In the past two years, there has been great confusion in Kentucky and across the nation as to how landlords and tenant issues are addressed. While there are laws in place to protect both sides if problems arise like failure to maintain a property and unpaid rent, government intervention preventing evictions has led to a litany of concerns for landlords. For example, with the eviction moratorium, people might try to take advantage of the landlord’s limited recourse by failing to pay rent or committing other violations. With these cases, it is imperative to be aware of the current laws and potential changes that might be on the horizon.
Lawmaker proposes update and statewide unification of URLTA
Kentucky has the Uniform Residential Landlord Tenant Act (URLTA). With it, renters’ rights are limited and landlords can simply take the person’s property and put it outside when moving forward with an eviction. This is one aspect of the law that the proposal strives to change. The others include reducing the number of evictions and helping renters get through the current situation with their status as renters intact. The ongoing national crisis has hindered finances and sparked problems keeping up with bills – including rent. Another part of the law will expunge eviction judgments from a person’s record after one year so they are not on the person’s record. It will also force the entire state to adopt the new form of URLTA. In its current form, municipalities have the option of using the law or not.
Landlords have rights just as tenants do
In general, evictions are a last resort when owners have no other ways to handle tenant-related issues. While evictions are unfortunate, there are situations where the landlord needs to have a way to hold tenants accountable for violations such as violating the lease, not paying rent, damaging the property and more. In some cases, the landlord can simply discuss the case with the renter and the solution can be reached amicably. In others, it is more difficult.
Professional assistance is crucial in landlord-tenant matters
Having experienced assistance with real estate law and landlord-tenant relations is vital to achieving a satisfactory outcome not just for the landlord, but for the tenant as well. Whether the steps taken are to address disputes before they escalate or after they have gotten out of control, it is important to have help. This is especially true with the possibility of URLTA being changed. Consulting with those who understand these cases and the law can be necessary from the beginning.