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Free Kentucky Cash for
Keys Agreement Template

Last reviewed September 2026

Written by LawLease Editorial

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Kentucky Cash for Keys Agreement

This Cash for Keys Agreement is built with Kentucky as the governing state. These are the Kentucky landlord-tenant rules that most often bear on it, with the statute for each.

Kentucky rules at a glance

Kentucky rules for a Cash for Keys Agreement
Security deposit limitNo statutory cap
Deposit returnNo fixed deadline; refund-notice and 30/60-day rules where URLTA appliesKRS 383.580(6)–(7)
Deposit accountThe location and account number of the separate security-deposit account (KRS 383.580(1)).
Month-to-month termination30 days before a rental date (URLTA) · elsewhere, 1 month’s written notice from the landlord for a tenancy at willKRS 383.695(2), 383.195
Nonpayment eviction notice7 days’ written notice to pay (URLTA areas)KRS 383.660(2)
Nonpayment of rentIn URLTA areas, the landlord gives written notice that the lease ends if rent isn’t paid within 7 days (KRS 383.660(2)). Outside URLTA areas, the lease terms control the notice before an eviction (forcible detainer) case.

Security deposits in Kentucky

Kentucky sets no limit on the amount of a security deposit. Where the URLTA applies, KRS 383.580 imposes three duties that many landlords miss — and a landlord who skips them can lose the right to keep any of the deposit (KRS 383.580(4)).

  • Separate account — Deposits must be held in an account used only for security deposits, at a bank or lending institution regulated by Kentucky or the U.S. government. Prospective tenants must be told where the account is and its account number (KRS 383.580(1)).
  • Move-in damage list — Before taking a deposit, the landlord must give the tenant a comprehensive list of existing damage with estimated repair costs; the tenant may inspect the unit to check it, and both sign (KRS 383.580(2)).
  • Move-out damage list — At move-out the landlord inspects and lists any damage to be charged with estimated costs; the tenant may inspect, and either signs or states in writing which items they dispute (KRS 383.580(3)).
  • Return timing — There is no single return deadline. If a tenant leaves without paying the last month’s rent and doesn’t demand the deposit, the landlord may apply it after 30 days. If the tenant owes nothing and a refund is due, the landlord mails a notice of the refund amount; if the tenant doesn’t respond within 60 days, the landlord may keep it (KRS 383.580(6)–(7)).

Ending a Kentucky tenancy

Notice to end a Kentucky periodic tenancy
Week-to-week (URLTA)7 days before the termination dateKRS 383.695(1)
Month-to-month (URLTA)30 days before the periodic rental dateKRS 383.695(2)
Tenancy after a written lease ends (URLTA)10 days; none if rent is 10+ days lateKRS 383.695(3)
Tenancy at will (non-URLTA areas)One month’s written notice from the landlordKRS 383.195
  • Nonpayment of rent — In URLTA areas, the landlord gives written notice that the lease ends if rent isn’t paid within 7 days (KRS 383.660(2)). Outside URLTA areas, the lease terms control the notice before an eviction (forcible detainer) case.
  • Lease violations — In URLTA areas, a material noncompliance gets a written notice ending the lease at least 14 days after receipt if the breach isn’t remedied within 15 days; a repeat within six months can be terminated on 14 days’ notice with no chance to cure (KRS 383.660(1)).
  • Holdover — A tenant who willfully holds over in a URLTA area owes up to three months’ rent or three times actual damages, whichever is greater, plus attorney fees (KRS 383.695(4)).
  • Domestic violence — A tenant protected by a domestic violence order or interpersonal protective order can end the lease with at least 30 days’ written notice and a copy of the order, owing rent only through the termination date; if the order predates the lease, the tenant must also show a safety concern that arose after signing (KRS 383.300(5)).

Required disclosures in Kentucky

The manager/owner, deposit-account, and damage-list duties come from the URLTA sections of Chapter 383, so they bind landlords where the Act is in force. Following them everywhere in Kentucky costs little and keeps the deposit defensible if your locality has adopted the Act.

  • Manager & owner — The name and address of the property manager and of an owner or agent authorized to accept notices and service of process, in writing at or before move-in (KRS 383.585).
  • Deposit account — The location and account number of the separate security-deposit account (KRS 383.580(1)).
  • Damage listing — A signed list of existing damage, with estimated repair costs, before the deposit is paid (KRS 383.580(2)).
  • Lead-based paint — Federal law requires the lead warning and any known-hazard disclosure for housing built before 1978 (42 U.S.C. §4852d).

Kentucky Cash for Keys Agreement FAQs

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Kentucky?

Kentucky sets no maximum. In URLTA areas, the deposit must sit in a separate deposit-only account, the tenant must be told where it is and the account number, and the landlord must provide a signed move-in damage list — or risk losing the right to keep any of it (KRS 383.580).

How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Kentucky?

Kentucky has no single statutory deadline. Where the URLTA applies, a landlord owed the last month’s rent may apply the deposit after 30 days if the tenant doesn’t demand it; if a refund is due, the landlord mails a notice of the amount and may keep it only if the tenant doesn’t respond within 60 days (KRS 383.580(6)–(7)). The period in your lease sets the practical deadline.

How much notice to end a month-to-month lease in Kentucky?

In URLTA areas, written notice at least 30 days before the periodic rental date (KRS 383.695(2)). Outside URLTA areas, a landlord ends a tenancy at will with one month’s written notice (KRS 383.195).

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