Louisiana Rent Increase Notice
Louisiana is a civil-law state; a landlord raising rent on a month-to-month lease gives notice 10 calendar days before the end of the month (La. Civ. Code art. 2728). No statewide cap. Attorney review available.
Introduction
Louisiana runs on civil law, not the landlord-tenant act most states use, and that changes how a rent increase works. There is no URLTA here and no statute written for rent increases; instead, a landlord raises the rent by ending the current month-to-month lease and offering a new lease at the new figure. The timing comes from La. Civ. Code art. 2728, and for a month-to-month lease the notice of termination is due 10 calendar days before the end of that month, one of the shortest windows in the country. A rent increase notice states the new monthly rent and the date it begins; the new rent applies only once the current lease ends and the tenant accepts the new one. The period drives the notice: a lease measured by a period longer than a month uses 30 calendar days, and a week-to-week lease uses 5 calendar days (art. 2728(1), (3)). Louisiana sets no statewide rent cap, so the landlord chooses the amount, subject to any local rule; whether a Louisiana city may adopt rent control is unsettled and is not assumed here. Rent under a fixed-term lease cannot change mid-term unless the lease allows it, because art. 2728 reaches a lease with an indeterminate term, including a reconducted month-to-month lease, not one still inside its fixed term. Louisiana adds no mailing days to the 10-day count, so keep proof of how and when the notice reached the tenant. DocDraft builds your Louisiana rent increase notice from your facts, with attorney review available before you serve it.
Key Things to Know
- 1
A rent increase notice is a written notice a Louisiana landlord gives a tenant to raise the rent on a residential lease, stating the new monthly rent and the date the increase takes effect.
- 2
Louisiana is a civil-law state with no URLTA and no rent-increase statute; a landlord raises rent by ending the month-to-month lease and offering a new lease at the new rent.
- 3
For a month-to-month lease the notice of termination is due 10 calendar days before the end of that month (La. Civ. Code art. 2728(2)).
- 4
The period sets the notice: a lease measured by a period longer than a month uses 30 calendar days, and a week-to-week lease uses 5 calendar days (art. 2728(1), (3)).
- 5
Louisiana has no statewide rent cap; the landlord chooses the amount, subject to any local rule, and local authority to impose rent control is unsettled.
- 6
Rent under a fixed-term lease cannot change mid-term unless the lease allows it; art. 2728 reaches an indeterminate-term (reconducted month-to-month) lease, not one still inside its fixed term.
- 7
Louisiana adds no mailing days to the 10-day count, so a short notice does not take effect until a proper period runs; keep proof of delivery.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Rent Increase Notice in Louisiana, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Rent Increase Notice guide walks through them.
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Louisiana Requirements for Rent Increase Notice
Louisiana follows civil law with no URLTA and no rent-increase statute, so a landlord raises rent by ending the current month-to-month lease and offering a new lease at the new rent (La. Civ. Code art. 2728). The notice must reach the tenant in time for the new rent to begin on the stated date.
For a month-to-month lease, notice of termination is due 10 calendar days before the end of that month (La. Civ. Code art. 2728(2)). This is one of the shortest notice windows in the country; the effective date must leave the tenant at least those 10 calendar days.
The period sets the notice: a lease measured by a period longer than a month uses 30 calendar days, and a week-to-week lease uses 5 calendar days (La. Civ. Code art. 2728(1), (3)). Match the notice to the kind of lease before setting the effective date.
Louisiana has no statewide rent cap. A landlord may choose the new amount once proper notice ends the current month-to-month lease. Article 2728 governs the notice period, not the dollar figure, and local authority to impose rent control is unsettled.
Rent set by a fixed-term lease cannot change during the term unless the lease allows it. Article 2728 reaches a lease with an indeterminate term, including a reconducted month-to-month lease, not one still inside its fixed term, so a rent increase waits for the lease to end or renew.
The increase is made by a written notice of termination given to the tenant (La. Civ. Code art. 2728). Louisiana adds no mailing days to the 10-day period, so count from actual receipt and keep proof of how and when the notice was served.
The notice should name the landlord and tenant, give the rental address, list the current and new monthly rent, and state an effective date that leaves at least the 10 calendar days art. 2728(2) requires before the end of the month. A clear date and delivery record show the notice met the Louisiana rule.
A notice that is not timely does not end the lease on the stated date; under La. Civ. Code art. 2728 it takes effect at the end of the first period for which it is timely, so the increase slides to the next eligible date. A tenant may keep paying the prior rent until then.
Frequently Asked Questions
In Louisiana it is the written notice a landlord uses to raise the rent on a residential lease. Louisiana runs on civil law with no URLTA and no rent-increase statute, so the landlord ends the current month-to-month lease and offers a new lease at the new rent, using the notice of termination in La. Civ. Code art. 2728. The new rent applies only once the current lease ends and the tenant takes the new one; the notice names the new monthly rent and the date it begins.
For a month-to-month lease, a Louisiana landlord gives notice of termination 10 calendar days before the end of that month (La. Civ. Code art. 2728(2)), then offers a new lease at the higher rent. A lease measured by a period longer than a month uses 30 calendar days, and a week-to-week lease uses 5 calendar days (art. 2728(1), (3)). Louisiana adds no days for mailing, so count from the tenant's receipt.
Because Louisiana is a civil-law state, not a Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act state, it has no rent-increase statute. A Louisiana landlord changes the rent by ending the current month-to-month lease under La. Civ. Code art. 2728 and offering a new lease at the new figure. The reconducted month-to-month lease is an indeterminate-term lease, and art. 2728 sets the notice that ends it, which is 10 calendar days before the end of the month.
No. Louisiana has no statewide rent cap, so a Louisiana landlord may set the new amount once proper notice ends the current month-to-month lease. La. Civ. Code art. 2728 governs the timing of the notice, not the size of the increase. Whether a Louisiana city may adopt rent control is unsettled, so a landlord should check any local rule, and may not raise rent for a discriminatory or retaliatory reason.
Generally no. In Louisiana the rent set by a fixed-term lease holds for the term unless the lease itself allows a change. La. Civ. Code art. 2728 reaches a lease with an indeterminate term, including a reconducted month-to-month lease, not a lease still inside its fixed term. A rent increase therefore takes effect when a month-to-month lease is ended and renewed, or when a fixed-term lease expires.
A Louisiana landlord raises the rent through a written notice of termination given to the tenant 10 calendar days before the end of the month on a month-to-month lease (La. Civ. Code art. 2728(2)), paired with an offer of a new lease at the new rent. Louisiana does not add days for mailing, so count from the tenant's receipt, and keep a record of how and when the notice was delivered.
A Louisiana rent increase notice should name the landlord and tenant, give the rental address, list the current and new monthly rent, and state the effective date. It should show that the notice of termination reaches the tenant at least 10 calendar days before the end of the month, as La. Civ. Code art. 2728(2) requires, and explain how rent is to be paid. A clear date and delivery record help show the notice met the Louisiana requirement.
A Louisiana notice served fewer than 10 calendar days before the end of the month does not end the current lease on that date. Under La. Civ. Code art. 2728, a notice that is not timely takes effect at the end of the first period for which it is timely, so the increase slides to the next eligible date. A tenant may keep paying the prior rent until a proper notice period has run.