Louisiana Month-to-Month Lease Agreement

Month-To-Month Leases in Louisiana

Louisiana doesn’t follow the Uniform Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (ULTRA) that many other states do. This means that the landlord-tenant laws in Louisiana are different from the laws governing many other states in several important ways. As such, you must understand the legal aspects of a Louisiana month-to-month lease agreement in the state.

Lease Termination & Renewal

• Month-to-month leases don’t need to be renewed. These types of leases continue without a fixed end date. As such, the agreement is automatically renewed each month and can only be terminated by giving notice to the other party. In the state of Louisiana, month-to-month contracts can be oral or written. We recommend always getting your lease in writing so that the terms and conditions are clear.

• In the case of a month-to-month lease, either party needs to provide a 10-day written notice before the next rental due date.

Rent Increases

• There are no specific laws in place to govern rent increases in the state of Louisiana. This means that landlords can increase the rent at any time. The only requirement is that the landlord provide the tenant with a written notice that the rent is being raised. 

Security Deposit

• The state has no maximum cap on the amount of security deposit that can be charged. This means the landlord is free to set whatever they feel is fair. Despite this, Louisiana does have some laws to protect tenants when it comes to security deposits.

• First off, the landlord must supply the tenant with a written description of the condition of the property. This can be supplemented with photos and videos as well. This ensures that tenants can’t be held responsible for pre-existing conditions.

•  Also, the security deposit must be returned to the tenant within 30 days after they vacate the property. Along with the return, they must also provide an itemized list of deductions if any were made.

Tenant Rights

Louisiana is still primarily considered a landlord-friendly state because of limited regulations related to security deposits, rent increases, and more. However, that doesn’t mean tenants have no rights. Tenants in the state have the following rights:

• To live in a safe dwelling that meets fair housing requirements.
• Rights to repair and deduct if the landlord doesn’t make repairs.

Required Disclosures

Louisiana doesn’t have too many disclosures that are required to appear on the agreement. If you’re signing a contract, make sure that it includes the following disclosure:

• Lead-based paint disclosure