Arkansas Landlord-Tenant Law 2026: The Complete Handbook

Tenby is an AI-powered property management platform for independent landlords managing 1-50 rental units. Tenby's compliance engine is loaded with Arkansas-specific rules — security deposit deadlines, late fee rules, and eviction notice requirements — automatically enforced for every Arkansas property.

Arkansas's landlord-tenant relationship is governed by scattered provisions of the Arkansas Code, Titles 18-16 and 18-17. Arkansas is widely considered the most landlord-friendly state in the country: no late-fee cap, no required grace period, no rent control, minimal disclosure requirements, and almost no statutory tenant remedies. But there are still hard rules on deposits and eviction procedure. Here's everything you need to know.

Security deposits in Arkansas

> Check your numbers: Use our free Arkansas security deposit calculator to verify your deposit amount and return deadline before move-in.

Key details:

• The deposit is capped at two months' rent (Ark. Code § 18-16-304)
• The deposit or an itemized statement of deductions must be returned within 60 days after move-out (Ark. Code § 18-16-305) — a generous window, but calendar it anyway
• No escrow account and no interest payments are required

Eviction process in Arkansas

Arkansas eviction moves fast, but the procedure still matters. Self-help evictions (changing locks, removing belongings, shutting off utilities) are not the lawful path — use the courts.

Step 1: Serve proper notice

Arkansas's unlawful detainer track runs on a 3-day Notice to Vacate (Ark. Code § 18-60-304). The notice is unconditional — there is no statutory right to cure (Ark. Code § 18-17-901). Paying after the notice does not automatically stop the case the way it does in cure states like Arizona or Delaware.

Separately, Ark. Code § 18-17-701(b) and § 18-17-901 give the landlord a termination/eviction trigger once rent is unpaid 5 days past due. That five-day mark is an eviction timeline — not a late-fee grace period (see below).

Step 2: File the eviction action

If the tenant doesn't vacate by the deadline, file the eviction action with the court for the county where the property is located.

Step 3: Court hearing

If the tenant contests, the court schedules a hearing where both parties present their case. Bring the notice, the lease, and your payment ledger.

Step 4: Writ of possession

If the court rules for the landlord, a writ issues and law enforcement carries out the removal.

Late fees in Arkansas

> Calculate your late fee: Use our free Arkansas late fee calculator to check if your proposed fee is defensible under Arkansas law. Also try our prorated rent calculator for move-in/move-out calculations.

Arkansas has no statutory late-fee grace period or cap — the lease controls, though courts can void unreasonable fees as penalties. A common misconception: the 5-days-past-due provision in Ark. Code § 18-17-701(b) is a termination trigger for eviction, not a fee grace period — it does not bar a lease-authorized late fee before day 5. Best practice: keep late fees in the 5-10% of monthly rent range so they hold up if challenged.

Landlord entry in Arkansas

Arkansas has no statute specifying how much notice a landlord must give before entering a rental unit. Standard practice — and what most form leases require — is 24 hours' notice for non-emergency entry. Put an entry provision in your written lease; entering without consent or reasonable notice invites a dispute even without a statute on point.

Required disclosures in Arkansas

Arkansas imposes essentially no state-specific statutory disclosures — the shortest list of any state Tenby tracks:

1. Lead paint disclosure — for properties built before 1978, disclose known lead-based paint hazards and provide the EPA's *Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home* pamphlet (federal requirement)

That federal requirement is the whole list. Best practice is still to disclose the owner/agent's name and address for notices in the lease, even though no Arkansas statute in our database requires it.

Rent increase rules in Arkansas

• No rent control — Arkansas has no rent control anywhere in the state
• 30 days' written notice terminates a month-to-month tenancy (Ark. Code § 18-17-704), which effectively sets the minimum notice for rent increases on month-to-month tenancies
• Cannot raise rent during a fixed-term lease unless the lease includes a rent increase clause
• There is no cap on the amount of a rent increase

Maintenance obligations

Landlord must:

• Comply with applicable building and housing codes
• Honor every maintenance obligation written into the lease — in Arkansas, the lease is where most landlord duties live, so what you promise is what you owe
• Keep common areas safe and clean
• Respond to repair requests in a reasonable time

Tenant must:

• Keep the unit clean and sanitary
• Use appliances and systems reasonably
• Not deliberately or negligently damage the premises
• Dispose of garbage properly
• Not disturb neighbors' peaceful enjoyment
• Notify the landlord of needed repairs promptly

Tenant rights in Arkansas

Tenants in Arkansas have fewer statutory rights than in any other state:

• Withhold rent — no. Arkansas has no statutory rent-withholding right
• Repair and deduct — no. Arkansas has no statutory repair-and-deduct remedy either; tenants must rely on the lease terms and the courts
• Deposit protections — the 2-month cap, itemized deductions, and the 60-day return deadline (Ark. Code §§ 18-16-304, 18-16-305)
• Court process — a landlord must win an eviction case before a tenant can be removed
• Fair housing — federal protections against discrimination apply, and tenants in certain federally subsidized housing have VAWA protections

Because the statutes say so little, the lease matters more in Arkansas than almost anywhere else — for both sides.

How Tenby helps Arkansas landlords

Tenby's compliance engine handles Arkansas-specific requirements automatically:

• 2-month deposit cap enforced at lease creation
• 60-day deposit return tracking with countdown alerts and itemization templates
• 3-day notice to vacate timeline guidance, plus tracking of the 5-days-past-due termination trigger
• Late fee reasonableness guidance so your fee survives a challenge
• Lease-first workflow — since Arkansas duties live in the lease, Tenby's AI lease analysis flags what your lease does (and doesn't) obligate you to do
• 30-day notice tracking for month-to-month terminations and rent increases

The bottom line

Arkansas is the most landlord-friendly state in the country: no late-fee cap, no grace period, no rent control, no entry-notice statute, no statutory rent withholding or repair-and-deduct, and a 3-day unconditional notice to vacate. The rules that do exist have teeth, though: the 2-month deposit cap, the 60-day itemized return, and strict eviction procedure. And because the statutes are thin, your lease does the heavy lifting — write it carefully, document everything, and you'll avoid most legal issues.