What counts as normal wear and tear in an Oregon rental?

Short answer

Normal wear and tear in an Oregon rental is the gradual, expected deterioration of a unit from ordinary use — faded paint, minor carpet wear, small scuffs. ORS 90.300 does not allow landlords to deduct from the deposit for these conditions; damage beyond ordinary use is a different matter.

When this comes up

Every move-out, especially with long-tenured tenants where some wear is expected.

Oregon rule or source to check

ORS 90.300 prohibits charging the deposit for ordinary wear and tear. Oregon caselaw and standard property-management practice fill in the line between wear and damage.

Practical workflow

  1. 1. Use the move-in report as baseline. Compare each item against the documented move-in condition, not against a new-unit standard.
  2. 2. Factor in tenancy length. Five years of occupancy will show more reasonable wear than six months.
  3. 3. Identify true damage. Look for holes, burns, pet stains, broken fixtures, and other clearly tenant-caused issues.
  4. 4. Document with photos and notes. Date-stamped photos and brief written descriptions support any deduction.
  5. 5. Itemize the difference, not the total. Charge for restoring damage, not for full repainting or recarpeting at the tenant's expense when wear is partly natural.

Common mistakes

Treating every imperfection as damage, charging full carpet replacement for partial wear, and not adjusting for the age of the carpet or paint.

Related forms or workflows

Move-in/move-out condition reports, photo records, and a wear-versus-damage internal guideline.

Related questions

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Related Oregon resources

Propsistant provides educational information and workflow guidance. It is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.

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