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Free Kentucky Rental Application Form - Fill Online, Sign & Download the PDF
Kentucky is unusual: its main tenant-protection law only applies in the cities and counties that have adopted it, such as Louisville and Lexington, so your rights depend on where you live. Because Louisville, Kentucky's largest metro, restricts using criminal history in housing decisions, this form leaves out criminal-history questions. Fill it out below with plain-English help on every field, then sign and download your completed PDF free.
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Kentucky rental application rules to know
- •Kentucky's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (KRS 383.505 to 383.715) applies only in cities and counties that have adopted it, including Louisville/Jefferson County, Lexington/Fayette County, Covington, and Florence; everywhere else your written lease and common law govern (KRS 383.500).
- •Kentucky sets no cap on rental application or screening fees, does not require them to be refunded if you are denied, and has no reusable-screening-report law.
- •There is no cap on the security deposit amount anywhere in Kentucky, even in cities that have adopted the URLTA (KRS 383.580).
- •In URLTA cities, a landlord must hold your deposit in a separate account used only for deposits and disclose that account's location and number; a landlord who fails to do that, or who skips the required move-in and move-out damage lists, cannot keep any part of your deposit (KRS 383.580).
- •Source of income is not protected statewide, and a 2024 state law (HB 18) bars cities from requiring landlords to accept federal housing vouchers, putting Louisville's and Lexington's source-of-income rules on hold as to Section 8.
- •The Kentucky Civil Rights Act (KRS 344.360) matches the seven federal protected classes, and more than 20 communities (including Louisville, Lexington, and Covington) add sexual orientation and gender identity through local Fairness Ordinances that cover housing.
- •Kentucky has no statewide fair-chance-in-housing law, but Louisville/Jefferson County's fair-housing ordinance bars denying housing based on arrest or conviction history (with limited exceptions), and blanket criminal bans can also create Fair Housing Act disparate-impact liability.
- •In URLTA cities, a landlord must give at least two days' notice before entering except in an emergency (KRS 383.615), and Kentucky has no statutory cap on residential late fees.
Last reviewed 2026-07-15. General information, not legal advice.
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Frequently asked questions
Do Kentucky's tenant-protection laws apply everywhere in the state?
No. The Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act applies only in cities and counties that have formally adopted it, such as Louisville/Jefferson County and Lexington/Fayette County. In areas that have not adopted it, your written lease and common law control, so check your local rules (KRS 383.500).
Does Kentucky limit rental application fees?
No. Kentucky has no cap on application or screening fees, and the fee does not have to be refunded if you are turned down. It is reasonable to ask for a receipt and to confirm what the fee covers before you apply.
Is there a security deposit cap in Kentucky?
No. Kentucky does not cap the deposit amount, even in URLTA cities. In those cities a landlord must keep the deposit in a separate account and provide move-in and move-out damage lists; if they fail to, they cannot keep any part of the deposit (KRS 383.580).
Do Kentucky landlords have to accept Section 8 vouchers?
No. Source of income is not protected statewide, and a 2024 state law (HB 18) bars cities from requiring landlords to accept federal housing vouchers, which paused the Louisville and Lexington source-of-income ordinances as to Section 8.
Does this rental application ask about criminal history?
No. Because Louisville/Jefferson County, Kentucky's largest metro, restricts using arrest or conviction history to deny housing, this form leaves those questions off. Landlords in other areas may still ask, but blanket criminal bans can create Fair Housing Act disparate-impact liability.
How much notice must a Kentucky landlord give before entering?
In cities that adopted the URLTA, a landlord must give at least two days' notice and enter only at reasonable times, except in an emergency (KRS 383.615). In other areas your lease controls.
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For landlords: the tenant application form and the rental verification form.