Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

No maximum. Louisiana's deposit statute requires return within one month and an itemized statement for any amount kept, but sets no cap on the amount.

Question 2

How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

Within one month after the lease ends. An itemized statement of any amounts kept is due within one month, or within 15 days after that one-month date.

Question 3

How much notice does a landlord have to give before entering a rental in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

There is no Louisiana statute requiring notice before landlord entry in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease) or La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1. Reviewed by full-text search.

Question 4

How much notice does a landlord need to give to raise the rent in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

In Louisiana, a landlord who wants to change the terms of a month-to-month lease, such as the rent, ends it by notice of termination given at least ten calendar days before the end of the month (C.C. art. 2728(2)). For a residence, that notice must be in writing (C.C. art. 2729). The Civil Code has no separate rent-increase notice rule.

Question 5

Can a landlord charge a late fee in Louisiana, and how much?

Accepted Answer

There is no Louisiana statute on late fees in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease) or La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1. Reviewed by full-text search. AG guidance (labelled, not law): the Louisiana Attorney General's Moving In / Moving Out guide says late fees can be charged only if provided in the lease and that unreasonably high fees can be contested.

Question 6

What notice does a landlord have to give before evicting for unpaid rent in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

When occupancy ends for nonpayment or any other reason, the lessor must deliver a written notice to vacate giving at least 5 days. The lessee may waive this notice in a written lease clause.

Question 7

Can cities in Louisiana pass rent control?

Accepted Answer

Effectively yes. State law provides that lessors' rights to control, use and lease their property may not be altered, abridged or diminished except by state law (subject to the reasonable exercise of police power).

Question 8

How much notice is needed to end a month-to-month tenancy in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

For a month-to-month lease, notice of termination must be given at least 10 calendar days before the end of the month. For residential leases, the notice must be in writing (La. C.C. art. 2729).

Question 9

Does a landlord have to pay interest on a security deposit in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

No interest requirement. La. R.S. 9:3251-3254 govern residential deposits (return within one month, itemized statement, penalties) and do not require interest; the Civil Code lease title (arts. 2668-2729) is also silent on deposit interest.

Question 10

Is a move-in or move-out inspection checklist required in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

There is no Louisiana statute requiring a move-in inspection or checklist in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease) or La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1. Reviewed by full-text search. AG guidance (labelled, not law): the Louisiana Attorney General's Moving In / Moving Out guide recommends a room-by-room inspection before move-in.

Question 11

Is landlord retaliation illegal in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

There is no Louisiana statute barring landlord retaliation in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease) or La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1. Reviewed by full-text search.

Question 12

Can a landlord change the locks or shut off utilities in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

There is no Louisiana statute expressly banning landlord lockouts in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease) or La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1. Reviewed by full-text search. Eviction itself must go through the court process in La. C.C.P. arts. 4701-4735. AG guidance (labelled, not law): the Louisiana Attorney General's Moving In / Moving Out guide says a landlord who locks a tenant out may be liable for wrongful-eviction damages.

Question 13

What can a tenant do if the landlord won't make repairs in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

If the lessor does not make necessary repairs within a reasonable time after demand, the lessee may make them and demand reimbursement or deduct the cost from rent, to the extent the repair was necessary and the cost reasonable.

Question 14

What disclosures must a landlord give tenants in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

There is no Louisiana statute requiring general lease disclosures in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease) or La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1. Reviewed by full-text search. Federal lead-paint disclosure still applies to pre-1978 housing.

Question 15

What can a landlord do with property a tenant leaves behind in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

After the required notice to vacate, the lessor may retake possession without further court process if it reasonably believes the lessee has abandoned the premises (signs include ending occupancy, returning keys, removing furnishings); in parishes under a federal disaster declaration, ending occupancy is not evidence of abandonment for 30 days. Louisiana lease law sets no separate procedure for handling belongings left behind.

Question 16

Can a tenant break a lease early for domestic violence or military service in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

Active or reserve service members (and spouses) may end a residential lease for PCS or duty orders of 35 or more miles (over 3 months), discharge, government quarters, serious service injury, or death. For the order-based grounds, at least 30 days' written notice is required.

