What are the rules for screening tenants in Oregon?
The short answer
Oregon prohibits refusing an applicant because of their source of income, which includes housing vouchers, Social Security and similar non-wage income. A 2026 change also bars discrimination based on actual or perceived immigration or citizenship status. Screening must apply the same written criteria to every applicant.
Last reviewed August 26, 2026
Source of income is protected
An applicant cannot be refused because their income comes from a housing voucher, Social Security, disability, child support, or another lawful non-wage source.
Income requirements can still be applied, but they must be applied identically to every applicant regardless of where that income originates.
Immigration and citizenship status
SB 599, a 2026 change, bars discrimination in applications based on actual or perceived immigration or citizenship status. Screening processes written before 2026 may still request information they should no longer be conditioning decisions on.
Consistency is the actual protection
The strongest defence against a fair housing complaint is not intent, it is a written standard applied the same way every time, with the reasoning recorded.
Case-by-case judgement, however well-meant, is what produces disparate outcomes and what is hardest to defend afterwards.
Where a screening report contributes to a denial, federal fair credit rules add their own obligations around notifying the applicant. Those apply on top of Oregon law, not instead of it.
Why this one bites
Fair housing exposure is the one category where a single inconsistent decision, made once and with no bad intent, can cost more than a year of the property's net income.
Common questions
Can an Oregon landlord refuse a Section 8 housing voucher?
No. Oregon protects source of income, so an applicant cannot be refused because their income comes from a housing voucher. Other written screening criteria still apply, provided they are applied identically to every applicant.
Can an Oregon landlord ask about immigration status?
A 2026 change bars discrimination in applications based on actual or perceived immigration or citizenship status.
What is the safest way to screen tenants in Oregon?
Publish written screening criteria before applications open, apply them identically to every applicant, and record the reasoning for each decision. Consistency, not intent, is what makes a decision defensible.
This is a summary, not legal advice.
Oregon landlord-tenant law changes, and how a rule applies depends on the specific property and tenancy. Figures set annually by the state, such as the rent-increase cap, change year to year. This page was verified on August 26, 2026. For a decision with money or a legal deadline attached, confirm against current law or with an attorney. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship.
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