack up against other locations.
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