Evictions aren’t a single event. Landlord-tenant law defines the process of eviction as a series of steps for landlords and tenants. In Oregon, the eviction process starts with the landlord writing and delivering a termination notice to the tenant. An eviction may proceed to eviction court, which includes the potential for negotiating an agreement or going to trial; and finally may end in a judgment of eviction and tenant lockout by the sheriff's department.

We consider any tenant who loses their home at any point in this process to have been displaced by the eviction process, even if they do not have a judgment of eviction on their record. However, in Oregon, only court cases for evictions are recorded — there is no way to count all termination notices or the tenants evicted at this stage of the process.

The eviction legal process deals with the question of possession. Possession means access to the unit: a lease permits tenants to possess a housing unit, and an eviction is the legal mechanism for a landlord to re-possess the unit.

Visit Working with the Data for more information on the project’s definition of displacement and eviction, resources to contextualize the data, and a glossary of eviction terminology.

Scroll down to view a diagram of how an eviction might proceed and the outcomes that are possible based on choices made by those involved. Remember that most tenants are navigating this process without legal support and while balancing their responsibilities to work, school, family, and their health - all of which can impact how a case moves forward.