Question 17

Is there a grace period before a late fee can be charged in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

There is no Louisiana statute setting a late-fee grace period or cap in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease) or La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1. Reviewed by full-text search.

Question 18

Can a tenant fix something and deduct it from rent in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

If the lessor doesn't make necessary repairs within a reasonable time after the lessee demands them, the lessee may have them made. The lessee can then get reimbursed right away or apply the cost to rent, but only to the extent the repair was necessary and the cost reasonable.

Question 19

Can a tenant sublet an apartment in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

A lessee has the right to sublease or assign unless the lease expressly prohibits it. A ban on one of these is deemed to ban the others unless the lease shows a different intent, and a ban is strictly construed against the lessor.

Question 20

Does a landlord have to give notice before not renewing a lease in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

A fixed-term lease ends when the term expires, with no notice needed, unless it is reconducted (renewed by the tenant staying on) or extended.

Question 21

What happens if a tenant stays after the lease ends in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

If a tenant stays in possession after a fixed term longer than a week ends, with no notice to vacate or other objection, the lease is reconducted after one week. A reconducted lease whose term was a month or longer becomes month-to-month.

Question 22

How does the eviction court process work in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

The court sets the eviction hearing (the 'rule') no earlier than the third day after service. If the landlord wins, or the tenant doesn't answer or appear, the court immediately enters a judgment of eviction.

Question 23

What happens to the lease when a tenant dies in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

A lease does not end when the lessor or the lessee dies.

Question 24

Can a landlord refuse Section 8 or other source of income in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

Source of income is not a protected class under the Louisiana Equal Housing Opportunity Act. La. R.S. 51:2606 covers race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, military status, natural/protective/cultural hairstyle, and disability.

Question 25

Does a landlord have to provide smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

Existing one- and two-family dwellings must have at least an operable 10-year sealed lithium-battery smoke detector at the time of sale or lease, and an operable long-life sealed-battery carbon monoxide detector.

Question 26

What is the scra / military lease termination rule in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

An active or reserve service member (or spouse) may end a residential lease for listed reasons, such as PCS orders 35 or more miles away, temporary duty over three months 35 or more miles away, discharge or orders into government quarters. Code text: "may terminate their residential lease agreement, pursuant to Subsection B of this Section, if any of the following occur."

Question 27

What is the military lease termination (federal scra, all states) rule in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

Federal law that applies in every state: under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, a tenant may end a residential lease after entering military service, or after getting permanent-change-of-station orders or deployment orders of at least 90 days, by delivering written notice and a copy of the orders to the landlord. For a lease with monthly rent, termination takes effect 30 days after the next rent due date following delivery of the notice. Any state-specific rule on this page also applies. Code text: "The lessee on a lease described in subsection (b) may, at the lessee's option, terminate the lease at any time after" entering military service, the date of the military orders, or the date of a stop movement order (50 U.S.C. 3955(a)(1)(A)-(C)).

Question 28

What federal protections does a tenant have after foreclosure in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

Federal law that applies in every state: under the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act (made permanent in 2018), whoever takes over a home through foreclosure must give a bona fide tenant at least 90 days' notice to vacate. A tenant with a bona fide lease signed before the notice of foreclosure (the date title passes) can stay until the lease ends, unless the unit is sold to a buyer who will live there as a primary residence; that buyer must still give the 90-day notice. Month-to-month and at-will tenants also get the 90 days. A tenancy is bona fide only if the tenant is not the borrower or the borrower's child, spouse or parent, the deal was at arm's length, and the rent is not far below market (unless it is subsidized). State or local laws with longer notice or more protection still apply, and any state-specific rule on this page also applies. Statute text: "the provision, by such successor in interest of a notice to vacate to any bona fide tenant at least 90 days before the effective date of such notice" (Pub. L. 111-22, SEC. 702(a)(1)).

