[stephenMM]

I moved to Little Rock a little over a year ago, and am only now seeing why they call this the friendliest state for landlords. In Arkansas:

A landlord does not have to give you any advance notice to enter your rental apt or home. They can legally come in any day of the week, any time of the day or night. They don't even need to knock, just come right on in. And they HAVE in our senior apartments.

A landlord does not have to provide you with a habitable dwelling. The floor could be rotten, plumbing and heating don't need to work, nothing is covered. Zero.They do not have to make necessary safe repairs, and even if they say they will, an oral agreement is not enough.

A tenant must pay the rent in full on the day that it is due. There is no 3 day grace period. If the landlord wishes, they may start an eviction if the rent is even one day late.

If you agree to rent an apt or home, you agree to take it "as-is". The landlord is under no obligation or duty to make repairs. You must continue to pay rent even if your dwelling has obvious code violations. Under Arkansas law, you cannot withhold rent for any reason. If you do, you will be evicted.

A landlord may charge a late fee, but there are no limits on what that may amount to.

If you leave your property even one day after your rent is late or your lease ends, the landlord may attempt to sell or dispose of your property.

These are just some things an Arkansas landlord can do, and what few rights, if any, a tenant has. To put this in perspective, in Houston a landlord must give you a 2 day written notice to enter your dwelling and it must be hand delivered. Sending it in the mail or tacking it on your door is not enough. In Kentucky, renters have very strong rights, some of the strongest in the nation. In Mississippi, a landlord has no right to enter your property. Period.

You would have to be evicted for a Mississippi landlord to enter your dwelling, and until the court passes judgement on that eviction, a landlord is prohibited from entering. You would be well within your rights to shoot anyone coming into your place w/o permission. I know this has happened because I grew up in that state. Mississippi takes a dim view of anyone illegally entering someone's home, landlord or not. How do I know who is coming into my place uninvited at night?

If I had known any of this was true in Arkansas I would never have moved here. I've never lived anywhere that permitted the things listed here (which are largely from an Arkansas Law Help site). You would not believe what has been happening to some of the seniors in my building and in other Little Rock senior apartments. These are people who have outlived their nearest relatives, suffer multiple serious health problems, and have no other place to go. They can't even count on getting their rent deposit back because an Arkansas landlord has 30 days to send it.

[Tyryztoll]

I’ve heard this before and would be curious to hear additional takes in correlation with renting experiences, as we’d be doing that for at least a year if we moved there.

[TRex2]

Would be interesting to know if any of what StephenMM says here is true.

I doubt very much of it is.

[AzScorpion12]

Originally Posted by TRex2

Would be interesting to know if any of what StephenMM says here is true.

I doubt very much of it is.

Most is BS!

Take this one for example.

"A landlord does not have to give you any advance notice to enter your rental apt or home. They can legally come in any day of the week, any time of the day or night. They don't even need to knock, just come right on in. And they HAVE in our senior apartments."

Mostly not true. While they don't need any advanced notice they can't come barging into your place anytime day or night.


How Much Notice Does a Landlord Need To Provide in Arkansas?

Arkansas landlords have no advance notice requirement before entering. However, a tenant might have grounds to withhold consent to enter if a landlord doesn’t provide a reasonable amount of notice. 24 hours is always a recommended minimum


Can a Landlord Enter Without Permission in Arkansas?

Arkansas landlords can’t legally enter a rental property without permission, even in emergencies, although the renter might face consequences when unreasonably withholding consent for a valid entry request

What Can a Tenant Do If the Landlord Enters Illegally in Arkansas?

If a landlord enters illegally in Arkansas, a tenant can: [3] [7]

Get a court order to ban the landlord from entering.
Sue for monetary damages.
Cancel the rental agreement and move out (in severe cases where the entry completely deprives the tenant of the property’s expected use).

https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws...d-entry-rights


All other laws are found here:

https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws...-tenant-rights

[TRex2]

Originally Posted by AzScorpion12

Most is BS!
...

I suspected as much.

Most of my family (over the past 30 years) are renters, and would have complained about the situation, if the landlord behaved badly.

While most of them may have just been lucky, with 23 of them scattered across 6 counties, someone would have been unlucky sooner or later.

[hayleae1]

Come to California. The no eviction squatter land. Your $4k/m for a studio apartment is welcomed too.

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by TRex2

I suspected as much.

Most of my family (over the past 30 years) are renters, and would have complained about the situation, if the landlord behaved badly.

While most of them may have just been lucky, with 23 of them scattered across 6 counties, someone would have been unlucky sooner or later.

I’m more concerned about the rent “as is” clause that seems to indicate landlords don’t have to maintain or troubleshoot the home/property? Like if the AC goes out or a toilet clogs in places Ive rented before the landlord was responsible for taking care of that stuff. Am I misinterpreting this clause on the Arkansas AG page somehow?

