Oregon security deposit law

What your landlord is legally required to do after you move out, how long they have, and what it costs them if they get it wrong.

The deadline

Under Or. Rev. Stat. § 90.300, a landlord in Oregon must return your security deposit — together with any required written itemization of deductions — within 31 days. Once that window closes without payment or a proper itemization, the landlord is in violation of the statute.

What it costs your landlord

Under Or. Rev. Stat. § 90.300, a landlord who wrongfully withholds a deposit in Oregon may be liable for double the amount wrongfully withheld where the landlord failed to provide the required written accounting or withheld in bad faith. That exposure is the reason a formal demand letter works: it is usually cheaper for a landlord to pay you than to argue about it.

What your landlord may deduct in Oregon

Unpaid rent and damages resulting from the tenant's noncompliance with the rental agreement or ORS 90.325, ordinary wear and tear excepted.

Or. Rev. Stat. § 90.300

Ordinary wear and tear

Oregon excepts ordinary wear and tear and imposes a two-part condition on carpet cleaning specifically.

“ordinary wear and tear”

What a compliant itemization has to contain

A written accounting itemizing the basis for any amount retained, within 31 days of termination.

Carpet cleaning is regulated by name here

Oregon permits a carpet-cleaning deduction only where the carpet was cleaned or replaced after the previous tenancy and before this one, AND the written rental agreement provides for the deduction. Both conditions have to hold, and you can check the second one on your own lease.

Read it yourself: Or. Rev. Stat. § 90.300

How to get your deposit back in Oregon

1. 1. Confirm the deadline has passed. Count from the day you moved out and returned possession. In Oregon that's 31 days.
2. 2. Put your forwarding address in writing. In several states a landlord has no obligation until they have it, and having sent it protects your claim.
3. 3. Gather your evidence. The lease, proof you paid the deposit, move-in and move-out photos, and any itemization they sent.
4. 4. Send a written demand by certified mail. Cite Or. Rev. Stat. § 90.300, state the amount owed, and give a deadline to pay. Certified mail creates the delivery record a judge will want to see.
5. 5. File in small claims if they ignore you. You don't need a lawyer. File in the county where the property is located.

Common questions

How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Oregon?

Under Or. Rev. Stat. § 90.300, a Oregon landlord has 31 days to return the deposit and provide any required written itemization of deductions.

What is the penalty if my landlord keeps my deposit in Oregon?

Under Or. Rev. Stat. § 90.300, a landlord who wrongfully withholds may be liable for double the amount wrongfully withheld where the landlord failed to provide the required written accounting or withheld in bad faith.

Do I have to sue to get my security deposit back?

Often not. A formal written demand sent by certified mail puts your landlord on notice of the statute, the deadline they missed and the penalty attached to it — and gives you a dated record that they received it. Small claims court is the fallback if they ignore it.