Breaking a Lease in Arkansas
Arkansas rules on breaking a lease for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-22.
Short answer: No statutory right to end a lease early. Ark. Code § 18-16-112 protects victims of domestic abuse whose status is documented by a court order. Ark. Code § 18-16-112
The rules in Arkansas
| Ending a lease: domestic violence | No statutory right to end a lease early. Ark. Code § 18-16-112 protects victims of domestic abuse whose status is documented by a court order. A landlord may not terminate, refuse to renew, refuse to lease, or retaliate because of the tenant's or a household member's victim status. With the landlord's prior consent and at the tenant's expense, the locks may be changed, and the new key must go to the other party. The landlord may evict the abuser. The statute does not let the victim end the lease or escape liability for rent. Text verified only on the FindLaw mirror (current as of March 28, 2024). Act 662 of 2025 amended only the 'sex crime' definition in § 18-16-112(a)(4)(A), adding capital rape. This was confirmed in the act text: https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FACT662.pdf Source: Ark. Code § 18-16-112 |
|---|
Related questions
- Can I break my lease because of domestic violence?
- Can I break my lease for military orders, medical reasons or a death?
Arkansas vs. neighboring states
| State | Ending a lease: domestic violence | Ending a lease: military, medical, death |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | No statutory right to end a lease early. Ark. Code § 18-16-112 protects victims of domestic abuse whose status is documented by a court order. A landlord may not terminate, refuse to renew, refuse to lease, or retaliate because of the tenant's or a household member's victim status. With the landlord's prior consent and at the tenant's expense, the locks may be changed, and the new key must go to the other party. The landlord may evict the abuser. The statute does not let the victim end the lease or escape liability for rent. Ark. Code § 18-16-112 | Not verified yet |
| Louisiana | Domestic abuse, stalking, cyberstalking (R.S. 9:3261.1; applies only to buildings with 6+ units, excluding owner-occupied buildings of 10 or fewer units): the tenant must assert in writing that they or a household member are a domestic abuse victim and request early termination; provide 'reasonable documentation' (a Uniform Abuse Prevention Order, or the statutory Certification of Domestic Abuse signed under oath by a qualified third party) of abuse on the premises within the past 30 days (for stalking/cyberstalking off-premises, a written declaration of why staying is a safety threat); commit in writing not to let the abuser access the unit; and, if asked, give the abuser's name and address. The landlord must then terminate the lease on a mutually agreed date within 30 days of the request; the tenant owes rent only through that date plus prior obligations, and the deposit may be withheld only as R.S. 9:3251 allows. Sexual assault (R.S. 9:3261.2, all leases): same process with documentation of a sexual assault in Louisiana within the past 60 days occurring after the lease was signed, using the statutory Certification of Sexual Assault or a protective order. La. R.S. 9:3261.1(E)-(F) (as amended by Acts 2026, No. 64 to add stalking/cyberstalking); La. R.S. 9:3261.2(B)-(D) | Military: an active or reserve member of the U.S. armed forces (including the National Guard and Coast Guard), or the member's spouse, may end a residential lease after permanent or initial change-of-station orders, or temporary duty orders of more than three months, to a place 35 miles or more away; discharge, release, or retirement; orders to live in government quarters; newly available government quarters (if the member told the landlord in writing at signing of a pending request); a service-related injury requiring more than 15 days in the hospital; or death in service. The tenant gives written notice effective at least 30 days later (and, for orders, no more than 60 days before departure) with a copy of the orders or other proof. The tenant owes no more than one month's rent as the early-termination charge if fewer than six months of the lease were completed, or half a month's rent if six months or more, and gets the full deposit back if the lease was otherwise followed. These rights cannot be waived, and a tenant who proves a violation may recover $200 plus other damages. Death: under the Civil Code, a lease does not end because the tenant dies, so there is no automatic right to end it early on a tenant's death. No Louisiana statute gives early-termination rights for medical reasons or age. La. R.S. 9:3261; La. C.C. art. 2717 |
| Mississippi | Not verified yet | Not verified yet |
| Missouri | Limited. Missouri has no notice-based lease-break procedure. Instead, in a landlord's action under Ch. 441, 534 or 535, a tenant who has moved out has an affirmative defense and is not liable for rent after vacating if the court finds (by a preponderance of the evidence) that the tenant was, or was in imminent danger of becoming, a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, and the tenant notified the landlord and gave any requested documentation. Documentation can be a statement signed under penalty of perjury by a victim-service, health-care, or mental-health professional (also signed by the victim), or a police, court, or administrative agency record. The landlord may charge a reasonable termination fee. Victims also cannot be denied tenancy, evicted, or found in violation of a lease because of the abuse. RSMo 441.920 | Military: an active-duty member of the U.S. Armed Forces, or a Missouri Army or Air National Guard member on full-time duty or serving as a civil service technician, may end a residential lease on 15 days' written notice after receiving permanent change of station orders, temporary duty orders over 90 days to a location at least 25 miles away, discharge or release from duty, or orders to live in government quarters. A copy of the orders (or a commanding officer's letter) must be given before the termination date. Rent is due through the termination date, and the deposit and pet deposit must be refunded in full if the tenant otherwise complied with the lease and 535.300. No state statute was found for medical/disability, senior, or tenant-death terminations. RSMo 41.944 |
