RENTER’S HANDBOOK ON PORTLAND’S RELOCATION ASSISTANCE - Step-by-Step Guidelines and Letter Templates

Sep 15, 2026

Portland’s renter relocation assistance handbook explains when tenants may qualify for relocation assistance after a landlord forces a move without the tenant’s fault. It outlines the Portland relocation assistance law and the two eligibility factors: qualifying landlord actions (specific termination notices, qualifying rent increases, or nonrenewal) and qualifying tenant circumstances (city residency and restrictions on certain living arrangements). It also emphasizes keeping written records and provides step-by-step guidelines plus model letters to request assistance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time6 min

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PORTLAND’S RELOCATION ASSISTANCE LAW

When relocation assistance may apply

Two-factor eligibility: qualifying landlord action and qualifying tenant

RENTER’S HANDBOOK ON PORTLAND’S RELOCATION ASSISTANCE Bad news: 􀁸 Have you received a No Cause Notice of Termination , Landlord Reason Termination Notice, or Three Strikes Lease Nonrenewal Notice from your landlord? 􀁸 Have you received a Notice of a Rent Increase? 􀁸 Is your landlord is refusing to renew your lease on similar terms to your old lease? Good news: You may be eligible for relocation assistance from your landlord. This packet contains information about how to ask for and obtain relocation assistance if your landlord is forcing you to move due to no fault of your own. If you follow the steps outlined in this packet and keep good records of all of the steps you take, it is more likely that you will be able to obtain relocation assistance. It is very important to keep records of your written communications with your landlord throughout the process. This packet contains the following: 􀁸 Information about the City of Portland’s relocation assistance law 􀁸 Guidelines for how to get relocation assistance , including step-by-step instructions 􀁸 Letters to use in communicating with your landlord about relocation assistance PORTLAND’S RELOCATION ASSISTANCE LAW 􀂾 Certain tenants living in the City of Portland may have the right to relocation assistance from their landlord if the landlord is forcing the tenant to move through no fault of the tenant. Portland City Code (“PCC”) 30.01.085. 􀂾 In order to be eligible for relocation assistance you must qualify based on two separate factors. o The first factor is a qualifying landlord action. o The second factor is being a qualifying tenant. Qualifying Landlord Action 􀂾 In order to be eligible for relocation assistance your landlord must have done ONE of the following three things: 1. Served you with one of the following three qualifying Termination Notices: 􀁸 No Cause Notice of Termination , 􀁸 Landlord Reason Notice; OR 􀁸 Three Strikes Lease Nonrenewal Notice. 2. Served you with a Notice of Rent Increase that increases your rent by 10% or more in the last twelve months. 􀁸 Note: State law prevents your landlord from raising your rent during the first year of your tenancy. If the building you live in is 15 years or older, state law also caps the amount that the landlord can increase your rent after the first year to 7% plus the amount of inflation for the prior September. For 2019, the rate of inflation for September 2018 was 3.4% . That means your landlord cannot raise your rent more than 10.4%(7% + 3.4%) in 2019. 3. Failed to renew your lease on substantially similar terms. 􀁸 Note: The expiration of a temporary reduction of rent (“rent concession”) is not considered a failure to renew a lease on substantially similar terms, and so does not make the tenant eligible for relocation assistance. Qualifying Tenants 􀂾 In order to be eligible for relocation assistance you must meet ALL of the following requirements: 1. You must live in the City of Portland. (Not sure? Use this tool to doublecheck: [https://gis.oregonmetro.gov/metromap/](https://gis.oregonmetro.gov/metromap/. Be sure to click on)[. Be sure to click on](https://gis.oregonmetro.gov/metromap/. Be sure to click on) ‘city boundaries’ under layers) 2. Your rental agreement cannot be week to week. 3. You cannot live with your landlord. 4. You cannot live in an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) on a property that the landlord also lives on. 5. You cannot live in a duplex if the landlord lives in the other part of the duplex. 6. You cannot live in your landlord’s primary home while he or she is gone for 3 years or less and plans to return. 7. You cannot live in your landlord’s primary home while he or she is absent due to active duty military service. 8. Your landlord cannot be terminating your rental agreement in order to move in a member of the landlord’s immediate family. 9. You cannot live in a unit where the landlord has provided a fixed term lease and notifi

FAQs

How can a tenant qualify for relocation assistance in Portland?

Eligibility depends on two factors: a qualifying landlord action and meeting all qualifying tenant requirements. The handbook details the specific landlord notices, rent increase triggers, and tenant restrictions that must all be satisfied.

What landlord actions can trigger the tenant’s potential relocation assistance rights?

The landlord must do one of three things: serve certain termination notices (No Cause, Landlord Reason, or Three Strikes), serve a notice of rent increase of 10% or more in the last twelve months, or fail to renew the lease on substantially similar terms.

What tenant requirements must be met to be eligible?

Tenants must live in Portland and meet multiple housing-related restrictions, including not living with the landlord, not living in certain units like an ADU or specific duplex situations, and not falling under other listed exceptions such as uninhabitable units due to no fault of the landlord or tenant.

Sep 15, 2026

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