Can a landlord end a tenancy without a reason in Washington, Oregon or New York?
Mostly no. Washington requires a listed cause to end almost any tenancy, Oregon requires one after the first year of occupancy, and New York's Good Cause Eviction Law requires one for covered units in New York City and in towns that opt in. Each state keeps a few no-fault reasons, such as an owner moving in, but each comes with a set notice period, and Oregon adds a payment of one month's rent.
The three states side by side
| Washington | Oregon | New York | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law | RCW 59.18.650 | ORS 90.427 | Real Property Law 210 to 216 |
| When cause is needed | To evict, refuse to continue a tenancy or end a periodic tenancy | After the first year of occupancy, for month-to-month and at the end of a fixed term | To remove a tenant or refuse to renew, in covered units |
| No-fault reasons kept | Owner or family moving in, sale of a single-family home, other good cause such as a legitimate business reason, and more | Demolition or conversion, repairs that make the unit unsafe, owner or family moving in, sale to a buyer who will live there | Owner or family moving in, demolition, taking the unit off the rental market |
| Typical notice | 90 days for owner move-in; 60 days for other good cause | 90 days for the landlord reasons | Depends on the ground; renewal terms need 30 to 90 days' notice |
| Extra cost | None set in 59.18.650 | One month's rent, paid with the notice, unless you own four or fewer units | None set in the article |
Sources: RCW 59.18.650, ORS chapter 90 and New York RPL 214, 215 and 216. Cities in all three states can add rules, so check local law too.
Washington: a list of causes for almost every tenancy
Under RCW 59.18.650 a landlord may not evict, refuse to continue a tenancy or end a periodic tenancy except for a cause on the statute's list. The list covers the usual fault grounds: nonpayment, a substantial breach not cured within at least 10 days of notice, and waste, nuisance or unlawful activity on 3 days' notice. It also covers no-fault grounds, each with its own notice: 90 days when the owner or an immediate family member will move in and no equivalent unit is open in the building, 90 days to sell a single-family home, and 60 days for "other good cause", meaning a legitimate economic or business reason.
There is one opening for owners who want a clean end date. If the first lease was between six and 12 months, you may end the tenancy at the end of that first term without cause by giving at least 60 days' written notice before it ends. A tenancy that has rolled to month-to-month has lost that option.
Getting it wrong is expensive: a landlord who wrongfully removes a tenant owes the greater of the actual damages or three times the monthly rent, plus attorney fees.
Oregon: free to end in year one, then cause or a qualifying reason
ORS 90.427 splits the tenancy at the one-year mark, counted from when any tenant in the unit has lived there more than a year. In the first year you may end a month-to-month tenancy with 30 days' written notice, and a fixed term that ends within the first year with 30 days' notice before its end date. After the first year, a fixed term turns into month-to-month when it ends, and you may end it only for a tenant cause or a qualifying landlord reason.
The qualifying reasons need 90 days' written notice that states the reason and the supporting facts, plus a payment equal to one month's rent at the time you deliver the notice. Owners with an interest in four or fewer units are excused from the payment. If a tenant commits three or more lease violations in 12 months and you gave a written warning each time, you may also decline to continue a fixed term with 90 days' notice.
Example a made-up 24 unit Portland-area building needs a gut renovation of unit 6, which will be unfit to live in during the work. The tenant has been there three years at $1,450 a month. The owner delivers a 90-day notice naming the renovation and its facts, and pays $1,450 the same day. Skipping the payment would expose the owner to three months' rent plus damages, $4,350 before damages, under the statute's penalty.
New York: the Good Cause Eviction Law
New York added its Good Cause Eviction Law in 2024. It bars removing a tenant, including by not renewing a lease, without good cause in a covered unit. It applies in New York City and in other cities, towns and villages that adopt it by local law, and it is set to be repealed on June 15, 2034.
Many buildings are exempt under RPL 214, including units owned by a small landlord (by default, someone who owns no more than ten units in the state, under RPL 211), owner-occupied buildings with ten or fewer units, units already under rent regulation, condos and co-ops, and buildings with a certificate of occupancy issued on or after January 1, 2009, for 30 years.
For covered units, RPL 216 lists the grounds: unpaid rent (unless it comes from an unreasonable increase), a lease violation not cured within 10 days of written notice, nuisance or serious damage, illegal use, refusing access for required repairs, the owner or close family moving in, demolition, taking the unit off the market, and a tenant refusing reasonable new lease terms offered 30 to 90 days before the lease ends. An increase above the "local rent standard" is presumed unreasonable. The owner move-in ground does not apply to a tenant who is 65 or older or disabled.
What this means for how you run renewals
- Find out whether your units are covered. Check the exemptions above and your city's rules before you plan any non-renewal.
- Decide in time. Washington's 60-day window and Oregon's first-year window close on fixed dates, so put them on your calendar at move-in.
- Write down fault problems as they happen. A cure notice with a date, a copy and proof of delivery is what turns a breach into a cause later.
- Offer renewals on terms you can defend. In New York, refusing reasonable new terms can be a ground; an unreasonable increase cannot.
- Budget for Oregon's payment when a renovation or sale is coming.
- Talk to a local landlord-tenant attorney before you send any no-fault notice.
Keeping the dates straight in DoorKeeping
DoorKeeping keeps each lease, its start date and its renewal offer with the property, and renewal offers go out for e-signature. Any notice to a tenant is a legal step, so it waits for your one-tap approval, and you can ask Claude or ChatGPT which leases reach their first anniversary or end in the next 90 days. DoorKeeping costs $2 per unit per month and gives no legal advice.
Sources
- Washington RCW 59.18.650, Eviction of tenant, refusal to continue tenancy, end of periodic tenancy, cause, read Oct 30, 2026
- Oregon Revised Statutes chapter 90 (ORS 90.427), read Oct 30, 2026
- New York Real Property Law 211, Definitions (Good Cause Eviction), read Oct 30, 2026
- New York Real Property Law 214, Covered housing accommodations, read Oct 30, 2026
- New York Real Property Law 215, Necessity for good cause, read Oct 30, 2026
- New York Real Property Law 216, Good cause, read Oct 30, 2026
Questions
- Can I refuse to renew a lease in Washington without a reason?
- Only in narrow cases. If the first lease was six to 12 months, you may end it at the end of that first term with at least 60 days' written notice. Otherwise RCW 59.18.650 requires a listed cause.
- Do I have to pay relocation money in Oregon?
- For the landlord reasons in ORS 90.427, such as renovation or an owner moving in, yes: one month's rent with the notice, unless you own four or fewer units.
- Does New York's Good Cause law apply to my building?
- It applies in New York City and in places that adopt it, and only to units that are not exempt. A landlord who owns ten or fewer units in the state, and owner-occupied buildings of ten or fewer units, are among the exemptions.