Security Deposit Not Returned in Oregon: What Can I Do?
This page explains what Oregon law says about getting your security deposit back. It covers the deadline, what your landlord can keep, and what you can do if the rules are not followed.
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Oregon law gives your landlord 31 days after your renting ends and you hand back your keys (deliver possession) to return your security deposit. That includes any part of the deposit your landlord is not keeping for a reason allowed by law.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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Oregon law requires your landlord to send you a written list stating specifically why, if your landlord keeps any part of your deposit. Your landlord must send this list within 31 days after your renting ends and you hand back your keys. Your landlord must send a separate list for your security deposit and for any prepaid rent.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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Your landlord must give you the written list of what your landlord kept, or your deposit, by personal delivery or by first class mail. Your landlord may email it instead only if you both agreed in writing, as allowed under Oregon's landlord notice law.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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Your landlord can only take the amount reasonably necessary out of your deposit for unpaid rent or other amounts you owe under your lease. Your landlord can also take this amount to repair damage you caused. Your landlord cannot charge you for ordinary wear and tear (normal use over time).
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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Your landlord does not have to actually fix the damage you caused to charge you for it from your deposit. Any labor cost your landlord charges for cleaning or repairs must be a reasonable hourly rate, even if your landlord does the work personally.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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Your landlord can only claim money from your deposit for a reason your landlord required the deposit for in the first place.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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Your landlord cannot make you pay toward your deposit, or keep it, for not staying a set number of months in a month-to-month rental. A month-to-month rental is a lease with no fixed end date.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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If you paid rent early, Oregon law says your landlord must give back any part not used when your renting ends. Your landlord must give it back the same way, and by the same rules, as your deposit. Your landlord can only keep the amount reasonably necessary (only what is needed) for rent you still owe.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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Your right to your security deposit comes before the rights of anyone your landlord owes money to. That includes what your landlord owes even if your landlord goes into bankruptcy, a legal process for people who cannot pay their debts.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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Your deposit is protected from your landlord's debt collectors while your landlord holds it. Debt collectors normally use garnishment (a legal process that takes money straight from someone to pay a debt). They cannot use it on your deposit.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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If your landlord keeps part of your deposit, gather your move-in and move-out photos, your lease, and any written messages with your landlord. These records can support your case if you dispute what your landlord kept.
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If your landlord misses the deadline or does not send the required list, write to your landlord and ask for your deposit back. Keep a copy of what you send.
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If your landlord keeps part of your deposit but skips the written list explaining why, you can get back twice the amount kept. Your landlord may also keep part of your deposit in bad faith: on purpose, without a legal right to it. Then you can get back twice that amount too. For example, if your landlord wrongly keeps $500, you can get back $1,000: twice the $500. You get this money only if you win your case and your landlord pays.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
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