An Oregon Tenant Notice to Vacate is the written 30 days notice a tenant gives a landlord to end a periodic tenancy under Oregon Revised Statutes § 90.427(3)(a). It identifies the rental unit, sets the last day of tenancy, provides a forwarding address for the security deposit, and creates the documentary record that protects you if the move-out is later disputed. The form on this page handles the statutory content automatically — you fill in the blanks, the PDF generates a clean, signature-ready notice, and you deliver it to your landlord.

In Oregon, a tenant ends a month-to-month tenancy by giving the landlord written notice not less than 30 days before the termination date designated in the notice (ORS 90.427(3)(a)), and a week-to-week tenancy by written notice at least 10 days before that date (ORS 90.427(2)). Where a fixed term ends after the first year of occupancy, written notice not less than 30 days before the ending date keeps it from rolling into month-to-month (ORS 90.427(4)(c)(B)). Serve the notice by personal delivery or first class mail; mail adds three days to the period (ORS 90.155).

What this form does and when to use it

The Oregon Tenant Notice to Vacate is a written notice from the tenant to the landlord ending a periodic (typically month-to-month) tenancy under Oregon Revised Statutes § 90.427(3)(a). It serves three purposes at once: it gives the landlord the statutorily required 30 days’ notice that the tenancy will end, it specifies the last day of tenancy so rent obligations stop on a defined date, and it provides the forwarding address where the landlord sends the deposit, which is due within 31 days after the tenancy ends and you deliver possession under O.R.S. § 90.300. Without a properly written and delivered notice, a tenant who simply moves out remains exposed to claims for additional rent and may have a harder time recovering the security deposit.

Use this notice when you have a periodic tenancy — month-to-month is the most common form, but the same rule applies to week-to-week or other periodic arrangements (a week-to-week tenancy needs at least 10 days’ written notice under ORS 90.427(2)). The 30 days notice for month-to-month applies regardless of how long you have lived in the unit. Many states impose longer notice obligations on landlords than on tenants — those longer landlord rules do not flow back to tenants. As a tenant on a month-to-month tenancy in Oregon, you give the 30 days period stated in O.R.S. § 90.427(3)(a) every time.

This is not the right form for a fixed-term lease. If you have a lease with a defined end date and you intend to leave at the natural end of the term, the lease itself sets the end date — although it is good practice to send a written notice anyway to confirm your intent and give your forwarding address. If you want to leave a fixed-term lease early, the 30 days notice does not apply: you need either a lease provision authorizing early termination, the landlord’s written agreement to release you, or a statutory ground (uninhabitable conditions, domestic violence early termination, or military deployment under federal SCRA at 50 U.S.C. § 3955). Sending a § 90.427(3)(a) notice on a fixed-term lease without one of those grounds typically does not end your rent liability under Oregon law.

Related Resources

• Oregon lease termination laws
• Oregon eviction notice laws
• Oregon breaking lease laws
• Oregon landlord tenant laws
• Oregon habitability laws
• Lease termination laws by state

Oregon statute and legal authority

One citation to correct before anything else. Many Oregon pages, this one included until now, cite ORS 91.070 for a tenant’s 30-day notice. ORS 91.070 is a real section – “Tenancy from month to month” in the general landlord-tenant chapter – but it applies only “Except as otherwise provided by statute or agreement,” and for a residential tenancy the statute that otherwise provides is ORS 90.427(3)(a): “At any time during the tenancy, the tenant may terminate the tenancy by giving the landlord notice in writing not less than 30 days prior to the date designated in the notice for the termination of the tenancy.” The period is the same 30 days, so nothing about the arithmetic changes – but the right lives in chapter 90, and two neighbouring rules only exist there. A week-to-week tenancy takes only 10 days’ notice from either party under ORS 90.427(2). And where a fixed term ends after the first year of occupancy, ORS 90.427(4)(c)(B) lets the tenant stop it rolling into a month-to-month tenancy by giving written notice not less than 30 days before the stated ending date or the date designated in the notice, whichever is later.

