Oregon Tenant Information & Resources: Free Legal Help, Hotlines, and Renters’ Rights
Renters across Oregon facing an eviction notice, needed repairs, a rent increase, or housing discrimination can reach free, noncommercial help from legal aid programs, tenant associations, and public agencies.
Community Alliance of Tenants, Disability Rights Oregon, Fair Housing Council of Oregon, Legal Aid Services of Oregon, Manufactured Housing/Oregon State Tenants Association, Oregon Law Center, Oregon Renter’s Rights, Portland Tenants United, and the Springfield Eugene Tenant Association offer renters’ rights hotlines, free eviction defense, fair housing complaint support, recorded fair housing trainings, self-help guidebooks, and tenant organizing, alongside state, court, federal, and City of Portland resources for rental assistance, habitability, mediation, and the 2027 rent increase cap.
Community Alliance of Tenants
Community Alliance of Tenants is a statewide renters’ rights nonprofit, founded in 1996, that runs a Renters’ Rights Hotline and offers tenant education through workshops and handouts.
Programs & Services
Renters’ Rights Hotline
Hotline specialists answer renters’ questions about fair housing protections, evictions, terminations, repairs, security deposits, and rent increase limits; the line does not serve landlords. Callers dial (503) 288-0130 and leave a message, and a specialist calls back. Intake and callbacks run Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Tuesday from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Pacific time.
Eligibility: Open to Oregon renters, with priority given to renters in Southern and Central Oregon, the Mid-Valley, and the Portland Tri-County area; renters in other regions can become members for prioritized help.
Access: https://www.oregoncat.org
Resources & Links
Know Your Rights
Tenant rights information and handouts from the Community Alliance of Tenants.
Access: https://www.oregoncat.org/know-your-rights
Disability Rights Oregon
Disability Rights Oregon is the state’s Protection and Advocacy System, helping people who have a disability-related legal issue in Oregon, including housing concerns.
Programs & Services
Disability-Related Legal Help
Oregonians with a disability-related legal issue can apply online or call 503-243-2081 or 1-800-452-1694, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Pacific time. Services are provided by appointment only.
Access: https://www.droregon.org
Resources & Links
Fair Housing Handbook: Reasonable Accommodations & Modifications
A guide to requesting disability-related accommodations and modifications in rental housing, including assistance animals and accessible parking.
Fair Housing Council of Oregon
The Fair Housing Council of Oregon evaluates potential violations of the federal Fair Housing Act and related state and local laws. It is not a law office, and it refers general landlord-tenant questions to legal aid and current eviction cases to the Eviction Defense Project.
Programs & Services
Report Housing Discrimination
Renters who believe they were treated differently because of a protected status, such as race, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, disability, marital status, domestic violence survivorship, sexual orientation, gender expression, or source of income, can submit an online report to fair housing enforcement staff. Questions go to the intake line at (503) 223-8197, ext. 2, or 1-800-424-3247, ext. 2, on Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to noon Pacific time.
Access: https://fhco.org/report-housing-discrimination/
On-Demand Resources
Fair Housing and Assistance Animals
Type: Recorded Webinar
Covers disability under the Fair Housing Act, who can have an assistance animal, which kinds of animals qualify, and how to request one.
Access: https://fhco.org/online-courses/
Fair Housing and the Intersection with Tribal Law
Type: Recorded Webinar
Duration: 1 hour, 56 minutes
Covers fair housing protected classes and how the law applies, Oregon tribal history, the unique challenges and benefits for Native American tribes, and tribal funding for housing. A Spanish recording and an English recording with ASL are also listed on FHCO’s Pre-Recorded Courses page.
Access: https://vimeo.com/1121343370
Fair Housing Discrimination in Oregon
Type: Recorded Webinar
Duration: 2 hours
Explores how Oregon’s history of displacement, segregation, and harassment shapes housing inequity today, and the current policies and practices working to address it.
Access: https://vimeo.com/1096404314
Fair Housing for Aging Populations
Type: Recorded Webinar
Duration: 54 minutes
Covers fair housing basics, the crisis of livability, and the laws that protect people with disabilities. This link opens the ASL recording; English and Spanish recordings are also listed on FHCO’s Pre-Recorded Courses page.
Access: https://vimeo.com/1010019872
Fair Housing for Immigrants and Refugees
Type: Recorded Webinar
Duration: 1 hour, 46 minutes
Covers the history of housing discrimination, the protected class of national origin, and harassment in rental housing. Spanish and ASL recordings are also listed on FHCO’s Pre-Recorded Courses page.
