The Louisiana rental agreements are documents that help establish a relationship between a landlord and a tenant for the use of real property. These contracts set the amount of the rent, the duration of the tenancy, and other terms. All agreements are subject to Louisiana landlord-tenant laws.
Louisiana Rental Agreement Types
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Louisiana Required Lease Disclosures
- Lead Based Paint Disclosure (required for some) – If the property was constructed before 1978, a Louisiana lease for a dwelling unit must include a lead based paint disclosure form and EPA-approved pamphlet regarding the dangers of lead paint to tenants in addition to any known hazards that exist on the property.
To learn more about required disclosures in Louisiana, click here.
Louisiana Landlord Tenant Laws
- Warranty of Habitability – Louisiana generally requires its landlords to provide tenants with a working HVAC system, plumbing, electric system, sanitation facilities, and more. Any repairs to these several systems must be made by the landlord in a “reasonable” amount of time. If they do not, Louisiana tenants maintain the right to perform a repair and deduct.
- Evictions – After providing a 5-day notice, a Louisiana landlord may evict a tenant for failing to pay rent, committing an illegal act, or breaking a lease term. As a result, most evictions in this state occur in under a week’s time.
- Security Deposits – Louisiana does not limit the value of security deposits charged by landlords. They do require all deposits collected for this purpose to be returned in less than 1 month after a tenant’s lease ends.
- Lease Termination – Louisiana tenants only need to issue a 10-day notice when they intend to break a month-to-month lease. A fixed-term lease can also be terminated early by claiming a right to terminate for these following reasons: active military duty, unit uninhabitability, or landlord harassment.
- Rent Increases & Fees – In Louisiana, landlords are not required to justify or give notice when they intend to raise rent rates. They are similarly not required to limit the per instance rate of rent increase. This freedom extends to operational fees, as well, including late fees. All fee amounts must be outlined in the applicable lease.
- Landlord Entry – Louisiana landlords are legally allowed to enter an occupied unit without notice by default. Any limitations on this right must be set forth in a lease. Notice-free entry is usually allowed in emergency situations, though.
- Settling Legal Disputes – Most parishes in Louisiana maintain their own small claims court systems that carry differing limitations with regards to claim amounts. Most of these parishes utilize a 10-year statute of limitations.
To learn more about landlord tenant laws in Louisiana, click here.
