Free Kentucky Lease & Rental Agreement

Last updated September 27, 2026

Written by LawLease Editorial

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Kentucky Residential Lease Agreement

A Kentucky residential lease (also called a Kentucky rental agreement) sets the rent, term and house rules for a home rental. A Kentucky residential lease agreement is governed by KRS Chapter 383 — and, in the cities and counties that have adopted it, the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA), KRS 383.505–383.715. Where the Act applies, it sets a 2-day entry notice, a 7-day pay-or-quit notice, and strict deposit-account and move-in inspection rules; elsewhere the lease and common law carry more of the load. Below is what Kentucky law actually requires.

Kentucky landlord–tenant law at a glance

Kentucky residential lease law summary
Security deposit limit	No statutory cap
Deposit return	No fixed deadline; refund-notice and 30/60-day rules where URLTA appliesKRS 383.580(6)–(7)
Late fees	No statutory cap; set by the lease
Rent-increase notice	No statute; in URLTA areas, give at least the 30-day month-to-month termination notice
Landlord entry	2 days’ notice, at reasonable times (URLTA areas)KRS 383.615(3)
Month-to-month termination	30 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 notice	7 days’ written notice to pay (URLTA areas)KRS 383.660(2)
Local ordinances	Cities and counties can’t adopt landlord–tenant rules that conflict with state lawKRS 383.198

Where the Kentucky URLTA applies

Kentucky’s URLTA is not statewide. KRS 383.500 lets cities, counties, and urban-county governments adopt KRS 383.505–383.705, but only in their entirety and without amendment. Adopting areas include Louisville/Jefferson County, Lexington-Fayette, Oldham and Pulaski Counties, Georgetown, Shelbyville, Barbourville, and many Northern Kentucky communities in Boone, Kenton, and Campbell Counties such as Covington, Newport, Florence, Bellevue, and Dayton — confirm with your local government, since adoptions can change.

Outside those areas, the parties’ rights come mainly from the lease itself and Kentucky common law, plus the handful of statewide statutes in KRS Chapter 383. That makes a complete, well-drafted written lease especially important in Kentucky.

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)).

Rent, late fees & rent increases

Where the URLTA applies, rent is payable without demand or notice at the time and place agreed, and by default at the dwelling unit at the start of each month (KRS 383.565(2)).

Late fees — Kentucky has no statutory late-fee cap. The amount and any grace period come from the lease, so they should be written in clearly.
Rent increases — There’s no statutory rent-increase notice period. A fixed-term lease can’t be raised mid-term unless it allows it; for a month-to-month tenancy in a URLTA area, the safe practice is to give at least the 30 days’ notice needed to end it (KRS 383.695(2)).
Rent control — No Kentucky city or county has rent control, and since 2024 local governments may not adopt landlord–tenant ordinances that conflict with state law (KRS 383.198). The same 2024 law (HB 18) also bars local rules forcing landlords to accept federal housing vouchers.

Landlord entry & access

In URLTA areas, the landlord must give the tenant at least two days’ notice of the intent to enter and may enter only at reasonable times, except in an emergency or where notice is impracticable (KRS 383.615(3)). The landlord can’t abuse the right of access or use it to harass the tenant, and has no other right of entry except by court order, under the Act’s abandonment and maintenance provisions, or after the tenant surrenders the unit (KRS 383.615(4)).

Outside URLTA areas there’s no statutory entry-notice rule, so the notice period in your lease is what governs.

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).

Habitability & repairs

In URLTA areas, the landlord must comply with building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety, make all repairs needed to keep the premises fit and habitable, keep common areas clean and safe, maintain electrical, plumbing, heating, and other supplied systems, and supply running water and reasonable hot water at all times and reasonable heat between October 1 and May 1 (KRS 383.595(1)).

If the landlord materially fails these duties, the tenant can give written notice ending the lease at least 30 days later unless the breach is remedied within 14 days (KRS 383.625(1)). If the landlord willfully fails to supply heat, water, electricity, gas, or another essential service, the tenant has additional remedies after written notice (KRS 383.640).

Kentucky has no statewide habitability statute outside URLTA areas; local housing codes and the lease terms fill that gap.

Tenant protections you can’t waive

Prohibited clauses — In URLTA areas, a lease can’t make the tenant waive rights under the Act, confess judgment, pay the landlord’s attorney fees, or release the landlord from liability — any such clause is unenforceable (KRS 383.570).
No self-help eviction — In URLTA areas, locking a tenant out or cutting heat, water, or electricity lets the tenant recover possession or end the lease and collect up to three months’ rent plus attorney fees (KRS 383.655).
No retaliation — In URLTA areas, a landlord can’t raise rent, cut services, or threaten eviction because a tenant complained to a code agency or the landlord, or joined a tenants’ union; a complaint within the prior year creates a presumption of retaliation (KRS 383.705).
Calling for help (statewide) — A lease can’t let the landlord terminate or penalize a tenant for calling police or emergency assistance; knowingly enforcing such a clause exposes the landlord to damages, fees, and up to two months’ rent in punitive damages (KRS 383.302).

Kentucky lease 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.

Is there a maximum late fee in Kentucky?

No. Kentucky has no statutory late-fee cap; the amount and grace period are whatever the lease states.

How much notice does a Kentucky landlord need to enter?

In cities and counties that have adopted the URLTA, at least two days’ notice, with entry only at reasonable times; no notice is needed in an emergency (KRS 383.615). Elsewhere, the lease governs.

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).

How much notice is required to evict for unpaid rent in Kentucky?

In URLTA areas, a 7-day written notice to pay or the lease terminates (KRS 383.660(2)). Outside URLTA areas, there’s no statutory pay-or-quit period, so the notice terms in your lease matter.

Does a Kentucky lease need to be notarized?

No. A Kentucky residential lease is enforceable once signed by both parties; notarization isn’t required. A lease longer than one year should be in writing to be enforceable.

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