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Free Oregon Background &
Credit Check Authorization Template

Last reviewed September 2026

Written by LawLease Editorial

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Oregon Background & Credit Check Authorization

This Background & Credit Check Authorization is built with Oregon as the governing state. These are the Oregon landlord-tenant rules that most often bear on it, with the statute for each.

Oregon rules at a glance

Oregon rules for a Background & Credit Check Authorization
Screening feesAn applicant screening charge can’t exceed the landlord’s average actual cost of screening (or the customary amount charged by screening companies), requires written screening criteria first, may be charged only once per 60 days, and must be refunded within 30 days if no screening is done. Violations cost twice the fee plus $250 (ORS 90.295).
Security deposit limitNo statutory cap; can’t be raised during the first year of the tenancyORS 90.300(5)
Deposit return31 days after the tenancy ends and the tenant delivers possession, with a written accountingORS 90.300(12)–(13)
Holding deposits (2026)Under HB 3521 (2025), for deposits received on or after January 1, 2026, a landlord may take a deposit to secure signing a lease only after approving the application and giving the required written disclosures, and must refund it within five business days if the landlord fails to sign or the applicant rejects the unit over material habitability defects (ORS 90.297).

Security deposits in Oregon

Oregon sets no dollar cap on a security deposit, but it tightly controls what can be deducted and when the money comes back (ORS 90.300). The landlord must give the tenant a receipt for any deposit paid (90.300(2)).

  • No increase in year one — A landlord can’t require a new or increased deposit during the first year of the tenancy, except where the parties agree to a change such as allowing a pet and the extra deposit relates to that change (90.300(5)).
  • Allowed deductions — Only amounts reasonably necessary to cover the tenant’s defaults, such as unpaid rent, and to repair damage the tenant caused beyond ordinary wear and tear. Carpet cleaning can be deducted only if done with a machine designed for it, the carpet was cleaned or replaced before the tenancy began, and the written lease provides for the deduction (90.300(7)).
  • 31-day deadline — Within 31 days after the tenancy ends and the tenant delivers possession, the landlord must give a written accounting of any amount claimed and return the balance (90.300(12)–(13)). Note it’s 31 days — not 30.
  • Last month’s rent — A last-month’s-rent deposit must be applied to the final month when notice is given or the term ends, and any unused portion is refunded on the same 31-day timeline (90.300(9)–(10)).
  • Penalty — A landlord who fails to return the deposit as required, or withholds any of it in bad faith, owes the tenant twice the amount due (90.300(16)).
  • Holding deposits (2026) — Under HB 3521 (2025), for deposits received on or after January 1, 2026, a landlord may take a deposit to secure signing a lease only after approving the application and giving the required written disclosures, and must refund it within five business days if the landlord fails to sign or the applicant rejects the unit over material habitability defects (ORS 90.297).

Rent, late fees & Oregon’s rent cap

Oregon caps residential rent increases statewide. Since 2023 (SB 611), the maximum annual increase is 7% plus the annual change in the CPI-U West, but never more than 10%. The state’s Office of Economic Analysis publishes the figure for the next calendar year by September 30: it was 10% for 2025 and is 9.5% for 2026 (ORS 90.324).

  • First year & frequency — Rent can’t be increased during the first year of the tenancy, and after that no more than once in any 12-month period (ORS 90.323).
  • 90-day notice — Every increase needs at least 90 days’ written notice (7 days for a week-to-week tenancy) stating the amount of the increase, the new rent, the effective date, and the facts supporting any claimed exemption (90.323).
  • Exemptions — The cap doesn’t apply to a unit whose certificate of occupancy was issued less than 15 years before the notice date, or to certain regulated affordable housing (90.323). The notice and once-a-year rules still apply.
  • Penalty — Raising rent above the cap makes the landlord liable for three months’ rent plus the tenant’s actual damages (90.323).
  • Late fees — A late charge can be imposed only if rent isn’t received by the fourth day of the rental period, and only if the written lease states the fee, its type and amount, and the rent due date. It can be a reasonable flat fee once per period; a daily fee starting day 5 of no more than 6% of a reasonable flat fee; or 5% of the periodic rent for each succeeding five-day period. A landlord can’t deduct an old late fee from a current rent payment (ORS 90.260).
  • Screening fees — An applicant screening charge can’t exceed the landlord’s average actual cost of screening (or the customary amount charged by screening companies), requires written screening criteria first, may be charged only once per 60 days, and must be refunded within 30 days if no screening is done. Violations cost twice the fee plus $250 (ORS 90.295).

Oregon Background & Credit Check Authorization FAQs

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Oregon?

Oregon has no statutory cap. The landlord can’t add or increase a deposit during the first year of the tenancy (except for an agreed change like adding a pet), and must give a receipt (ORS 90.300).

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

31 days after the tenancy ends and the tenant delivers possession, with a written accounting of anything withheld. Failing to return it as required, or withholding it in bad faith, costs the landlord twice the amount due (ORS 90.300(12)–(16)).

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