Proposed Bend Rental Registry Fee: What Investors Should Budget Before It's Final
If you own rentals in Bend, or you're underwriting a Central Oregon deal, there's a new line item to watch: a citywide rental registry with a per-unit registration fee. It's proposed, not adopted. But proposals like this tend to move from 'recommended' to 'on the bill' faster than investors expect, and the details get set in public meetings most of us never attend.
Here's what has actually been decided about the Bend rental registry fee, what hasn't, and how to plan for it without guessing.
Where the Bend rental registry fee stands
Bend's Housing Options Made for Everyone (HOME) Committee spent about a year reviewing ways to fund more housing. Its final recommendations memo includes a Rental Registration Fee and a Rental Registry. Under that proposal, the city would require landlords to register rental units and provide basic information about each property.
At its August 12, 2026 work session, Bend City Council heard the recommendations. The minutes summarize council's general support for the registry and note interest in exploring a vacancy tax, which the committee had not recommended. Staff presented a work plan for next steps.
What has not happened yet, as of this writing:
No ordinance has been adopted. The city's ordinance list, current through Ordinance 2564 adopted October 7, 2026, shows no rental registry ordinance.
No fee amount has been set.
No start date, exemptions or penalty structure has been published.
What the city says the fee would pay for
According to the HOME Committee memo, registration fees could fund tenant education, landlord engagement, rental market analysis, code compliance, housing preservation and other housing initiatives. The memo notes the program would generally apply to all rental units regardless of affordability level. It also says committee members supported keeping fees proportional to administrative costs, and that more engagement with landlords, tenants and property managers would likely be needed before implementation.
That last point matters. There should be a window for investors to weigh in before the details are final, and investors who show up tend to get simpler, cheaper programs than investors who don't.
and now a couple shameless plugs.
North West Real Estate Investor Associations (NWREIA) is where Oregon investors compare notes on exactly this kind of change. Come to a meeting, ask how others are underwriting Bend, and join us to stay in the loop.
If you own in Bend and don't want to track city rules yourself, Northwest Real Estate and Property Management (NWRPM) manages residential rentals in Central Oregon and the Portland Metro area, including registrations, notices and compliance.
Why a registry matters more than the fee
On most deals, the fee alone won't make or break your numbers. A registry is different. It gives the city a list of every rental, its owner and, depending on the final rules, its rent and unit count. That data tends to shape what comes next. The vacancy tax interest in the council minutes is a good example: a registry makes it much easier to identify and charge vacant units.
How to budget for the Bend rental registry fee now
You don't need the final fee to underwrite responsibly. Build a placeholder and stress-test it.
A reference point from another Oregon city
Portland already runs a residential rental registration program. The City of Portland lists the fee at $70 per unit for tax year 2025, and units regulated at or below 60% of area median income are exempt from the fee (Portland Rental Services). Bend's fee could be higher, lower or structured differently. Use Portland as a sanity check, not a forecast.
Simple scenarios
Single-family rental at $50 per unit per year: $50/year, about $4.17/month.
Fourplex at $70 per unit: $280/year, about $23.33/month across the building.
12-unit building at $100 per unit: $1,200/year, or $100/month.
The bigger budget items are usually the indirect costs:
Your time, or your manager's time, for annual registration and keeping unit data current.
Any late fees or penalties the ordinance adds for missed registration.
Possible follow-on policies. Model what a vacancy fee would mean for units you plan to renovate or hold empty.
Data the city collects, such as rents and unit counts, which could inform future regulation.
What this means for different strategies
Buy and hold: add a small fixed line and move on. Your bigger risk is follow-on rules, so stay engaged.
Value-add and renovation: watch the vacancy tax discussion closely. A unit held empty for a long rehab could carry a cost later.
Small owners and house hackers: registries often apply to every rental unit, including a single ADU. Our Oregon house hacking guide covers the basics of renting part of your home.
and now a couple shameless plugs.
Investors who network catch these changes early. See our post on Portland real estate networking strategies, then come meet us at an NWREIA event.
And if a new registry, new notices and new deadlines sound like a job for someone else, NWRPM can manage your Central Oregon rentals for you.
Common mistakes investors make with new local fees
Ignoring them until the first bill arrives. By then the program design is locked in.
Assuming small properties are exempt. Many registries cover every unit, including a single rental house or an ADU.
Forgetting to register properties held in an LLC or trust. Registration usually follows the property, not your personal name.
Not updating records after a sale or a change in property manager, which can lead to late fees or missed notices.
Passing the full cost to tenants without checking how it fits with Oregon's rent increase rules and the timing of your next increase.
A quick underwriting example
Say you're looking at a $1.1 million eightplex in Bend with $14,400 a month in gross rent. A $70 per unit registry fee is $560 a year, or about 0.3% of gross rent. On its own, that's a rounding error. Now add a few hours a year of admin time, a possible late fee if you miss a deadline, and the chance of a vacancy rule down the road for units you planned to renovate. The fee isn't the risk. The program it opens the door to might be.
That's why we encourage investors to treat a registry as a policy signal, not just a line item. If you're buying in Bend over the next year, ask the seller and their manager whether they've tracked the HOME Committee process, and build a little cushion into your operating budget.
If you're newer to networking with other investors, our post on Portland fix-and-flip networking strategies has ideas that work just as well in Central Oregon.
What to do now
Add a registry line to your Bend pro formas. Use $70 per unit per year as a placeholder until the city sets a number.
Build an inventory of every Bend unit you own: address, unit count, current rent and ownership entity. If registration comes, you'll be ready on day one.
Watch the city's HOME Committee page and council agendas for a draft ordinance and any public comment period.
Show up and speak up. The city's own memo says stakeholder engagement is expected. Input on fee size, exemptions and how simple the process is can shape the final program.
Talk with your group. Bring this to your next REIA meeting and compare how other investors are underwriting Bend deals.
We'll update you when Bend publishes a draft ordinance or a fee amount. This post is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Christian Bryant
President of both the Portland Area Rental Owners Association (PAROA)
Join PAROA for Oregon landlord forms and member support as local rules like registries spread.
Own rentals in the Portland Metro or Central Oregon areas? Hire NWRPM for full management or eviction processing, including registration and compliance tracking in Bend.
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