Question 29

What is the warranty of habitability in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

The lessor must deliver the property in good condition, make all repairs needed to keep it suitable for its purpose, and warrants it is free of vices or defects that prevent its use, including defects arising after delivery not caused by the lessee. In a residential lease, a waiver cannot cover defects that seriously affect health or safety.

Question 30

What is the eviction notices for other grounds (lease violation, no-fault) rule in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

For any reason the right of occupancy ends (lease expiry, lessor action, nonpayment or otherwise), the lessor must deliver a written notice to vacate giving at least 5 days. For a definite-term lease the notice may be given no more than 30 days before the term ends. The lessee may waive the notice in a written lease clause.

Question 31

What is the domestic violence early termination rule in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

Yes, in buildings with 6 or more units (not owner-occupied buildings of 10 or fewer). A lessee who gives written notice, reasonable documentation (protective order or sworn certification) of domestic abuse, stalking or cyberstalking within the past 30 days, and a written promise not to admit the offender may end the lease on a mutually agreed date within 30 days, owing rent only through that date.

Question 32

What is the property manager licensing rule in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Managing, renting or leasing real estate for others for a fee is real estate activity that requires a Louisiana Real Estate Commission license unless an exemption applies; the law defines a property manager as one who, for a fee, manages real estate including collecting rents for another.

Question 33

Can a tenant withhold rent for repairs in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

No state statute allowing tenants to withhold rent or pay it into escrow was found in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease), La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1 (lease ancillaries), and La. Code Civ. Proc. arts. 4701-4735 (eviction). Reviewed by full-text search.

Question 34

What is the right to cure / redeem rule in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

No state statute giving tenants a right to cure nonpayment before eviction was found in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease), La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1 (lease ancillaries), and La. Code Civ. Proc. arts. 4701-4735 (eviction). Reviewed by full-text search.

Question 35

Does a landlord need just cause to evict in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

No state statute requiring just cause for eviction was found in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease), La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1 (lease ancillaries), and La. Code Civ. Proc. arts. 4701-4735 (eviction). Reviewed by full-text search.

Question 36

What is the deposit bank holding / separate account rule in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

No state statute on how security deposits must be held was found in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease), La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1 (lease ancillaries), and La. Code Civ. Proc. arts. 4701-4735 (eviction). Reviewed by full-text search.

Question 37

Does Louisiana have rent control?

Accepted Answer

No state statute limiting rent amounts or increases was found in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease), La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1 (lease ancillaries), and La. Code Civ. Proc. arts. 4701-4735 (eviction). Reviewed by full-text search.

Question 38

What is the pet deposits/fees & service/esa animals rule in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

No state statute on pet deposits or animals was found in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease), La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1 (lease ancillaries), and La. Code Civ. Proc. arts. 4701-4735 (eviction). Reviewed by full-text search.

Question 39

How much can a landlord charge for a rental application fee in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

No state statute limiting rental application fees was found in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease), La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1 (lease ancillaries), and La. Code Civ. Proc. arts. 4701-4735 (eviction). Reviewed by full-text search.

Question 40

Can a landlord deny a tenant for criminal or credit history in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

No state statute limiting tenant screening by criminal or credit history was found in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease), La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1 (lease ancillaries), and La. Code Civ. Proc. arts. 4701-4735 (eviction). Reviewed by full-text search.

Question 41

What disclosures must a landlord give in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

No state statute requiring owner or manager identity disclosures was found in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease), La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1 (lease ancillaries), and La. Code Civ. Proc. arts. 4701-4735 (eviction). Reviewed by full-text search.

Question 42

What is the tenant buyout disclosures rule in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

No state statute on tenant buyout agreements was found in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease), La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1 (lease ancillaries), and La. Code Civ. Proc. arts. 4701-4735 (eviction). Reviewed by full-text search.

Question 43

What is the eviction record sealing rule in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

No state statute sealing eviction records was found in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease), La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1 (lease ancillaries), and La. Code Civ. Proc. arts. 4701-4735 (eviction). Reviewed by full-text search.

Question 44

What is the tenant relocation assistance rule in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

No state statute requiring relocation assistance was found in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease), La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1 (lease ancillaries), and La. Code Civ. Proc. arts. 4701-4735 (eviction). Reviewed by full-text search.

