Landlord and Tenant Lawyers in Frankfort

Find the right Tenant attorney in Frankfort, KY

Tenant Law in Kentucky

Relations between tenants and landlords in Frankfort, Kentucky can occasionally be touchy. The fact is that it's not easy to be a landlord or a tenant, particularly because landlords and tenants often don't understand the legal rights and responsibilities that apply to them.

There are various rights and responsibilities that landlords and tenants have. It's important that each party is aware of their rights, and the rights of the other party. By knowing and respecting these rights, the risk of conflict should be reduced dramatically.

Landlord's Rights in Frankfort, KY

First and foremost, landlords have a right to timely payment of rent from their tenants, at the agreed-upon rate. This, of course, imposes on tenants a duty to pay their rent in whole, in a timely manner.

Landlords also have a right to be paid for damage to the building that a tenant causes, either intentionally or negligently. All damage caused by a tenant, besides reasonable wear and tear, can be billed, and the landlord can deduct from the tenant's security deposit to pay for repairs.

Tenant's Rights in Frankfort, KY

At the most basic level, tenants have a basic right to what they're paying for: a habitable living environment. Therefore, landlords in Frankfort, Kentucky must ensure that the units they rent to tenants meet some basic standards for human habitation. These requirements vary from state to state, but are often fairly easy to meet. There are no legal requirements that rented units be pretty, particularly spacious, or luxurious. They simply have to be fit for human beings to live in them. To be considered "habitable," rented units must have water, electricity, some form of heating (if the local climate necessitates it), and adequate protection from the elements (proper insulation, no roof leaks, windows that close, etc.).

Furthermore, tenants are entitled to common areas which are reasonably safe and clean, and free of physical obstacles. Areas such as lobbies, hallways, stairwells, and fire escapes must comply with the building codes of Frankfort, Kentucky. Furthermore, any other unreasonable safety hazard, even if it doesn't violate a specific provision of a building code, can create liability for the landlord if it injures a tenant.

Under the laws of Kentucky, and the United States, discrimination in housing on the basis of race, religion, or gender is strictly prohibited. Furthermore, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, landlords must not discriminate against renters on the basis of any physical disability. They also have to allow the renter to make reasonable modifications to their apartment, to make it more accessible. Generally, landlords are only required to allow relatively minor and reversible modifications, and tenants cannot compel them to remodel the building, for example. Also, once the tenant leaves, the landlord can bill the tenant for the costs of restoring the apartment to its original condition.

And lastly, most state laws prevent landlords from arbitrarily evicting tenants. If the lease agreement is for a set period of time, the landlord generally can't evict the tenant until the lease expires, without a good reason. Valid causes for eviction include unpaid rent, illegal activities on the property, damage to the building caused by the tenant, and excessive noise.

Can a Frankfort, Kentucky Landlord/Tenant Lawyer Help?

Tenants and landlords always want to avoid getting into any serious disputes - these disputes interfere with the tenant's living arrangement, and the landlord's business. In short, they help nobody. While a good Frankfort, Kentucky attorney can definately help his or her client prevail in such a dispute, they may be more essential for their ability to help prevent such disputes from escalating in the first place.

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Life in Frankfort

Frankfort is a city in Franklin County, Kentucky. It is the capital of Kentucky, and with a population of under 30,000 people, it is one of the least populous state capitals in the United States. Frankfort was founded in the late 1700s, shortly after Kentucky became a state, with the specific purpose of serving as the state capital. During the Civil War, Frankfort was briefly occupied by confederate troops, Since the 1960s, Frankfort has seen considerable population and economic growth, mainly due to the construction of a few large (for a city this size) state and private office buildings, and other construction projects. Frankfort is also home to several distilleries who make Kentucky bourbon whiskey, the signature spirit of the region. Some of these older office towers are slated for demolition, with the intention of building a new, more modern, business center, with several smaller buildings providing for office space. There are plenty of lawyers in Frankfort, Kentucky who can handle whatever legal problems you might be facing. If you need any type of legal assistance, whether you're signing a mortgage, getting a divorce, starting a business, or anything else, a Frankfurt, Kentucky lawyer can help.

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