What is Oregon's maximum rent increase for 2027, and when can you use it?
Oregon's state economists set the 2027 maximum rent increase at 10%, up from 9.5% for 2026. The cap is the lower of 10% or 7% plus inflation, it allows one increase in any 12 months, none in the first year, and each needs 90 days' written notice. Buildings first occupied less than 15 years before the notice are exempt from the percentage.
The numbers: 9.5% for 2026, 10% for 2027
ORS 90.324 tells the Department of Administrative Services to compute, by September 30 each year, the maximum increase for the next calendar year: the lesser of 10% or 7% plus CPI, where CPI is the September 12-month average change in the West Region consumer price index. Its Office of Economic Analysis publishes the result. Its page now shows 10% for 2027 and says the figure for 2026 was 9.5%.
| Calendar year | Maximum increase | What it means on $1,500 rent |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 9.5% | Up to $142.50, a new rent of $1,642.50 |
| 2027 | 10% | Up to $150.00, a new rent of $1,650.00 |
A 10% figure means 7% plus inflation reached or passed the 10% ceiling, so 10% is the most the formula can ever give.
Notice in 2026, increase in 2027: which number applies?
Because notice must go out 90 days ahead, many 2027 increases are announced in the fall of 2026. ORS 90.324 sets a percentage "for the following calendar year", and ORS 90.323 limits an increase to the maximum calculated under 90.324. The text we read does not say in so many words whether the notice date or the effective date picks the year.
Two ways to handle the gap. The cautious one is to use the lower of the two years' figures when the notice and the effective date fall in different years, which costs $7.50 a month on a $1,500 unit in this case. The other is to ask Oregon Housing and Community Services, which the economists name as the agency for questions about the cap, or your attorney, before relying on the higher number.
A timeline for one increase
ORS 90.323 adds four timing rules for any tenancy other than week-to-week: no increase during the first year, 90 days' written notice, no more than one increase in any 12 months, and no more than the yearly maximum unless an exemption applies. Here is how they line up for one made-up tenancy.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| March 1, 2026 | Tenant moves in at $1,500 a month. No increase may take effect during the first year. |
| Mid-November 2026 | Owner prepares the notice, leaving time for delivery. |
| By December 1, 2026 | Notice must be delivered: December 1 to March 1 is exactly 90 days. |
| March 1, 2027 | Earliest effective date. New rent at most $1,650 under the 2027 figure, or $1,642.50 under the cautious approach above. |
| Before March 1, 2028 | No second increase may take effect within 12 months of the first. |
The notice must state the amount of the increase, the new rent, the date it takes effect and, if the increase is above the cap, the facts that support the exemption. Leave a margin of a week or two for delivery.
The 15-year exemption, counted from the notice
The percentage cap does not apply if the first certificate of occupancy for the unit was issued less than 15 years before the date of the notice. The test runs from the notice date, not the move-in date or the effective date, so a building can age out of the exemption between two notices. Units regulated as affordable housing are also exempt when the change does not raise the tenant's portion or is required by the program.
Example a made-up 16-unit building received its first certificate of occupancy on May 10, 2012. A notice dated May 1, 2027 is less than 15 years after it, so the owner may raise rent above 10% and must say why in the notice. A notice dated May 15, 2027 is more than 15 years after it, so the 10% cap applies to that increase.
What a mistake costs
An owner who raises rent above the cap is liable to the tenant for three months' rent plus actual damages. On a $1,650 rent that is $4,950 before any damages, far more than the extra rent the increase would have brought in. A separate rule stops a workaround: if you end a tenancy without cause during its first year, the next tenant's rent cannot exceed what the cap would have allowed for the old one.
- Measure the increase against the current rent, not against market rent.
- Keep the certificate of occupancy date in the property file if you rely on the exemption.
- Track the effective date of the last increase for each unit, so the 12-month rule is easy to check.
Doing it in DoorKeeping
Each unit's ledger in DoorKeeping keeps its rent history with dates, so the first-year and 12-month checks are a lookup, not a search through old leases. You set the new rent, DoorKeeping sends the e-signed renewal offer or the email to the tenant after your one-tap approval, and the signed copy lands in the property's documents. It gives no legal advice; confirm the figure and your notice with your attorney.
Sources
- Oregon Revised Statutes chapter 90 (ORS 90.323 and 90.324), read Oct 30, 2026
- Oregon Office of Economic Analysis, Rent Stabilization (2027: 10%; 2026: 9.5%), read Oct 30, 2026
Questions
- What is the maximum rent increase in Oregon for 2027?
- 10%, as published by the Office of Economic Analysis under ORS 90.324. The 2026 figure was 9.5%.
- How much notice does an Oregon landlord need to raise rent?
- At least 90 days' written notice for any tenancy other than week-to-week, which needs 7 days. No increase may take effect in the first year or more than once in 12 months.
- Are new buildings exempt from Oregon's rent cap?
- Yes, if the first certificate of occupancy was issued less than 15 years before the date of the rent increase notice. The notice must state the facts that support the exemption.