Kentucky Landlord Compliance
Everything you're responsible for as a landlord in Kentucky
Rent control, just-cause eviction, deposits, entry, repairs and recordkeeping, written for people who own or manage a few units, checked against the official sources, and kept current when the rules move.
Jurisdiction
key details
Rent cap · Detail
No statewide cap. Only the General Assembly may enact legislation controlling rents on private property (exceptions for local housing authorities and federally funded programs).
Deposit cap · Detail
URLTA (where locally adopted under KRS 383.500) requires deposits be held in a separate account with move-in/move-out damage lists, but sets no maximum amount. No cap outside URLTA either.
Rent increase notice · Detail
No rent-increase notice provision in URLTA or general landlord-tenant law; an increase in a month-to-month tenancy is effectively bounded by the 30-day periodic-termination notice (KRS 383.695(2) in URLTA areas; KRS 383.195 elsewhere).
City rules · Detail
KRS 65.875 reserves rent control on private property to the General Assembly (eff. 1992). Cities/counties may opt into URLTA (Louisville, Lexington and others have), but URLTA contains no rent-control or just-cause powers.
Just cause · Detail
In URLTA-adopting jurisdictions either party may end a month-to-month tenancy with 30 days' written notice (7 days week-to-week) without cause; outside URLTA, KRS 383.195 also allows notice-based termination. Retaliation limits (KRS 383.705) apply in URLTA areas.
Return deadline · Detail
URLTA areas: landlord must notify tenant of any refund due (last known address); the 60-day and 30-day periods are tenant-response windows after which the landlord may keep the deposit, not landlord return deadlines. No deadline outside URLTA.
Nonpayment notice · Detail
In jurisdictions that adopted URLTA, landlord may terminate only if rent remains unpaid 7 days after written notice of nonpayment. Outside URLTA areas no statutory pre-filing cure notice; lease terms and KRS 383.200 forcible-detainer procedure govern.
What are you trying to do?
Start from the task. Each route gathers the guides, checklists and forms that apply to it in Kentucky.
Essential local guides
If you're new to owning here, these five cover most of what will come up in your first year.
View All GuidesLouisville Rental Registry and Lead Testing Law 2025: What Changed Under Ordinances O-055-25 and O-056-25
A Louisville landlord with a pre-1978 rental unit used to face a proactive testing requirement, submit results, and land on a public registry regardless of whether anyone ever complained. Since Metro Council's February 27, 2025 vote, that obligation is gone. What replaced it depends almost entirely on whether a tenant files a complaint or a child's blood test comes back elevated.
Guide
Kentucky Squatter Removal Law: Owners Can Petition Law Enforcement Without a Forcible-Detainer Case
A Kentucky property owner who discovered a stranger living in a vacant unit used to face the same answer as almost everywhere else: file a forcible-detainer action and wait for a court date. Since June 27, 2025, that owner has a second path available, one that runs through local police rather than a courtroom, but only if the person occupying the property meets a specific, statutorily defined description of someone who was never a tenant to begin with.
Guide
Kentucky Security Deposit Laws | Deductions & Rights
This guide explores everything you need to know about Kentucky security deposit laws, including how much landlords can charge...
Guide
8 min
Kentucky HOA Laws: A Comprehensive Guide
Guide
15 min
Kentucky Eviction Laws: The Process & Timeline In 2026
Stay informed! Learn Kentucky's 2026 eviction rules, including the 7-day notice, URLTA requirements, and tenant rights to avoid costly legal mistakes.
Guide
10 min
Recent changes
Only substantive changes, not copy edits.
No recent changes for Kentucky yet.
Full Kentucky collection
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| Resource | Type | Task | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
Kentucky HOA Laws: A Comprehensive Guide | Guides | Keep the right records | Jun 2, 2026 |
Kentucky HOA Laws: A Comprehensive Guide Under Kentucky HOA laws, HOAs have the authority to enforce covenants, collect dues, and regulate property standards, but that authority is not unlimited. | Guides | Keep the right records | May 8, 2026 |
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What you read about
Rent increase dates and notice
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Obligation tracking with reminders
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Move-in and move-out photos
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Records kept per unit, per tenancy
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Repair requests and responses
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Maintenance log with timestamps
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Everything a hearing could ask for
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