Kentucky Notices for Lease Violations and Ending a Month-to-Month Tenancy
Not every Kentucky eviction is about rent. Here is how the notice with 14 days to a termination date and 15 days to remedy works, how periodic tenancies end, what changes where the act is not in force and what a holdover costs.
What is the Kentucky notice for another lease violation?
Where the act is in force, for a material noncompliance with the rental agreement or with the tenant’s maintenance duties, the landlord delivers a written notice specifying the acts and omissions and saying that the agreement will terminate on a date not less than 14 days after receipt. The same subsection then says that if the breach is not remedied in 15 days the agreement terminates as stated, and that a tenant who adequately remedies a remediable breach before the date keeps the tenancy (KRS 383.660(1)). A careful landlord sets the termination date at least 15 days out. The Kentucky eviction notice calculator uses 15.
What if it happens again?
If substantially the same act or omission recurs within six months, the landlord may terminate on at least 14 days’ written notice specifying the breach and the termination date, with no chance to remedy it (383.660(1)). A tenant who fixes something once should keep proof, because a repeat is harder to answer.
How does a landlord end a month-to-month tenancy?
By a written notice given at least 30 days before the periodic rental date specified in it; either side may give it (KRS 383.695(2)). With rent due on the 1st and a notice received on October 14, the first rental date at least 30 days away is December 1. A week-to-week tenancy ends on at least seven days’ notice before the termination date (383.695(1)). A tenancy that began when a written lease ended can be ended on ten days’ notice, and if the tenant fails to pay rent within ten days after it is due the landlord may terminate at any time without notice (383.695(3)).
What if the act is not in force?
No statute sets a notice period for a lease violation, and the lease controls. The one statutory notice is for a tenancy at will or by sufferance: the landlord may end it by giving one month’s notice, in writing, requiring the tenant to leave (KRS 383.195). Ask the clerk whether the act applies where you live.
What if the tenant stays?
A tenant who remains in possession without the landlord’s consent after the term or the termination is a holdover, and the landlord may sue for possession. If the holdover is willful and not in good faith, the landlord may also recover up to three months’ periodic rent or threefold its actual damages, whichever is greater, and reasonable attorney’s fees (383.695(4)).
What should a tenant do after receiving a notice?
Read it for the breach and the date. If you can fix the problem within the 15 days, do so and keep proof, such as photographs or receipts. If you think the notice is wrong, write to the landlord promptly and call legal aid or a licensed Kentucky attorney the same day. See the Kentucky eviction court process.
What a landlord should check
The notice should specify the acts and omissions that make up the breach, state a termination date at least 14 days after receipt and, to be safe, at least 15, and be received by the tenant in hand or by registered or certified mail. If the breach can be fixed, accept a remedy completed before the date.
Where to get help
Legal aid and the district court clerk can explain the forms in your county, and a licensed Kentucky attorney can read the lease and the notice. Bring both with the dates.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a tenant have to fix a lease violation in Kentucky?
The notice states a termination date not less than 14 days out; the statute gives 15 days to remedy.
Can a landlord evict for the same violation again?
Within six months, on 14 days’ notice with no chance to remedy.
How much notice ends a month-to-month lease in Kentucky?
At least 30 days before the periodic rental date.
How much notice ends a week-to-week tenancy?
At least seven days.
What if the act is not in force?
The lease controls, and a tenancy at will ends on one month’s written notice.
Official sources
- KRS 383.660: tenant’s noncompliance; failure to pay rent
- KRS 383.695: periodic tenancy; holdover remedies
- KRS 383.195: termination of tenancy at will or by sufferance
A local landlord-tenant attorney can review your situation — many offer a free consultation.
This is general information, not legal advice. It is based on the cited Kentucky statutes, rules and court opinions, and every case turns on its own facts. Confirm how the law applies to your situation with a licensed Kentucky attorney.