Access: https://vimeo.com/1079607960
Fair Housing for LGBTQIA+ Folx
Type: Recorded Webinar
Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Covers fair housing basics, the protected classes of sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability, and harassment in rental housing.
Access: https://vimeo.com/1091076184
Fair Housing for Renters with Disabilities
Type: Recorded Webinar
Duration: 1 hour, 23 minutes
Covers red flags of discrimination, housing rights for people with disabilities with a focus on intellectual and developmental disabilities, and protections against hate and harassment.
Access: https://vimeo.com/1082742337
Moving Forward with a Past
Type: Recorded Webinar
Duration: 2 hours, 2 minutes
Covers fair housing basics, disability accommodations, disparate impact involving domestic violence, national origin, and criminal history, and advocating for people whose criminal history is a barrier to housing. Spanish and ASL recordings are also listed on FHCO’s Pre-Recorded Courses page.
Access: https://vimeo.com/1026265341
Legal Aid Services of Oregon
Legal Aid Services of Oregon provides free civil legal help to low-income communities across Oregon, including tenants living in substandard housing.
Programs & Services
Find a Legal Aid Office
Renters with a landlord-tenant problem can use this map to find their regional office, along with the counties served by other legal aid organizations. The Portland Regional Office can be reached at (503) 224-4086.
Eligibility: Low-income Oregonians.
Access: https://lasoregon.org/igmap/locations/
Manufactured Housing/Oregon State Tenants Association
Manufactured Housing/Oregon State Tenants Association is a statewide organization of Oregon residents who own manufactured or floating homes and rent the space beneath them, advocating for residents’ rights in parks and marinas.
Programs & Services
Membership and Resident Advocacy
Park and marina residents can join the association and find information on landlord responsibilities, evictions, disability rights, and legal help. Call 541-508-0404 for membership information. The association’s new website is in preview, so some pages lead to a contact form for now.
Access: https://oregontenants.com/
Oregon Law Center
Oregon Law Center provides free legal help to Oregonians with low incomes on matters involving their homes, livelihoods, medical care, and safety from domestic violence.
Programs & Services
Eviction Defense Project
A joint project of Legal Aid Services of Oregon, Oregon Law Center, and the Center for Non-Profit Legal Services, the Eviction Defense Project offers free legal help to low-income tenants in every Oregon county who have an eviction court case. Tenants should call 888-585-9638, email [email protected], or use the online form before their first court appearance, with their court case number and hearing date ready. Help is available regardless of immigration status, and receiving it carries no immigration consequence.
Eligibility: Low-income tenants with an active eviction court case; in Multnomah County, help may be available after a termination notice and before a case is filed. Tenants outside Multnomah County without court papers can contact their local legal aid office, and renters seeking rent assistance only should contact 211.
Access: https://oregonlawcenter.org/eviction-defense-project/
Oregon Renter’s Rights
Oregon Renter’s Rights is a resource hub for Oregon tenants offering self-help guidebooks, sample letters, and legal resources in English, Spanish, and several other languages; the guides are not a substitute for legal advice.
Resources & Links
Guías de Vivienda en Español
Housing guides, legal resources, and a rent increase calculator in Spanish.
Access: https://www.oregonrentersrights.org/espanol
Housing Self-Help Handbooks
Guidebooks on applications and fees, repairs and safety, discrimination protections, rent increases and relocation, termination and eviction notices, and court processes.
Access: https://www.oregonrentersrights.org/handbooks
Rent Increase Calculator
A tool for checking whether a rent increase notice is valid under Oregon law.
Access: https://www.oregonrentersrights.org/rent-calculator
Portland Tenants United
Portland Tenants United is an all-volunteer tenant union that organizes renters in the Portland metro area to challenge harmful housing policies and practices and to press for housing stability, security, and dignity. PTU cannot give legal advice or help pay rent.
Programs & Services
Join the Union
Tenants can become members of PTU and get support organizing their building into a tenant association.
Access: https://www.pdxtu.org/join_the_union
Resources & Links
Contact and Resources
A curated list of Portland-area help for evictions, repairs and inspectors, mediation, security deposits, rent assistance, free or low-cost legal help, and other local tenant unions.
Access: https://www.pdxtu.org/resources
Springfield Eugene Tenant Association
The Springfield Eugene Tenant Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to renters’ rights, assisting, educating, and empowering tenants in Lane County and beyond.
