Kentucky Notice to Pay Rent or Quit (7-Day URLTA / Lease-Term Non-URLTA)

Kentucky Notice to Pay Rent or Quit

Table of Contents

1. Jurisdictional Track Selector
2. URLTA Adopting Jurisdictions (verify before relying)
3. Notice (URLTA — 7-Day Pay or Quit)
4. Notice (Non-URLTA — Demand for Rent / Lease-Based)
5. Service and Proof of Service
6. Calculation of Notice Period
7. Tenant Defenses to Anticipate
8. Sources and References

1. Jurisdictional Track Selector

Kentucky has a two-track residential landlord-tenant regime:

• URLTA Track (KRS § 383.500–383.715). Adopted by local option under KRS § 383.500. Requires a written 7-day pay-or-terminate notice under KRS § 383.660(2) before a forcible detainer action based on nonpayment of rent.
• Non-URLTA Track (KRS § 383.010–383.285). No statutory pre-suit notice period for nonpayment of rent; the written rental agreement controls notice-and-cure. The general forcible entry and detainer statutes (KRS § 383.200 et seq.) apply statewide for the District Court action itself.

Counsel must determine which track governs the property before serving this notice. Mis-tracked notices are frequently dismissed.

2. URLTA Adopting Jurisdictions

The following Kentucky local governments have adopted URLTA in whole, in accordance with KRS § 383.500 (verify currency with the local clerk; this list reflects the most recent legislative-history compilations):

3. Notice (URLTA — 7-Day Pay or Quit)

3.1 Caption

3.2 Notice Text

TO: [TENANT NAME(S)] AND ALL OTHERS IN POSSESSION

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that the rent due under your written or oral rental agreement for the premises located at [PROPERTY ADDRESS], [CITY], [COUNTY] County, Kentucky, is past due and unpaid in the following amount:

Pursuant to KRS § 383.660(2), you are required, within seven (7) days of receipt of this Notice, either to:

☐ (A) PAY IN FULL the total amount stated above, in [cash / certified funds / money order / electronic payment to [METHOD]], delivered to [LANDLORD/AGENT NAME] at [ADDRESS]; OR

☐ (B) VACATE AND DELIVER POSSESSION of the premises to the Landlord on or before [__/__/____].

If you fail to do either, your rental agreement shall terminate at the end of the seventh (7th) day after receipt of this Notice, and the Landlord will commence a Forcible Detainer action under KRS § 383.200 et seq. in the District Court of [____] County to recover possession of the premises and pursue other lawful remedies, including a money judgment for unpaid rent, late fees, court costs, and attorney's fees if recoverable under the lease or KRS § 383.660(3).

This Notice is given without waiver of any past or future breach. Acceptance of any partial payment shall be applied first to costs, then to fees, then to oldest rent, and shall not waive this Notice unless expressly waived in writing.

3.3 Signature Block (URLTA)

4. Notice (Non-URLTA — Demand for Rent / Lease-Based)

4.1 Caption

4.2 Notice Text

TO: [TENANT NAME(S)] AND ALL OTHERS IN POSSESSION

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that you are in default under your rental agreement dated [__/__/____] for the premises at [ADDRESS], [CITY], [COUNTY] County, Kentucky, by reason of nonpayment of rent and other charges totaling $[________] for the period [__/__/____] through [__/__/____].

Pursuant to Section [____] of the rental agreement and applicable Kentucky law (KRS § 383.010 et seq.; KRS § 383.200 et seq.), DEMAND IS HEREBY MADE that you:

☐ PAY the full amount due on or before [__/__/____] ([____] days from receipt); OR

☐ VACATE AND SURRENDER POSSESSION of the premises on or before that date.

Failure to do either will result in the filing of a Forcible Detainer Complaint in the District Court of [____] County under KRS § 383.200 et seq., seeking immediate possession plus a money judgment for unpaid rent, court costs, and any attorney's fees recoverable under the lease.

