Kentucky Rent Increase Notice

Introduction

Key Things to Know

1. 1

   A rent increase notice is a written notice a Kentucky landlord gives a tenant to raise the rent on a residential tenancy, stating the new monthly rent and the date the increase takes effect.

2. 2

   The 30-day notice lives in the URLTA, which Kentucky put in force only in adopting cities and counties, such as Louisville and Jefferson County and Lexington and Fayette County; confirm the local rule where the unit sits.

3. 3

   Where the URLTA governs, a month-to-month rent increase takes at least 30 days written notice before the periodic rental date (KRS 383.695(2)).

4. 4

   Kentucky has no statewide rent cap, and local rent control is barred because only the General Assembly may control rents on private property (KRS 65.875).

5. 5

   Because the increase changes a term, the landlord may end the month-to-month tenancy on 30 days notice and offer to continue it at the new rent.

6. 6

   A week-to-week tenancy uses at least 7 days notice, and a tenancy begun at the close of a written lease ends on at least 10 days notice (KRS 383.695(1), (3)).

7. 7

   Rent under a fixed-term lease holds until the term ends unless the lease allows a change; a notice shorter than the required 30 days does not take effect until a proper period runs.

Kentucky Requirements for Rent Increase Notice

• URLTA Applies Only Where Adopted

  The 30-day notice of KRS 383.695 lives in the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, which Kentucky put in force only in adopting cities and counties, such as Louisville and Jefferson County and Lexington and Fayette County. Confirm the local rule where the unit sits before setting the effective date of an increase.

• 30-Day Notice on a Month-to-Month Tenancy

  Where the URLTA governs, a landlord raising rent on a month-to-month tenancy gives at least 30 days written notice before the periodic rental date (KRS 383.695(2)). The effective date must leave the tenant at least those 30 days.

• No Statewide Rent Cap

  Kentucky has no statewide rent cap. A landlord may set the new amount once the required 30-day notice is given on a month-to-month tenancy. The URLTA regulates the notice period, not the dollar figure of the increase.

• Local Rent Control Is Barred

  Local rent control is barred in Kentucky because only the General Assembly may enact legislation controlling rents on private property (KRS 65.875). A Kentucky city or county cannot cap the amount of a rent increase. This item is grounded on the 2025 KRS republication and should be re-confirmed against the primary legislature page.

• Week-to-Week and Written-Lease Notice

  A week-to-week tenancy uses at least 7 days written notice, and a tenancy begun at the close of a written lease ends on at least 10 days written notice (KRS 383.695(1), (3)). Match the notice period to the kind of tenancy before setting the effective date.

• No Mid-Term Increase on a Fixed Lease

  Rent set by a fixed-term lease cannot rise during the term unless the lease allows it. A rent increase notice reaches a month-to-month tenancy or takes effect at renewal; the rent is a bargained term of the contract until the term ends.

• Written Notice and Counting the Date

  The increase is made by a written notice given to the tenant (KRS 383.695(2)). Kentucky adds no mailing days, so count at least 30 days from the tenant's receipt to the periodic rental date, and keep proof of how and when it was served.

• Short Notice Does Not Take Effect

  A rent increase served with fewer than 30 days notice does not begin on the stated date. Under KRS 383.695(2), the change on a month-to-month tenancy is effective only after at least 30 days written notice before the periodic rental date, and a tenant may keep paying the prior rent until then.