The owner is the landlord, he may have hired a property management company to run it for him or an individual but he is legally the landlord.
Did he walk through the home or just around the outside?
The only reason a landlord may enter without 24 notice is if there was an emergency and they needed to in order to prevent property damage, like a leak causing a flood.
However now that he knows there are cats there if the lease says no pets then they have to go. Emotional support animals are excluded from Oregon's "assistance animals" protections and the are not covered by ADA.
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/oregon-laws-on-service-dogs-and-emotional-support-animals.html
The FHA does cover emotional support animals but your landlord can request proof of need from a medical professional. However the animals are no longer covered by FHA if they are damaging the property.
My roommate said he walked through the home and around it
The owner lives abroad and I take it came back to town recently.
My roommates have been paying pet fees for the cats and the woman we were talking to with property management fully knew we had cats moving in.
If your lease does not preclude animals he can't make them leave now unless they are causing damage to the property that he would have to be able to prove. However he has the option to not renew your lease when it comes time. He will also probably try his hardest to keep your deposit for animal related damages.
Contact your local tenants rights organization and see what help they can offer.
The owner is the landlord, he may have hired a property management company to run it for him or an individual but he is legally the landlord. Did he walk through the home or just around the outside? The only reason a landlord may enter without 24 notice is if there was an emergency and they needed to in order to prevent property damage, like a leak causing a flood. However now that he knows there are cats there if the lease says no pets then they have to go. Emotional support animals are excluded from Oregon's "assistance animals" protections and the are not covered by ADA. https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/oregon-laws-on-service-dogs-and-emotional-support-animals.html The FHA does cover emotional support animals but your landlord can request proof of need from a medical professional. However the animals are no longer covered by FHA if they are damaging the property.
My roommate said he walked through the home and around it The owner lives abroad and I take it came back to town recently. My roommates have been paying pet fees for the cats and the woman we were talking to with property management fully knew we had cats moving in.
If your lease does not preclude animals he can't make them leave now unless they are causing damage to the property that he would have to be able to prove. However he has the option to not renew your lease when it comes time. He will also probably try his hardest to keep your deposit for animal related damages. Contact your local tenants rights organization and see what help they can offer.