Programs & Services
SETA Tenant Hotline
Renters can call 541-972-3715 and leave a voicemail at any time with a brief overview of their issue; staff research each question before returning the call, which can take up to 24 hours. Callers who have received an urgent notice should mention it so their call is prioritized. Help in Spanish is available.
Access: https://www.springfieldeugenetenantassociation.com/hotline
Resources & Links
Renters’ Rights Guides
Guides on finding a rental, moving in and security deposits, habitability and repairs, evictions and terminations, and discrimination and retaliation.
Access: https://www.springfieldeugenetenantassociation.com/renters_rights
General & Cross-Cutting Resources
Directories & Hubs
211info — https://www.211info.org · Dial 211 or 866-698-6155, or text a ZIP code to 898211, for rental assistance and other housing help; core phone hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Pacific time, and interpreters are available.
Oregon Law Help — https://oregonlawhelp.org · Free legal information on rental housing, repairs, deposits, illegal discrimination, and protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Find a local legal aid office: https://oregonlawhelp.org/resource/oregon-legal-aid-offices
State of Oregon Resources
Oregon Housing and Community Services, Landlord & Tenant Resources — https://www.oregon.gov/ohcs/housing-assistance/pages/landlord-tenant-resources.aspx · A referral hub for rental assistance, legal help, fair housing, manufactured home park resources, and mediation.
Oregon Housing and Community Services, Need Housing Help Now? — https://www.oregon.gov/ohcs/pages/housing-resources.aspx · Rental assistance, eviction-related help, and utility bill assistance through local Community Action Agencies.
Oregon Housing and Community Services, Housing Health & Safety — https://www.oregon.gov/ohcs/housing-assistance/pages/housing-health-safety.aspx · Explains Oregon’s habitability standards for rental housing; residents of project-based Section 8 housing can call the Oregon Health and Safety Hotline at 1-800-453-5511, option 4, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time.
Manufactured & Marina Communities Resource Center — https://www.oregon.gov/ohcs/mmcrc/pages/index.aspx · Information and training for tenants and landlords in manufactured home parks and marinas, with dispute resolution and mediation; hotline 1-800-453-5511, option 2.
Oregon Judicial Department, Landlord-Tenant Self-Help — https://www.courts.oregon.gov/help/pages/landlord-tenant.aspx · Tenant instructions for the eviction process and statewide court forms accepted in all circuit courts, including interactive iForms for some filings.
Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, Fair Housing — https://www.oregon.gov/boli/civil-rights/pages/fair-housing.aspx · Takes and investigates housing discrimination complaints; for questions, call 971-245-3844.
Oregon Department of Administrative Services, Rent Stabilization — https://www.oregon.gov/das/oea/pages/rent-stabilization.aspx · The maximum allowable rent increase for calendar year 2027 is 10%, up from 9.5% in 2026; manufactured dwelling and marina facilities with more than 30 spaces are capped at 6%. Questions about the cap go to Oregon Housing and Community Services.
Federal Resources
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Oregon — https://www.hud.gov/states/oregon · Links to the HUD Resource Locator for affordable housing, HUD-approved housing counselors at (800) 569-4287, and energy assistance for renters.
HUD Multifamily Housing Complaint Line — https://www.hud.gov/contactus/multifamily-housing-complaint · Residents of HUD-insured and HUD-assisted properties can report poor maintenance, health and safety dangers, mismanagement, or fraud at 1-800-685-8470, with specialists who speak English and Spanish.
HUD, Report Housing Discrimination — https://www.hud.gov/contactus/file-complaint · File a fair housing complaint online or call 1-800-669-9777.
City of Portland Resources
Portland Housing Bureau, Eviction Legal Defense Program — https://www.portland.gov/phb/rental-services/eviction-help-renters/eviction-legal-support-tenants · Free legal help for low-income renters (at or below 60% of Area Median Income) within Portland city limits, available as soon as a termination notice arrives; call 888-585-9638 or email [email protected].
Portland Housing Bureau, Resources for Landlords and Tenants — https://www.portland.gov/phb/rental-services/helpdesk/resources · Rental services information for Portland renters, including free landlord-tenant mediation through Resolutions NW.
Disclaimer: This listing is shared for community information only. The offerings are organized and hosted by the listed organizations, not by PeerGalaxy. Details such as dates, times, availability, and access links are subject to change — please confirm with the relevant organization before attending or applying.