Speaking of which, there's a draft bill floating around in Salem right now, LC 222, this big housing omnibus package from early January 2026. Most of it focuses on funding tweaks and permitting shortcuts, but one section caught my eye: new rules around Oregon natural disaster tenancy termination when a rental unit gets severely damaged or destroyed by events like wildfires or major storms...

You see, Sherwood isn't just sitting back while recent state housing laws chip away at local control. The city council, led by Mayor Tim Rosener, called this emergency vote to put two charter amendments on the ballot. These measures aim to push back against laws that streamline housing development by limiting public input and notifications. If they pass, Sherwood would mandate at least one public hearing and expanded notices for major residential projects, and reaffirm the ci

Under Oregon law—specifically ORS 90.320—landlords have a clear duty to maintain "adequate heating facilities" that conform to code at installation and stay in good working order throughout the tenancy. The dwelling has to remain habitable, meaning if the heat's out and it's freezing, that's a big problem. No, there's no magic number like "must keep it at 68 degrees," but courts generally view a non-functional system as a habitability violation, especially when temps drop low

The 2025 United Van Lines National Movers Study, released at the end of December 2025, crowned Oregon as the top inbound state in the nation for the first time ever, with a staggering 64.5% to 65% of tracked household moves coming INTO the state. If you're a landlord, property manager, or investor anywhere from Portland down to Medford, this isn't just interesting trivia—it's a roadmap for where rental demand is heading, where vacancies might tighten (or not), and where the s

it's January 7, 2026, and if you're like me, you're probably still recovering from the holidays while gearing up for tax season. But before you dive into those Schedule E deductions for your rental properties, there's one federal requirement that sneaks up on a lot of us every year: issuing 1099-NEC forms to contractors. Miss it, and the IRS can hit you with penalties that start small but add up fast. Trust me, I've seen too many good landlords get caught off-guard by this, s

Thanks to House Bill 3522, which kicked in on January 1, property owners like you and me can now use the faster Forcible Entry and Detainer (FED) eviction process to boot out true squatters—often with just a 24-hour notice. Finally, a pro-landlord win in a state that's seen plenty of the opposite lately. It's like the legislature woke up and said, "Hey, property rights matter too." Don't get me wrong, I'm all for fair housing and good tenant relations, but when someone's ille

You've seen the headlines portraying us as heartless profiteers who only chase the bottom line. That hurts more than finding out your "quiet" tenant is secretly running a drum circle at 2 a.m. (True story from one of our members—don't ask). Truth is, that stereotype fits a tiny minority. I've met thousands of you through management, evictions, sales, and classes statewide, and I can count the truly cold ones on one hand.