Kentucky Landlord Selling the House

Kentucky rules on landlord selling the house for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-22.

Short answer: When a landlord sells or transfers the property, the tenant does not have to 'attorn' (formally accept the new owner) for the transfer to be valid, and a tenant who pays rent to the old owner before getting notice of the sale is not penalized for it (KRS 383.100(2)). KRS 383.100(2); KRS 383.585; KRS 383.580

The rules in Kentucky

If the landlord sells the property	When a landlord sells or transfers the property, the tenant does not have to 'attorn' (formally accept the new owner) for the transfer to be valid, and a tenant who pays rent to the old owner before getting notice of the sale is not penalized for it (KRS 383.100(2)). In areas that have adopted Kentucky's landlord-tenant act, the landlord must give the tenant in writing the name and address of the manager and of the owner or owner's agent for notices, must keep that information current, and the duty extends to any successor landlord or owner (KRS 383.585). Kentucky's security-deposit statute (KRS 383.580) does not say who must hold or return the deposit after a sale. KRS 383.585 is part of the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, which applies only where a city or county has adopted it (KRS 383.500). Source: KRS 383.100(2); KRS 383.585; KRS 383.580

If the landlord sells the property

When a landlord sells or transfers the property, the tenant does not have to 'attorn' (formally accept the new owner) for the transfer to be valid, and a tenant who pays rent to the old owner before getting notice of the sale is not penalized for it (KRS 383.100(2)). In areas that have adopted Kentucky's landlord-tenant act, the landlord must give the tenant in writing the name and address of the manager and of the owner or owner's agent for notices, must keep that information current, and the duty extends to any successor landlord or owner (KRS 383.585). Kentucky's security-deposit statute (KRS 383.580) does not say who must hold or return the deposit after a sale.

KRS 383.585 is part of the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, which applies only where a city or county has adopted it (KRS 383.500).

Source: KRS 383.100(2); KRS 383.585; KRS 383.580

Kentucky vs. neighboring states

Landlord Selling the House: Kentucky vs. neighboring states
State	If the landlord sells the property	Tenants in foreclosure
Kentucky	When a landlord sells or transfers the property, the tenant does not have to 'attorn' (formally accept the new owner) for the transfer to be valid, and a tenant who pays rent to the old owner before getting notice of the sale is not penalized for it (KRS 383.100(2)). In areas that have adopted Kentucky's landlord-tenant act, the landlord must give the tenant in writing the name and address of the manager and of the owner or owner's agent for notices, must keep that information current, and the duty extends to any successor landlord or owner (KRS 383.585). Kentucky's security-deposit statute (KRS 383.580) does not say who must hold or return the deposit after a sale. KRS 383.100(2); KRS 383.585; KRS 383.580	Not verified yet
Illinois	Not verified yet	Yes, beyond the federal PTFA. A new owner after foreclosure (mortgagee, receiver, certificate or deed holder, or sale purchaser) may end a bona fide residential lease only at the end of its term, with at least 90 days' written notice. Month-to-month or week-to-week bona fide leases also require at least 90 days' written notice. An individual buyer who will live in the unit may end the lease on 90 days' notice. For occupants not named in the foreclosure: if the occupant is current on rent, was never told in writing where to pay, or made good-faith efforts to pay, any eviction order must let them stay for the shorter of 120 days after notice of the hearing or the rest of the lease (at least 30 days). Records of these eviction cases are sealed. 735 ILCS 5/9-207.5; 735 ILCS 5/15-1701(h)
Indiana	Not verified yet	Not verified yet
Missouri	Not verified yet	After a foreclosure sale, the new owner must give the residential tenant written notice (certified/registered mail, plus posting on the door) that the sale happened, who the new owner is, and that the tenant has at least 10 business days to leave. No eviction case can be filed within those 10 business days. The notice does not create a tenancy with the new owner. Federal PTFA rights are separate. RSMo 534.030.2-.3
Ohio	Ohio has no state law in its landlord-tenant chapter that requires a selling landlord to transfer the security deposit to the buyer or to notify tenants of the sale. The chapter does provide that an assignment or conveyance of the landlord's interest in a rental agreement cannot allow anyone to collect rent free of the landlord's duties to keep the unit fit and habitable. Every written lease must give the owner's name and address (and the agent's, if any). Ohio Rev. Code ch. 5321 (reviewed); §§ 5321.13(E), 5321.18	No statute — Ohio Rev. Code chs. 5321 and 1923 add no tenant protections in foreclosure or sale beyond the federal PTFA. Ohio Rev. Code chs. 1923, 5321 checked
Tennessee	When a landlord sells a rental in good faith to an unrelated buyer, the seller stays responsible under the lease and the landlord-tenant law until the tenant gets written notice of the sale and the security deposit is transferred to the buyer. After both happen, the seller is released for later events, unless the parties agreed otherwise. The statute does not say the sale ends the lease. Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-305	Not verified yet
Virginia	When rental property is sold, the current owner must transfer all security deposits, plus any accrued interest, to the new owner at the time of transfer. If a managing agent holds the deposits, the owner must ask for them in writing before settlement, and the agent must transfer them and give each tenant written notice that the deposit went to the new owner. The landlord must also notify the tenant of the sale and give the buyer's name, address and phone number; these duties are enforceable against any successor landlord. Va. Code §§ 55.1-1213, 55.1-1216(B), (D)	Single-family rental: the landlord must tell the tenant or prospective tenant in writing within 5 business days after receiving a lender's notice of mortgage default, acceleration or foreclosure sale; if not, the tenant may terminate on 5 business days' written notice. After a foreclosure sale, a buyer who will occupy the unit as a primary residence must give at least 90 days' written notice to vacate; any other buyer takes subject to the lease and the tenant may stay for the remaining term (subject to termination for cause or under the lease), with written notice to the tenant. Rent goes to the successor owner as directed in writing, to the managing agent, or into court escrow; the tenant is not delinquent or charged late fees until the successor names where to pay. On any sale, the landlord must disclose the purchaser's name, address and phone number. Va. Code Sec. 55.1-1237; 55.1-1216(B)
West Virginia	A sale does not cancel the lease: a tenant keeps the same rights under the lease's conditions, covenants and promises against the buyer that the tenant had against the original landlord, and the buyer gets the landlord's rights against the tenant. Whoever holds the landlord's interest when the tenancy ends must return any security deposit the original landlord received that is owed to the tenant, whether or not the deposit was actually transferred and regardless of any agreement between the seller and buyer. The statutes reviewed do not require a notice of sale to the tenant. W. Va. Code §§ 37-6-1, 37-6-2, 37-6A-2(e)	No state statute specifically protecting tenants in foreclosure was found; the federal PTFA (90-day notice; bona fide leases honored to term, with exceptions) applies. On a transfer of the property, the tenant keeps against the new owner the benefit of any condition, covenant or promise in the lease that it had against the original landlord (except warranty), and the new owner gets the landlord's rights under the lease. W. Va. Code §§ 37-6-1, 37-6-2

City rules that may add to state law

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