The 30-day answer to a qualifying-reason notice – chapter 115, Oregon Laws 2025

A newer right, in force since 1 January 2026 and codified as ORS 90.372. Section 2 of chapter 115, Oregon Laws 2025 (House Bill 2134) was added to ORS 90.100 to 90.465 and appears in the 2025 edition as ORS 90.372. Where a landlord gives a tenant on a fixed term a notice under ORS 90.427(5) – a qualifying-landlord-reason notice – terminating the agreement on or after the expiration of the fixed term, the tenant may answer with the tenant’s own written notice ending the agreement on a date at least 30 days after delivery, and that notice may end the tenancy during the fixed term. The landlord may then collect neither the ORS 90.302(2)(e) early-termination fee nor any unpaid rent accruing after the later of the designated date and the return of possession. It applies only to fixed term rental agreements entered into on or after 1 January 2026. If that is your situation, this is the notice to use and you are not locked in until the term ends.

For the ordinary month-to-month case the mechanics are these. The statute generally provides that a periodic tenancy is renewed at the end of each rental period unless one of the parties gives written notice to the other of an intention to terminate. The minimum notice period is 30 days for a month-to-month tenancy. The notice may typically be given on any day of the rental period — there is no requirement that it line up with the start of a calendar month, although some leases impose an end-of-period requirement that should be checked.

O.R.S. § 90.427(3)(a) requires the notice to be in writing and to clearly state the date the tenancy will terminate. Beyond those minimums, courts generally hold that the writing must be clear enough that a reasonable landlord understands the tenant intends to end the tenancy on a definite date. Ambiguous statements (“I’m thinking about moving”) or conditional statements (“I’ll move if I find a place”) do not satisfy the statute. The form on this page produces unambiguous statutory language.

O.R.S. § 90.300 governs what happens to the security deposit after the tenancy ends. The landlord has 31 days after the tenancy terminates and you deliver possession to either return the full deposit or provide an itemized statement of any lawful deductions along with the balance. Under ORS 90.300(7) the landlord may claim only the amount reasonably necessary to remedy the tenant’s defaults in the performance of the rental agreement, including unpaid rent, and to repair damage caused by the tenant, not including ordinary wear and tear. The 31-day clock runs from termination and delivery of possession (ORS 90.300(13)); a written forwarding address simply tells the landlord where to send the money.

ORS 90.385 prohibits a landlord from retaliating against a tenant who has, among other things, complained to a government agency or in good faith to the landlord, joined a tenants’ union, or testified against the landlord. The retaliation it prohibits is increasing rent, decreasing services, serving a termination notice, or bringing or threatening an action for possession. If the deposit return is unreasonably delayed or the deductions appear retaliatory or made in bad faith, document the timeline and consider small claims action — ORS 90.300(16) lets you recover twice the amount withheld without a written accounting or in bad faith.

Step-by-step: writing your notice to vacate

Follow these steps in order. Each one corresponds to a required field on the form below.

Step 1: Confirm your tenancy is periodic, not fixed-term

Pull out your lease. If it has no end date, or it expired and you simply continued paying month-to-month, you have a periodic tenancy and O.R.S. § 90.427(3)(a) applies — give 30 days’ notice using this form. If your lease has a defined end date and is still within the term, this notice is not the right tool unless you have a separate ground for early termination.

Step 2: Choose your last day of tenancy

Add 30 calendar days to the date you will deliver the notice (33 if you serve it by first class mail, ORS 90.155(2)). The tenancy ends at the close of that day. The last day does not have to be the end of a calendar month — O.R.S. § 90.427(3)(a) typically allows mid-period termination, with rent pro-rated through the last day of tenancy. Use the calculator below to compute the exact date. (Always check your lease — some leases impose end-of-period requirements that override the default.)

Step 3: List every named tenant

Include every adult tenant who signed the lease. Each tenant has an independent obligation under the lease, and a notice on behalf of one cotenant does not necessarily end the tenancy for others. If only one of two cotenants intends to leave and the other plans to stay, that is a partial-tenancy issue that this form is not designed for — discuss it with the landlord and consider a written modification of the lease.

Step 4: State the rental address with full precision

Use the address as it appears on the lease, including unit or apartment number, building number, city, and ZIP. Imprecise addresses cause more disputes than people expect, especially in multi-unit buildings.

Step 5: Identify the landlord or property manager

The notice should be addressed to whoever holds the landlord role for purposes of the tenancy — typically the entity named in the lease or the property manager identified on rent-payment instructions. If the lease names a different person from the property manager, address the notice to both to avoid any argument that the wrong party received it.

