Kansas Residential Lease Agreement

Required Landlord Disclosures (3)

When a tenant rents a unit, landlords must provide disclosures about the rental property. There is one federal and two state-specific requirements.

1. Lead-based paint: Federal law requires landlords to disclose knowledge of any lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards in units built before 1978.

2. Landlord identification: The property owner must disclose the name and contact information of the person responsible for managing the property in writing (KS § 58-2551).

3. Move-in checklist: Within 5 days of the start of the tenancy, landlords and tenants must jointly inventory the premises, detailing the property’s condition, including appliances (KS § 58-2548).

Security Deposit Regulations

Maximum security deposit amount: Kansas caps security deposits at 1 month’s rent for unfurnished units and 1.5 months for furnished units (KS § 58-2550(a)).

Receipt of deposit: Kansas landlords are not required to provide a receipt for security deposits or keep them in a separate or interest-bearing account.

Deduction tracking: Landlords can withhold funds from the security deposit for unpaid rent or to cover repairs for tenant-caused damage. If the landlord withholds funds, they must provide the tenant with an itemized receipt of the deductions when they return the remainder of the deposit funds (KS § 58-2550(b)).

Returning a tenant’s security deposit: Landlords must return the security deposit within 30 days of lease termination, without making any deductions for repairs. They must return it within 14 days after making repair deductions (KS § 58-2550(b)).

Landlord’s Access to Property

Advance notice: Kansas landlords may enter a tenant’s unit after providing “reasonable notice” and only at “reasonable times” (KS § 58-2557(a)).

Immediate access: Landlords in Kansas may enter without tenant permission only in cases of hazard involving potential loss of life or severe property damage (KS § 58-2557(b)).

Landlord harassment: If a landlord repeatedly enters the unit without proper notice or permission, the tenant may seek injunctive relief against the landlord and terminate the rental agreement (KS § 58-2571(b)).

Rent Payment Laws

Grace period: Kansas law does not prescribe a mandatory grace period for late rent payments.

Late rent fees: Landlords can charge $20 or 20% of the late rent, whichever is greater (KS §58-816a).

Tenant’s right to withhold rent: If a serious issue affects health and safety, tenants must deliver a written notice specifying the problem and stating that the lease will terminate in 30 days. If the landlord doesn’t make a good-faith effort to cure the violation within 14 days, the tenant may terminate the lease and seek additional damages (KS § 58-2559).

Breach of Lease Agreement

Missed rent payment: Landlords in Kansas may issue a 3-day notice to pay or quit once a tenant misses a rent payment.

Lease violation: If a tenant violates the lease agreement, the landlord may send a 30-day quit notice. The tenant then has 14 days to cure the violation. If they do not, they must move out by the 30th day after delivery of the notice. For repeated violations (twice or more within the same lease term), landlords are not required to allow the tenant to cure the issue and can issue a 30-day quit notice (KS § 58-2564(a)).

Self-help evictions: Kansas landlords seeking to evict a tenant should follow the legal eviction process.  Self-help evictions are illegal and could expose the landlord to civil or criminal penalties.

Lease abandonment: Tenants who break their lease early, without legal cause, may be responsible for the remaining rent for the remainder of the lease term. Landlords must mitigate damages and attempt to re-rent the unit in a reasonable timeframe (KS § 58-2565).

Ending a Kansas Lease Agreement

Month-to-month: Tenants and landlords can terminate a month-to-month lease by providing 30 days’ notice (KS § 58-2570(b)).

Fixed-term: Kansas tenants must meet legally required conditions to break a lease early and without penalty. These include entering active military duty, suffering domestic violence, uninhabitable living conditions, or landlord harassment.

Property abandonment: Landlords must give tenants at least 30 days to recover property they left behind. Landlords can also publish a public notice of 15 days of their intent to sell the tenant’s property. They must return it to the tenant before the 30-day window expires. The tenant is responsible for any fees incurred for storing the property (KS § 58-2565(d)).

Renewing a Lease

Required renewals: Landlords are not required to renew a Kansas lease agreement once the term ends.

Required notice: Kansas law does not require a landlord to notify a tenant early when it decides not to renew a fixed-term lease. However, for month-to-month leases, 30 days’ notice is required (KS § 58-2570(b)).

Disclaimer: TurboTenant does not provide legal advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only. All users are advised to check all applicable local, state, and federal laws and consult legal counsel should questions arise.