How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Kentucky?

Kentucky statute sets no cap on the deposit, so the amount is whatever the lease says. What KRS 383.580 does fix is how and when the deposit comes back.

What does a Kentucky landlord have to disclose with the lease?

Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the Kentucky checklist has three items: where the deposit is held, with the account number; a written list of existing damage at move-in, which the Tenant may inspect and sign; and name and address of the owner and of any agent. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.

Which Kentucky statutes does this lease cite?

KRS 383.580, KRS 383.585, KRS 383.615 and KRS 383.695, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.

Should a lawyer look at this Kentucky lease before I use it?

It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the Kentucky statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with Kentucky landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

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Kentucky Residential Lease Agreement

A plain-language lease for a house or apartment in Kentucky. The deposit, notice, entry and disclosure clauses follow Kentucky statute, cited in the document. Download the blank PDF or e-sign it online; electronic signatures are recognized under the federal ESIGN Act and state UETA laws.

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Different state?

Page one of the Kentucky Residential Lease Agreement — Page 1 of the PDF. Tinted boxes are the placed fields, one color per role.

Kentucky rules in this lease

Security deposit cap: No cap in the statute
Deposit return: Within 60 days after the Tenant moves out, returns the keys and gives a forwarding address, the Landlord returns the deposit with an itemized list of any deductions for unpaid rent and damage beyond ordinary wear.
Where the deposit is kept: Where Kentucky's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies, the deposit is kept in a separate account used only for deposits, and the Tenant is told in writing the bank's name and the account number.
Ending a month-to-month tenancy: Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice.
Landlord entry: The Landlord gives at least two days' notice before entering to inspect, repair or show the Premises, enters at a reasonable time, and needs no notice in an emergency.
Disclosures: 4 items, listed below with the section that requires each one
Local rules: The Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies only in the cities and counties that adopted it, including Louisville, Lexington and others. Elsewhere in Kentucky only the general statutes apply.
Statutes: KRS 383.580, KRS 383.585, KRS 383.615, KRS 383.695. Read the Kentucky statute
Rules read on: 2026-10-23

A general form, not legal advice, and not a claim that it complies with any law. Rules change and vary by city. Check the statute cited here, or ask a lawyer, before you rely on it.

What is different in Kentucky

Pick Kentucky and four parts of this lease change: the security deposit clause, the notice clause for a month-to-month tenancy, the entry clause and the disclosures checklist, each rewritten from the Kentucky statute. The rest of the document reads the same in every state.

Kentucky sets no ceiling on the deposit, so the amount is whatever the two parties write in. The statute cares more about custody, which the deposit clause below covers, and about the return: the rule says when and how the deposit comes back, and requires an itemized statement of anything kept, turns on the tenant's forwarding address and leaves ordinary wear out of the deductions.

Ending a month-to-month tenancy works the same from both sides in Kentucky. Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice.

Kentucky also speaks to when a landlord may come in. The Landlord gives at least two days' notice before entering to inspect, repair or show the Premises, enters at a reasonable time, and needs no notice in an emergency.

The disclosures checklist carries three Kentucky items on top of the federal lead paint notice, among them name and address of the owner and of any agent, each with the section that requires it and a line for the landlord's initials.

City rules are the other thing to watch. The Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies only in the cities and counties that adopted it, including Louisville, Lexington and others. Elsewhere in Kentucky only the general statutes apply. The state clauses follow four sections of Kentucky law, read on October 23, 2026 and listed in the Statutes row above; the same citations print in the footer of the PDF.

Read the Kentucky clauses

The wording below is what prints in the PDF for Kentucky, word for word, under the headings Security deposit, Entry, Ending the lease and default, and Disclosures.

Security deposit

Within 60 days after the Tenant moves out, returns the keys and gives a forwarding address, the Landlord returns the deposit with an itemized list of any deductions for unpaid rent and damage beyond ordinary wear. Where Kentucky's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies, the deposit is kept in a separate account used only for deposits, and the Tenant is told in writing the bank's name and the account number.

Entry

The Landlord gives at least two days' notice before entering to inspect, repair or show the Premises, enters at a reasonable time, and needs no notice in an emergency.

Ending the lease and default

Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice. If rent is unpaid or a term is broken, the Landlord gives the written notice Kentucky law requires before ending the tenancy, and the Tenant is responsible for rent through the end of the term unless the Premises is re-rented sooner.

Disclosures the Landlord initials

Lead-based paint and hazards, for a building built before 1978, with the EPA pamphlet (42 U.S.C. 4852d)
Where the deposit is held, with the account number (KRS 383.580)
A written list of existing damage at move-in, which the Tenant may inspect and sign (KRS 383.580)
Name and address of the owner and of any agent (KRS 383.585)

The Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies only in the cities and counties that adopted it, including Louisville, Lexington and others. Elsewhere in Kentucky only the general statutes apply.

Footer of the PDF: Kentucky clauses follow KRS 383.580, KRS 383.585, KRS 383.615, KRS 383.695 as read on 2026-10-23.

Kentucky lease questions

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Kentucky?: Kentucky statute sets no cap on the deposit, so the amount is whatever the lease says. What KRS 383.580 does fix is how and when the deposit comes back.
When does the security deposit come back in Kentucky?: Within 60 days after the Tenant moves out, returns the keys and gives a forwarding address, the Landlord returns the deposit with an itemized list of any deductions for unpaid rent and damage beyond ordinary wear.
Where does a Kentucky landlord keep the deposit?: Where Kentucky's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies, the deposit is kept in a separate account used only for deposits, and the Tenant is told in writing the bank's name and the account number.
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Kentucky?: Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 30 days' written notice.
How much notice does a Kentucky landlord give before entering?: The Landlord gives at least two days' notice before entering to inspect, repair or show the Premises, enters at a reasonable time, and needs no notice in an emergency.
What does a Kentucky landlord have to disclose with the lease?: Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the Kentucky checklist has three items: where the deposit is held, with the account number; a written list of existing damage at move-in, which the Tenant may inspect and sign; and name and address of the owner and of any agent. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.
Do any Kentucky cities or counties add rules of their own?: The Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies only in the cities and counties that adopted it, including Louisville, Lexington and others. Elsewhere in Kentucky only the general statutes apply.
Which Kentucky statutes does this lease cite?: KRS 383.580, KRS 383.585, KRS 383.615 and KRS 383.695, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.
Should a lawyer look at this Kentucky lease before I use it?: It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the Kentucky statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with Kentucky landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

Who this is for. A Kentucky lease is one half of a landlord's paperwork; proving a notice was received is the other. Both are covered at free e-signatures for landlords.

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