On July 24, 2025, Governor Kotek signed Senate Bill 690 into law. This law changes requirements for nonpayment terminations and allows some evictions to be delayed. Every landlord who has tenants who fall behind on rent will be impacted by the law’s new requirements.
At first glance, the law seems quite narrow. It gives a small class of tenants the ability to postpone their trial if their landlord files an eviction against them in court: only tenants who are being evicted for nonpayment, and only if they (1) are the parent of a child under 12 months old; (2) are the recipient of “medical assistance”—i.e., Medicaid; and (3) are approved for health-related social needs housing supports. Tenants who meet all of those criteria can deliver a copy of their housing supports award to their landlord and then file a motion and declaration in court. If the court receives a properly submitted motion at least three days before trial, the court must move the trial at least 90 days out, and as many as 104 days out from when the motion was filed.
While very few tenants fall into that category, the law also changes the contents that are required when a landlord sends a termination notice based on nonpayment. Oregon law already requires a special notice with resources for tenants to find rental assistance, support services, and legal assistance. That notice has been revised to include special language related to the new ability to delay trial for tenants with rental assistance and a child under one year old. This change applies to every nonpayment eviction—even if the tenant does not qualify for eviction postponement!
This new law takes effect on September 1, 2025. That means that starting in September, old templates and forms for nonpayment issues could be obsolete and legally ineffective. Landlords need to be ready with legally compliant templates before proceeding with new nonpayment evictions in September. The law will sunset automatically on September 28, 2027.
Oregon’s landlord-tenant law is constantly changing, and it is only getting more complicated. Attempting an eviction incorrectly can cost more than just failing to remove the tenant—it can mean paying the tenant’s attorney fees, too. Landlords would do well to contact an attorney who is knowledgeable about landlord-tenant law when updating their forms or proceeding with evictions.