Question 45

What rights does a tenant have after foreclosure in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

No state statute protecting tenants after foreclosure was found in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease), La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1 (lease ancillaries), and La. Code Civ. Proc. arts. 4701-4735 (eviction). Reviewed by full-text search.

Question 46

Do landlords need a rental license or registration in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

No state statute requiring rental registration was found in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease), La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1 (lease ancillaries), and La. Code Civ. Proc. arts. 4701-4735 (eviction). Reviewed by full-text search.

Question 47

Can the city inspect my rental property in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

No state statute requiring rental inspections was found in La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Lease), La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1 (lease ancillaries), and La. Code Civ. Proc. arts. 4701-4735 (eviction). Reviewed by full-text search.

Question 48

What is the rental / transient occupancy tax rule in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

State and local sales and use taxes apply to renting rooms, rental houses, condominiums and other accommodations to transient guests, including those offered through property management companies and accommodations intermediaries. The taxable price includes service, facilitator and processing fees. A residential location rented to transient guests counts as a hotel, but month-to-month leases of apartments or houses do not. Rates and any local occupancy taxes vary by parish.

Question 49

What are the Airbnb / short-term rental rules in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

Under Louisiana tax law, a house, apartment, condominium or camp rented to transient guests is a hotel, and renting it is subject to state sales and use tax (R.S. 47:301(6), 47:301.3). Whether and where short-term rentals are allowed, and any permits or caps, are set by parish and city ordinances, which this entry does not cover.

Question 50

How much does it cost to file an eviction in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

In a justice of the peace court, the cost for an eviction proceeding is up to $120, plus $20 for each additional defendant (La. R.S. 13:2590(A)(2)). A justice of the peace may demand these costs in advance. Evictions filed in city, parish or district courts follow those courts' own cost schedules, which vary and were not reviewed. Statute text: "Eviction proceeding: one hundred twenty dollars, and twenty dollars per additional defendant".

Question 51

What is the condo conversion protections rule in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

A full-text search of the Louisiana Condominium Act, La. R.S. 9:1121.101 to 9:1124.117 (all sections of Part II as published on the official Louisiana State Legislature site, 2026-11-12), found no statewide statute that requires notice to residential tenants, a minimum vacate period, a right to remain, or a tenant's right to purchase the unit when a rental building is converted to a condominium. Section 9:1124.104 is a purchaser public-offering-statement rule for a condominium that contains a building occupied, at any time before the declaration was recorded, wholly or partly by persons other than purchasers, and that has more than 10 units; it applies only to units that may be occupied for residential use. That is a purchaser-disclosure rule and is not a tenant notice, vacate, or purchase right; it is not summarized here as a tenant protection. Other 'conversion' or 'convert' uses in the Act concern subdividing or converting an existing unit into two or more units or common elements (§ 9:1122.115) and plats or plans for units that a declarant may convert into additional units or common elements (§ 9:1122.110), not conversion of a rental building. The Act applies to property made subject to it by a duly executed and registered condominium declaration, and also, from its effective date, to existing condominium regimes created under Act No. 502 of 1974 or Act No. 494 of 1962, without impairing pre-existing rights or titles as stated in § 9:1121.102. The lease terms control tenant notice and termination unless another law, including a local ordinance, applies. Missing information is not a finding of no restriction. Example: if a landlord plans to record a condominium declaration on a 20-unit rental building, § 9:1124.104 may require extra statements in the public offering statement given to purchasers, but that section does not, by itself, set a deadline for giving tenants notice of the conversion or a date by which they may be required to vacate.

Question 52

What is the guest & occupancy limits rule in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

A full-text search of La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Title IX, Lease) and La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1 (lease ancillaries), official Louisiana State Legislature text, fetched 2026-11-12, found no statewide numeric occupancy cap or guest-stay limit in those sources. The lease terms control unless another law, including a local ordinance, applies. Local ordinances or other laws outside those sources may still apply.