Step 6: Provide a forwarding address

This is the address where the landlord will mail your security deposit and any itemization. O.R.S. § 90.300(14) lets the landlord return the deposit and accounting by personal delivery or first class mail, so without a forwarding address the mail may go to the rental unit you are vacating and you may never receive the refund. A clean forwarding address protects the refund.

Step 7: Ask for a pre-move-out walkthrough

Even where state law does not require it, ask the landlord for a pre-move-out walkthrough. The landlord walks through the unit, identifies any deficiencies that would otherwise be deducted from the deposit, and gives you a chance to fix them before move-out. This optional step often pays for itself many times over in deposit recovery. The form below includes a checkbox to put the request in writing.

Step 8: Sign and date

The notice must be signed and dated by the tenant. If there are cotenants, every cotenant who is ending the tenancy should sign. The delivery date, not the signing date, is what starts the 30-day clock (plus three days if mailed, ORS 90.155(2)).

Required information that makes the notice valid

O.R.S. § 90.427(3)(a) sets a low statutory bar: written notice, given the required number of days in advance, stating the tenant’s intent to terminate. The form on this page goes well beyond the minimum because the bigger risk to a tenant is not technical invalidity — it is the move-out dispute (deductions, deposit return delays, claims for additional rent). Each element below addresses a real-world dispute pattern.

Element	Why it matters
Tenant name(s)	Establishes which tenants are giving notice. If there are cotenants and only some are leaving, the notice should be clear about who is and is not part of the termination.
Rental property address with unit	Identifies the specific tenancy being ended. Imprecise addresses cause more disputes than people expect, especially in multi-unit buildings.
Date of notice	Establishes when the 30-day clock started running. Aligns with the proof of delivery.
Last day of tenancy	The defined date the tenancy ends. This is the rent-stop date and the start of the 31-day security deposit clock under O.R.S. § 90.300.
Forwarding address	Tells the landlord where to mail the security deposit and itemization. Without it, first class mail to the rental unit may be all you get under O.R.S. § 90.300(14) — meaning you might never see the refund.
Pre-move-out walkthrough request (optional)	Asks the landlord to do a pre-move-out walkthrough and tell you what would be deducted from the deposit. One of the highest-leverage moves for deposit recovery, even where not required by statute.
Tenant signature(s) and date	Authenticates the notice as actually given by the tenant on the date stated.
Landlord/property manager name and address	Clarifies who is being noticed. If the lease names a different person from the property manager, address both to avoid argument.

How to deliver the notice to your landlord

The notice must be in writing, and because chapter 90 requires it, ORS 90.155 governs how it is served – in both directions, tenant to landlord as well as landlord to tenant. The authorised methods are personal delivery; first class mail, which is sufficient on its own but extends the minimum period by three days under ORS 90.155(2), an extension the notice must state; first class mail plus attachment to the landlord’s designated location, but only where the written rental agreement provides for that method in both directions and describes the location with particularity; and electronic mail only under a written addendum executed by both parties after the tenancy began, and for a notice ending the tenancy only if it is also sent by first class mail (ORS 90.155(5)). Proof of delivery is still the practical requirement: if the landlord later denies receiving notice, the tenant who has documentary proof prevails. The methods below are listed in order of evidentiary strength.

Move-out timeline and key dates

The full move-out arc — from notice through deposit return — is structured by two clocks: the 30 days notice clock under O.R.S. § 90.427(3)(a) and the 31-day deposit clock under O.R.S. § 90.300. Here is the typical sequence.

The clean version of this timeline plays out in roughly 61 days from notice to deposit return. The version that goes wrong adds weeks — disputes over whether the notice was timely, missing forwarding address mail-backs, deductions the tenant disputes. The mitigations are all on the tenant side: deliver with proof, request a pre-move-out walkthrough, document the unit on the way out, and provide a real forwarding address.

Pay rent through the entire 30 days period even if you move out earlier. Returning keys early does not, by itself, end your rent obligation under O.R.S. § 90.427(3)(a). The tenancy ends on the date stated in the notice — earlier physical departure is fine, but the rent runs through the stated end date unless the landlord agrees in writing to release you sooner. (Some landlords will agree to release the tenant once a replacement is found; ask, but get it in writing.)

