Bend Eviction Laws & Process

Oregon landlord guide — notices, timelines, court filing & local rules

Eviction Laws in Bend, Oregon

Bend is Oregon’s sixth-largest city — about 107,000 residents — and the booming hub of Central Oregon, the seat of Deschutes County. A high-growth resort-and-recreation town built around Mt. Bachelor, the Deschutes River, and a nationally known brewery scene, Bend has drawn remote workers, retirees, and second-home buyers, pushing it to among the most expensive markets in the state, with rents near $1,900. It is owner-heavy — roughly 38 percent of households rent — and affluent on paper at around $96,000 median household income, but its long-term renter base skews toward service and hospitality workers who are heavily cost-burdened. The defining issue for a Bend landlord is the line between a long-term residential rental, which is fully governed by Oregon’s landlord-tenant law, and a short-term or vacation rental, which is not a residential tenancy at all and instead falls under the City of Bend’s short-term-rental permit program. Long-term eviction cases are filed as Forcible Entry and Detainer (FED) actions in the Deschutes County Circuit Court.

Oregon eviction law is set by the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 90), with the court process governed by the FED statutes (ORS 105.105–105.168). A landlord must serve the correct written notice before filing. Since 2019, Oregon has had statewide rent control and just-cause eviction protections under Senate Bill 608, and recent legislation (SB 611 in 2023 and HB 2001 in 2023) tightened the rent cap and reshaped the nonpayment process. Self-help eviction — lockouts, shutting off utilities, or removing a tenant’s belongings — is illegal and carries significant statutory penalties.

The single most important current number for a Bend landlord with long-term rentals is the rent cap: for 2026, the maximum allowable rent increase under Oregon law is 9.5 percent. That figure is recalculated and published by the Oregon Department of Administrative Services every September 30, so confirm the current year’s number before issuing any increase.

Bend & Deschutes County — Local Rules That Affect Landlords

Statewide Rent Control — the 2026 Cap Is 9.5%. Under SB 608 (2019) and SB 611 (2023), annual rent increases on long-term tenancies are capped at the lesser of 7 percent plus inflation (CPI) or a 10 percent hard cap — 9.5 percent for 2026. The cap applies to units 15 years or older (newer construction is exempt), you may raise rent only once in any 12-month period, no increase is allowed in the first year, and you must give 90 days’ written notice. Raising rent above the cap exposes you to liability for three months’ rent plus the tenant’s actual damages.

Long-Term Rental vs. Short-Term / Vacation Rental — Know Which Rules Apply. This distinction matters more in Bend than almost anywhere else in Oregon. A genuine short-term or vacation rental — transient lodging, typically rented for stays under 30 days — is not a residential tenancy under ORS Chapter 90, so the eviction process, rent cap, and just-cause rules do not apply to it. Instead, it is governed by the City of Bend’s short-term-rental permit program, which regulates permits, zoning and density limits, and occupancy — confirm the current Bend STR requirements before operating one. The flip side is just as important: the moment you rent a unit on a month-to-month or longer residential basis, the full ORS Chapter 90 regime applies — rent cap, just cause after 12 months, and the 10/13-day nonpayment process with the HB 2001 disclosure. Do not try to treat a long-term occupant as a “guest” to dodge tenant protections; courts look at the substance of the arrangement, not the label.

Just-Cause Eviction After 12 Months (ORS 90.427). For long-term tenancies, during the first 12 months you may end a month-to-month tenancy without cause on 30 days’ notice. After 12 months you need a qualifying reason — tenant-based (nonpayment, lease violation) or a qualifying landlord reason (landlord/family move-in, sale to an occupying buyer, demolition, major repairs), the latter requiring 90 days’ notice and one month’s rent relocation assistance for landlords with more than four units. Plan terminations around the 12-month line and document the qualifying reason.

Nonpayment of Rent — Mind the Procedure. Rent has a mandatory 4-day grace period before a notice can be served. You then serve a 10-day notice (on or after the 8th day of the rental period) or a 13-day notice (on or after the 5th day), and the notice must include the mandatory HB 2001 (2023) “eviction for nonpayment” disclosure with rental-assistance information in multiple languages — courts dismiss FED cases that omit it. The court must dismiss the case if the tenant pays in full or rental assistance is received before judgment. You cannot evict for unpaid late fees alone, and accepting partial rent can invalidate your notice.

A High-Cost, High-Growth Resort Market. Bend’s rents are among the highest in Oregon and home values have appreciated sharply, but the long-term renter base — service, hospitality, and seasonal workers — is price-sensitive and cost-burdened, so nonpayment risk is real despite the area’s affluence. Vacation-rental demand also pulls units out of the long-term pool, and raw vacancy figures are inflated by seasonal and second-home properties; actual long-term rental vacancy is tight. Screen carefully and price within the cap.

No Local Long-Term Tenancy Ordinance. Bend does not impose a Portland-style relocation-assistance, screening (FAIR), or municipal deposit ordinance on long-term rentals — those follow the statewide ORS Chapter 90 rules. Bend’s significant local regulation is the short-term-rental permit program described above, which applies to vacation rentals, not long-term tenancies.

Source-of-Income & Expanded Fair Housing. Beyond the federal protected classes, Oregon law (ORS Chapter 659A) bars discrimination based on source of income — you cannot refuse a Section 8 voucher or other subsidy — plus sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, survivor status (domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking), and, under SB 599 (2025), immigration or citizenship status. Apply the same standards to every applicant.

Security Deposits. Oregon has no statewide deposit cap, but you must return the deposit with a written itemized accounting within 31 days of the tenancy ending (ORS 90.300). Normal wear and tear is not deductible. Bend adds no extra municipal deposit rules for long-term rentals.

Self-Help Eviction Is Illegal. Lockouts, removing belongings, and utility shut-offs are prohibited (ORS 90.375) and expose you to substantial damages. Only the sheriff, under a court-issued writ, can remove a tenant.

Free Legal Help & Rent Assistance. Legal Aid Services of Oregon and the Oregon Law Center assist qualifying low-income tenants, and Deschutes County and Central Oregon programs offer rent assistance. Because a nonpayment FED must be dismissed if rental assistance arrives before judgment, helping a behind-but-stable tenant connect with assistance early is often faster and cheaper than a contested case.

Deschutes County Circuit Court — Where Bend Landlords File

Bend landlords file FED (eviction) actions for long-term rentals in the Deschutes County Circuit Court at the Deschutes County Courthouse, 1100 NW Bond Street, Bend, OR 97703 — confirm the current filing location and FED procedures with the court before filing. The FED filing fee is roughly $88, and Oregon’s FED process is fast — a first appearance is typically set about a week after filing. If the tenant contests, the court schedules a trial; if the landlord prevails, the court issues a judgment of restitution and the sheriff executes the writ. Remember that the case will be dismissed if the mandatory HB 2001 nonpayment notice was not attached, or if the tenant pays in full or rental assistance is received before judgment. Note that a true short-term/vacation-rental dispute is not an FED tenancy matter — it is handled under the City of Bend’s permit rules and general law, not the eviction process. Self-help eviction is illegal — only the sheriff may remove a tenant under a court-issued writ.