Rent My House For a Defined Term Only

[Jeffrey Lee]

My wife and I have an opportunity to buy an investment property in a nearby town and I'd like to buy it owner-occupied. She just took a one year position in the new area so the idea is that we'd move out to the new house for the year, rent our current house, then move back to our current house and begin renting the new house.

My question is: how realistic is it to rent my current house for only one year? Can I just choose to not renew someone's lease after a year, even if they want to keep living here? Could I potentially run into trouble with eviction laws? My current house is in Portland, OR and I know we have some very strict pro-tenant laws, but I believe the strictest of them only apply to landlords with multiple rental properties in the county, which I would not have.

Any other general tips/advice on my current plan are also welcomed.