Security Deposit: This is mini-landlord insurance. The deposit is equivalent to about one to two month's rent and can cover anything from a broken window to stained carpet. At end of your lease, landlord will conduct an inspection and see whether or not he or she needs to use any of money on anything damaged beyond normal “wear and tear” during your stay. State law may only use security deposit for three purposes: unpaid rent, damages and for cleaning stains or any excessively dirty area. The landlord cannot use it to repaint apartment to make it look more inviting for next tenants. (That's illegal).

Cleaning Fee: Since landlords cannot legally use your security deposit for basic cleaning purposes, some of them choose to include a cleaning fee in your lease.

Last Month of Rent: Some landlords ask for last month's rent in advance. This way, if you break your lease without first consulting your landlord, he or she has 30 days to find a new tenant before he or she needs another rent payment. If you're a good tenant, and don't break your lease, then you'll save yourself trouble of having to worry about getting together your last month of rent. (This can be really helpful when you have to deal with all costs of moving out!) Unlike security deposit, this charge is non-refundable.

The process is difficult, and in order to clarify these things, Lane County Legal Aid Services put together following list of common misunderstandings:

1. Common misunderstanding: The landlord can have police throw you out or arrest you if you don't pay your rent or get out when landlord tells you to.

Truth: You cannot be arrested or jailed for not paying rent. The police will remove a tenant from rental unit only if a crime has been committed or if a judge (after an eviction hearing, or FED) has ordered tenant to get out. Failure to pay rent or to get out when landlord says so are not crimes.

2. Common misunderstanding: The landlord has to have a good reason in order to evict a tenant.

Truth: In a month to month tenancy -- which is what most tenants have; alternative would be a tenancy for a specific period of time, such as one year -- landlord can evict you for no reason or even for a crummy, mistaken reason, so long as reason is not illegal discrimination (race, religion, children, nationality, marital status) or illegal retaliation (complaints about lack of repairs, for example). In other words, landlord can evict tenant for such crummy reasons as color of hair or for not smiling enough, or for mistakenly thinking that tenant broke some rule or did something bad.

3. Common misunderstanding: If tenant is pregnant or has young (or even any) children, tenant cannot be evicted.

Truth: Being pregnant or having young children (or any children) does not prevent or delay an eviction.

4. Common misunderstanding: If there is a good reason why tenant does not have rent money, tenant cannot be evicted for nonpayment of rent.