Question 53

What is the rent receipts, payment methods & cash rule in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

Under La. Civil Code art. 2703, in the absence of a contrary agreement, usage, or custom, rent is due at the beginning of the term, or at the beginning of each interval if the rent is payable by intervals shorter than the term, and the rent is payable at the address provided by the lessor, or if none, at the address of the lessee. Article 2675 provides that rent may consist of money, commodities, fruits, services, or other performances sufficient to support an onerous contract. A full-text search of La. Civil Code arts. 2668-2729 (Title IX, Lease) and La. R.S. 9:3201-3261.1 (lease ancillaries), official text fetched 2026-11-12, found no statewide rule requiring a rent receipt and no rule requiring or banning payment of money rent in cash, by check, or by electronic funds transfer. The parties' agreement, usage, or custom may control the time, place, and, for money rent, the method of payment. Other laws, including local ordinances, may still apply.

Question 54

What is the manufactured / mobile home parks rule in Louisiana?

Accepted Answer

La. R.S. 9:3259.1 is a statewide notice-and-privilege rule that applies when a lessor, defined as the owner of unsubdivided immovable property on which three or more lots are available for rent for locating a factory-built home, is owed rent for that immovable property. As used in that section, a factory-built home has the meaning given in La. R.S. 9:1149.2: a manufactured home, mobile home, or modular home as defined in that Part. A manufactured home is a factory-built residential dwelling unit constructed to HUD standards under the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974, 42 U.S.C. 5401 et seq., as amended, that bears the permanently affixed HUD seal. A mobile home is a factory-built residential dwelling unit constructed to voluntary standards or constructed before passage of that 1974 Act. A modular home is a factory-built residential dwelling unit constructed to the International Residential Code standards adopted by the Louisiana Uniform Construction Code Commission. When the rental payments for immovable property on which a factory-built home is located are 60 days past the due date, the lessor shall notify the secured parties and the mortgagor, if the mortgagor is not the lessee or occupant of the factory-built home, in writing by mail that the rental payments are 60 days past due. The notice shall include the following information if known or readily available to the lessor or if available from the office of motor vehicles of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections: the lessor's name; the lessee's name; the mortgagor's name; the location of the factory-built home; the number of days that the rental payments are overdue, the monthly rental payment, and the total amount past due; the vehicle identification number of the factory-built home; and a description of the factory-built home including the make, model, year, dimensions, and any identification numbers or marks. Notwithstanding any provision of the law to the contrary, failure of the lessor to provide that notification within 30 days after the rental payments are 60 days past due shall limit the lessor's privilege or right of pledge for rent to the amount of rental payments past due for 90 days. The lessor is entitled to collect a fee of 25 dollars from the lessee or mortgagor, in addition to the rental payments due and any additional fees or charges due the lessor, when such notification is made and the lessee or mortgagor subsequently pays the rental payments due, and a fee of 25 dollars from the secured parties, in addition to all rental or storage payments due at the time the factory-built home is repossessed, when notification is made and the secured party subsequently obtains possession of the factory-built home. The office of motor vehicles shall maintain a record of each factory-built home for which a vehicle certificate of title has been issued under Chapter 4 of Title 32 and which is subject to a security device, for a period of 10 years or for the period stated for the termination of the security device, including, if available, the name and address of the mortgagor or vendee, the names and addresses of the primary and any secondary secured party, the vehicle identification number, and a description of the home. Section 9:3259.1 is a notice-and-privilege rule for unpaid lot rent. It is not a general park-tenant bill of rights and does not itself set notice periods for ending a lot tenancy, rent increase limits, or just-cause eviction standards. La. R.S. 9:3259 is a separate attorney-fee rule for unpaid rent under an oral lease of an apartment, house, or similar dwelling, and is not a park-lot rule. The Factory-Built Home Property Act, La. R.S. 9:1149.1 and following, governs classification, title, security interests, and immobilization of factory-built homes, not park tenancy terms. This summary does not treat local parish or municipal park rules, including any East Baton Rouge Parish provision in Title 33.

Louisiana landlord-tenant law FAQ