This demand is made without waiver of any further or future breach. Partial payments will be applied first to costs and fees, then to the oldest rent due, and acceptance of a partial payment shall not constitute waiver of this demand.

4.3 Signature Block (Non-URLTA)

5. Service and Proof of Service

5.1 Methods (URLTA — KRS § 383.560)

☐ Personal delivery to the tenant
☐ Mail to the tenant's last-known address (allow time for receipt)
☐ Conspicuous posting at the premises plus mailing (only after reasonable attempts at personal delivery)

5.2 Certificate of Service

I, [NAME], declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky that on [__/__/____] at approximately [___ : ___ ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.], I served the foregoing Notice on [TENANT NAME(S)] by:

☐ Personal hand-delivery at [ADDRESS]
☐ Certified mail, return receipt requested, tracking no. [____________________]
☐ Conspicuous posting on the front door at [ADDRESS] and first-class mail to the same address

6. Calculation of Notice Period

The seven (7) day URLTA cure period is computed under KRS § 446.030 (general statutory time computation): the day of receipt is excluded, the seventh day is included, and if the seventh day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the period extends to the next business day. If service is by mail, the period runs from actual or presumed receipt (typically three (3) days after mailing under common practice).

7. Tenant Defenses to Anticipate

• Defective notice: missing amount, wrong cure period, wrong jurisdiction track, defective service. KRS § 383.660(2); § 383.560.
• Tender / cure: full payment within the 7-day window cures the breach. Acceptance of full payment after notice generally waives the FED.
• Warranty of habitability (URLTA only): rent abatement or set-off where the landlord has materially failed to maintain the premises under KRS § 383.595 (and after written notice under KRS § 383.625).
• Retaliation (URLTA only): KRS § 383.705 creates a presumption of retaliation if the tenant complained to a code-enforcement agency, to the landlord, or organized a tenants' union within one (1) year before the eviction action.
• Discrimination: Kentucky Civil Rights Act, KRS § 344.360, and the federal Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 3601–3631, prohibit eviction based on protected characteristics.
• Self-help bar: A landlord who locks the tenant out, removes doors, or interrupts utilities outside the FED process is barred from possession and faces statutory damages of three (3) months' rent plus attorney's fees under KRS § 383.655.
• Security-deposit set-off: under KRS § 383.580, the tenant may demand a final accounting; uncredited deposits may offset the rent demand.
• Federal protections: if the property is federally subsidized (HUD/LIHTC/USDA), additional notice rules apply (e.g., 30-day CARES Act notice for covered properties, 24 C.F.R. parts applicable).

8. Sources and References

• Kentucky Revised Statutes, Chapter 383 — apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/chapter.aspx?id=39159
• KRS § 383.500 (URLTA local-option adoption)
• KRS § 383.560 (URLTA notice service)
• KRS § 383.580 (security deposits)
• KRS § 383.595 (landlord maintenance / warranty of habitability)
• KRS § 383.625 (tenant remedies for landlord noncompliance)
• KRS § 383.655 (self-help eviction prohibition; statutory damages)
• KRS § 383.660 (tenant noncompliance; 14-day cure / 7-day rent notice)
• KRS § 383.695 (periodic tenancy / holdover)
• KRS § 383.705 (retaliation; one-year presumption)
• KRS § 383.200 et seq. (forcible entry & detainer; statewide)
• KRS § 344.360 (Kentucky Civil Rights Act — housing)
• Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Code (URLTA adoption)
• Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Code (URLTA adoption)
• Kentucky Court of Justice forms: AOC-216 (Forcible Detainer Complaint); AOC-215; AOC-217 (Forcible Detainer Judgment) — kycourts.gov
• Miles v. Shauntee, 664 S.W.2d 512 (Ky. 1983) (no common-law implied warranty of habitability outside URLTA; constitutional re-adoption history)