What happens after the notice period ends

On the last day of tenancy stated in your notice, the tenancy formally terminates. You should surrender possession on or before that date — return all keys, garage remotes, mail keys, and any access cards or fobs. Document the condition of the unit with timestamped photos and video, ideally at the same time you do the move-out walkthrough. Confirm in writing (text is fine for this part) that the keys have been returned and the unit surrendered.

The 31-day security deposit clock under O.R.S. § 90.300 starts running once the tenancy has terminated and you have delivered possession. Within 31 days, the landlord must either return the full deposit or provide an itemized statement of any lawful deductions along with the balance. Under ORS 90.300(7) deductions are limited to what is reasonably necessary to remedy the tenant’s defaults, including unpaid rent (which should be zero if you paid through the notice period), and to repair damage caused by the tenant beyond ordinary wear and tear. Painting, normal carpet wear, and ordinary cleaning are typically not lawful deductions.

If the deposit and itemization are returned within 31 days and the deductions are reasonable, the move-out is complete. If the landlord misses the deadline or makes deductions that look retaliatory or unfounded, your remedy is a written demand letter followed by small claims court. ORS 90.300(16) lets you recover twice the amount withheld without a written accounting or in bad faith, a provision that often motivates settlement once a written demand is received.

Security deposit return under § 90.300

The security deposit is where most tenant move-outs go sideways. The legal framework is straightforward, but enforcement depends on the tenant’s documentation. Build the file from day one of the notice period.

What the landlord must do within 31 days

O.R.S. § 90.300 requires the landlord, within 31 days after the tenancy terminates and the tenant delivers possession, to either return the full deposit or provide a written itemized statement listing the basis for any deductions, with supporting documentation for repairs in many states. The landlord must also return any portion of the deposit not lawfully deducted. The 31 days typically run as calendar days, not business days.

Lawful deductions

ORS 90.300(7) lets the landlord claim only the amount reasonably necessary to remedy the tenant’s defaults in the performance of the rental agreement, including unpaid rent, and to repair damage caused by the tenant, not including ordinary wear and tear; carpet cleaning is deductible only under the conditions in ORS 90.300(7)(c)(A). Painting after a long tenancy is generally ordinary wear; deep stains, holes beyond reasonable hanging, and damage from neglect are not.

Pre-move-out walkthrough — your highest-leverage move

Whether or not your state requires the landlord to perform a pre-move-out walkthrough, you can ask. Walking through the unit with the landlord before move-out lets the landlord flag anything that would otherwise be deducted from your deposit, and gives you a chance to clean, repair, or replace before you surrender possession. Tenants who do this walkthrough typically recover more of their deposit than tenants who wait until move-out to learn what was charged. A friendly, written request is usually all it takes.

If the landlord does not comply

If the 31 days pass without a deposit, an itemization, or both, send a written demand letter referencing O.R.S. § 90.300 and the relevant date of surrender. If that does not produce a response, file in small claims court (jurisdiction up to a substantial dollar limit; consult the current Oregon small claims jurisdictional limit before filing). Under ORS 90.300(16) the landlord is liable for twice the amount withheld without a written accounting or in bad faith.

Common mistakes that cost tenants money

Most disputes over tenant move-outs trace back to a small number of recurring mistakes. The pattern is consistent: the tenant has the right under O.R.S. § 90.427(3)(a) and O.R.S. § 90.300, but does not have the documentation to enforce it.

Verbal notice or text-only notice

O.R.S. § 90.427(3)(a) requires writing. A verbal conversation, even one the landlord acknowledges in the moment, can be denied later. Email counts only under a signed ORS 90.155(1)(d) addendum executed after the tenancy began and only with a copy also sent by first class mail (ORS 90.155(5)), and a text is not a listed method, so the safer course is a paper notice with delivery proof.

Less than the statutory period

Tenants sometimes give shorter notice because they want to coordinate with a new lease. Anything less than 30 days from delivery to the stated end of tenancy leaves the tenant on the hook for additional rent through the full statutory period — even if you’ve already moved out.

No forwarding address

Without a written forwarding address, the landlord may mail the deposit to your last known address — often the unit you just vacated, where you’ll nev