How much can a landlord charge for a rental application fee in Oregon?
In Oregon, an applicant screening charge may not exceed the landlord’s average actual cost of screening or the customary charge of a screening company for comparable screening, and only one may be charged in any 60-day period whatever the number of units applied for. The charge must be refunded within 30 days if the unit is filled before the applicant is screened, or the applicant withdraws in writing before any screening is done. This is ORS 90.295.
| What | Oregon |
|---|---|
| Application fee | Average actual cost; one charge per 60 days |
Notes
The charge must be refunded within 30 days if the unit is filled before the applicant is screened, or the applicant withdraws in writing before any screening is done.
Source
ORS 90.295
Read the statute in the Oregon Revised Statutes (Oregon State Legislature): oregonlegislature.gov.
Checked against the statute on September 11, 2026.
This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.
How Seayora uses this rule
This page states what the state allows a landlord to charge somebody applying to rent, so a fee can be checked against it before it is advertised or collected.
Guides on this rule
- FCRA Adverse Action Notices: What Landlords Must Tell Applicants — When a screening report leads you to deny an applicant or ask for more, the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires a notice. What it must say, with the statute.
- Reusable Tenant Screening Reports: When Landlords Must Accept Them — Colorado requires landlords to accept a portable screening report; California, Maryland and Washington set disclosure and fee rules; New York waives the fee.
- Tenant Screening: What Landlords Need to Know — How to screen rental applicants fairly and legally: credit and background checks, consistent criteria, the FCRA’s adverse action notice and fair housing.
Compare this rule in every state
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The same question in other states
- California
- Colorado
- Delaware
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- New York
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
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