Kentucky landlord rules: deposits, late fees and notices

Security deposit

Maximum deposit

No statewide cap

Return deadline

60 days after the tenancy ends

Penalty for late return

none specified

Interest owed

No

Note

30-60 days depending on dispute; URLTA applies only in adopting counties

Work out the return date for a move-out

Source: KRS §383.580 (URLTA counties)

Late fees

Rule

none set by statute

Grace period

Not in our data

No statute cited in our data

Notice periods

Notice to pay or quit

7 days

Ending a month-to-month tenancy

30 days

Notice before entering a unit

48 hours

Note

7-day right-to-cure applies in URLTA counties only

Work out the last day of a notice

No statute cited in our data

Screening

Source-of-income protection

Only where a local ordinance adds it.

Note

Louisville ordinance

No statute cited in our data

Verify this with the statute or a local attorney before you act on it. The rule changed recently or has known ambiguity.

Licensing

To manage for others

A real-estate broker license, to manage property for others.

No statute cited in our data

How long an eviction takes

Moderate: about 1 to 2 months. This is a rough tier from our data, not a court timeline.

Also worth knowing

• URLTA adopted county-by-county - tenant protections differ sharply between (e.g.) Louisville/Lexington and non-URLTA counties

A federal rule that can override this

Notice for nonpayment on covered properties

30 days

Note

Applies to 'covered properties' (federally backed mortgage or federal housing program). The 30-day notice requirement has no statutory sunset and courts are split - safest practice is a 30-day nonpayment notice on any covered property, regardless of shorter state timelines.

Source: CARES Act §4024