Repair and maintenance:

When you rent a house or apartment, you usually agree to take it “as is.” This means that the landlord is not required to provide additional maintenance to the dwelling. There are, however, city building codes to protect your health and safety. If you have health or safety problems with your dwelling, contact the city to find out if the residence fully complies with housing codes.
If your landlord promises to make repairs, make sure that promise is in the written lease.
Even if a landlord does not make a promised repair, the tenant should continue to pay the rent. Tenants have some recourse, such as going to small claims court, renegotiating lease agreement terms, moving or seeking the advice of a private attorney.
Should you feel that your living conditions are an immediate health risk, you may contact the health inspector in your locality.

[TRex2]

Originally Posted by Tyryztoll

I’m more concerned about the rent “as is” clause that seems to indicate landlords don’t have to maintain or troubleshoot the home/property? Like if the AC goes out or a toilet clogs in places Ive rented before the landlord was responsible for taking care of that stuff. Am I misinterpreting this clause on the Arkansas AG page somehow?

Repair and maintenance:

When you rent a house or apartment, you usually agree to take it “as is.” This means that the landlord is not required to provide additional maintenance to the dwelling. There are, however, city building codes to protect your health and safety. If you have health or safety problems with your dwelling, contact the city to find out if the residence fully complies with housing codes.
If your landlord promises to make repairs, make sure that promise is in the written lease.
Even if a landlord does not make a promised repair, the tenant should continue to pay the rent. Tenants have some recourse, such as going to small claims court, renegotiating lease agreement terms, moving or seeking the advice of a private attorney.
Should you feel that your living conditions are an immediate health risk, you may contact the health inspector in your locality.

You are not reading it with the same intent as the original law was written. That said, you may be reading it in the same way landlords (slum lords?) may be interpreting it today.

Original intent was: when you rented the apartment or house, if the AC was broken, the landlord wasn't required to repair it. As read by a slum lord, even if it was working when you rented it, if it breaks the landlord isn't required to repair it. Only an unscrupulous landlord would read it that way.

I dealt with similar situations in Texas (in the 80's), when I did rent. I would say that both states are in need of a renter's ombudsman or renter's legal council. About 90% of landlords will do the right thing (because it is better for them, in the long run), but we do need someone to deal with the other 10%. (percentages are made up, out of my imaginations)

A wise landlord knows that, in a subtropical climate, with today's structures, if the AC goes out in the summer, he will soon have a health risk situation to deal with, but for the unscrupulous, the only ombudsman I know of is the local TV station (which has held a light to more than one slum lord).

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by stephenMM

I moved to Little Rock a little over a year ago, and am only now seeing why they call this the friendliest state for landlords. In Arkansas:

A landlord does not have to give you any advance notice to enter your rental apt or home. They can legally come in any day of the week, any time of the day or night. They don't even need to knock, just come right on in. And they HAVE in our senior apartments.

A landlord does not have to provide you with a habitable dwelling. The floor could be rotten, plumbing and heating don't need to work, nothing is covered. Zero.They do not have to make necessary safe repairs, and even if they say they will, an oral agreement is not enough.

A tenant must pay the rent in full on the day that it is due. There is no 3 day grace period. If the landlord wishes, they may start an eviction if the rent is even one day late.

If you agree to rent an apt or home, you agree to take it "as-is". The landlord is under no obligation or duty to make repairs. You must continue to pay rent even if your dwelling has obvious code violations. Under Arkansas law, you cannot withhold rent for any reason. If you do, you will be evicted.

A landlord may charge a late fee, but there are no limits on what that may amount to.

If you leave your property even one day after your rent is late or your lease ends, the landlord may attempt to sell or dispose of your property.

These are just some things an Arkansas landlord can do, and what few rights, if any, a tenant has. To put this in perspective, in Houston a landlord must give you a 2 day written notice to enter your dwelling and it must be hand delivered. Sending it in the mail or tacking it on your door is not enough. In Kentucky, renters have very strong rights, some of the strongest in the nation. In Mississippi, a landlord has no right to enter your property. Period.

You would have to be evicted for a Mississippi landlord to enter your dwelling, and until the court passes judgement on that eviction, a landlord is prohibited from entering. You would be well within your rights to shoot anyone coming into your place w/o permission. I know this has happened because I grew up in that state. Mississippi takes a dim view of anyone illegally entering someone's home, landlord or not. How do I know who is coming into my place uninvited at night?

If I had known any of this was true in Arkansas I would never have moved here. I've never lived anywhere that permitted the things listed here (which are largely from an Arkansas Law Help site). You would not believe what has been happening to some of the seniors in my building and in other Little Rock senior apartments. These are people who have outlived their nearest relatives, suffer multiple serious health problems, and have no other place to go. They can't even count on getting their rent deposit back because an Arkansas landlord has 30 days to send it.

This sounds awful. I've lived in other states and seen similar issues. Most landlords I've met are the scum of the earth and there's a special place in hell for them.

[TRex2]

Originally Posted by NDak15

This sounds awful. I've lived in other states and seen similar issues. Most landlords I've met are the scum of the earth and there's a special place in hell for them.

I know several people on both sides of the renter - rentee world

and will assure you it isn't "most."

I will also assure you there are some rentees who are the scum of the earth.