| Oklahoma | A victim of domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking may end a lease without penalty by giving the landlord written notice and a protective order within 30 days of the incident, unless the landlord waives that time limit. A landlord may not deny, refuse to renew, or end a tenancy because the applicant, tenant, or a household member is a victim or alleged victim, with or without a protective order. A landlord also may not refuse to rent to, or retaliate against, someone because they previously ended a lease as a victim. 41 O.S. § 111(F); 41 O.S. § 113.3 | Title 41 has no state-law early termination right for military service (beyond federal SCRA), medical reasons, disability, seniors, or tenant death. For a deceased sole tenant, § 130.1 covers only handling of property and refund of the deposit to the designated contact. 41 O.S. §§ 101-136; 41 O.S. § 130.1 |
| Tennessee | Statewide, for leases entered or renewed on or after July 1, 2021: a tenant who is, or whose household member is, a domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking victim may end the lease without liability for future rent or early termination fees by giving the landlord written notice requesting release, a mutually agreed release date within 30 days of the notice, and either a valid order of protection (issued/extended after a hearing finding victim status) or documentation of a criminal charge based on a police report; documentation must be dated within 60 days before the notice. The tenant must vacate within 30 days (or as agreed) and owes rent for the full month in which the tenancy ends plus prior obligations. The landlord may not reveal the tenant's identifying/location information without written consent. Separately, where domestic abuse is the basis for termination, only the perpetrator may be evicted once the victim has a qualifying order of protection. T.C.A. 66-7-112; 66-7-109(e) | Disability: a person who is permanently and totally disabled (as defined in 71-4-1102) may terminate the lease of a primary residence without penalty or further rent after moving out if accepted as a resident of a public housing facility, by presenting written evidence of acceptance; the landlord must acknowledge in writing. Does not apply if the landlord made significant accessibility modifications to the unit. T.C.A. 66-7-110 |
| Texas | Yes. A tenant may end the lease and avoid future rent if the tenant or an occupant is a victim of family violence (protective order or documentation from a licensed health care or mental health provider or a family violence advocate), or if the tenant or the tenant's resident child is a victim of certain sexual offenses or stalking within the prior 6 months (documentation or protective order). Tenant gives written notice of termination; release takes effect after 30 days have passed and the tenant moves out (no 30-day notice needed where a cotenant/occupant committed the family violence and an order or documentation is provided). Past-due rent remains owed unless the lease lacks the statutory notice sentence about these rights. Landlord violation: actual damages + one month's rent + $500 + attorney's fees. Not waivable. Tex. Prop. Code Sec. 92.016; 92.0161 | Military: a servicemember or dependent may terminate on entering military service, or on permanent change of station or deployment of 90+ days; written notice plus orders; for monthly-rent leases termination is effective 30 days after the next rent due date; prepaid rent refunded within 30 days; penalty one month's rent + $500 + damages and fees. Tenant death: representative of a deceased sole occupant may end the lease by written notice once property is removed; effective the later of 30 days after notice or when conditions are met. No statute for medical/disability or senior moves. Tex. Prop. Code Sec. 92.017; 92.0162 |
City rules that may add to state law
More Arkansas rental law
- Arkansas Security Deposit Law
- Arkansas Eviction Laws
- Arkansas Notice to Vacate Rules
- Landlord Entry Rules in Arkansas
- Arkansas Repairs & Tenant Remedies
- Arkansas Rent Increase & Late Fee Laws
- Squatters' Rights in Arkansas
- Arkansas Rental Fee Rules
- Arkansas Section 8, Records & Right to Counsel
- Arkansas Mold, Pests, Heat & AC Rules
- Arkansas Privacy, Guests & Animal Rules
- Arkansas Landlord Selling the House
- Arkansas Lockouts, Utility Shutoffs & Retaliation
- Arkansas Subletting, Lease Endings & Tenant Death
- All Arkansas landlord-tenant rules
- Free legal help in Arkansas
Compare breaking a lease in all 50 states and DC →
Breaking a Lease in Arkansas FAQ
Can a domestic violence survivor break a lease in Arkansas?
No statutory right to end a lease early. Ark. Code § 18-16-112 protects victims of domestic abuse whose status is documented by a court order. A landlord may not terminate, refuse to renew, refuse to lease, or retaliate because of the tenant's or a household member's victim status. With the landlord's prior consent and at the tenant's expense, the locks may be changed, and the new key must go to the other party. The landlord may evict the abuser. The statute does not let the victim end the lease or escape liability for rent. (Ark. Code § 18-16-112)
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.