Arkansas rent increase law

The Arkansas Attorney General’s guidance says to give at least one rental period’s notice before raising rent, for oral as well as written leases. Check the existing agreement and term before choosing the effective date. The landlord-tenant act does not state a separate increase-notice period or general amount cap; that does not make an immediate increase or a change to agreed fixed-term rent permissible.

Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-401(a) Arkansas Attorney General: rent-change notice

• A month-to-month tenancy can be ended by either side with written notice given at least 30 days before the termination date named in the notice. Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-704(b) See Ending a month-to-month tenancy on the Arkansas page
• Cities, counties and other local governments may not control the amount charged for rent. Ark. Code Ann. § 14-54-1409(b) See Rent control and local rules on the Arkansas page

Arkansas bars cities, counties and other local governments from enacting or enforcing rules that control the amount of rent, rental application fees or rental deposits for private residential property, except as the Code's deposit section provides. A local housing standard stricter than the state quality standards still applies.

Ark. Code Ann. § 14-54-1409(b) Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-502(h)

• The preemption does not limit a local government's right to manage residential property it has an interest in. Ark. Code Ann. § 14-54-1409(c)

The landlord-tenant act has no general rule against retaliation. The one statutory protection read: you must not end or refuse to renew a tenancy, refuse to rent, or otherwise retaliate in leasing because a tenant, an applicant or a household member is a victim of domestic abuse shown in a court order.

Ark. Code Ann. § 18-16-112(b)(1)

• A documented incident is evidence of domestic abuse in a court order, and the protection covers a person identified in one within the preceding 60 days or within 60 days of a tenancy ending because of the abuse. Ark. Code Ann. § 18-16-112(a)
• A tenant may not waive the right to call law enforcement or other emergency help. Arkansas Legislature Code access: 18-16-112(f)
• Fair housing protections are separate from the landlord-tenant act’s general retaliation coverage. The Fair Housing Commission says it is illegal to threaten, coerce, intimidate or interfere with someone exercising a fair housing right or helping another person exercise it. Do not use a rent change to punish protected fair housing activity; confirm the applicable claim and facts rather than assuming every complaint falls under the same statute. Arkansas Fair Housing Commission: fair housing noninterference