Kentucky Mold, Pests, Heat & AC Rules
Kentucky rules on mold, pests, heat & ac for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-22.
Short answer: No statute — Kentucky has no mold-specific landlord-tenant law. Where the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA) has been locally adopted, mold falls under the landlord's duties to comply with building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety and to do… KRS 383.595(1)(a), (b); KRS 383.500
The rules in Kentucky
| Mold | No statute — Kentucky has no mold-specific landlord-tenant law. Where the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA) has been locally adopted, mold falls under the landlord's duties to comply with building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety and to do whatever is necessary to keep the premises fit and habitable. Outside URLTA areas, no statewide habitability statute applies; the lease and local codes govern. URLTA (KRS 383.505–383.705) applies only in cities and counties that have adopted it. Tenants under URLTA must keep their part of the premises clean and safe (KRS 383.605(2)). |
|---|---|
| Pests & bed bugs | No statute — Kentucky does not specifically assign pest or bed-bug treatment and has no bed-bug disclosure rule. In URLTA areas, infestations fall under the landlord's code-compliance and fit-and-habitable duties and the tenant's duty to keep the unit clean and dispose of garbage properly. Elsewhere, the lease and local codes govern. Check whether your city or county has adopted URLTA and any local property-maintenance code. |
| Heat | In URLTA areas, yes: the landlord must supply running water, reasonable amounts of hot water at all times, and reasonable heat between October 1 and May 1 — unless the building is not required by law to be so equipped or heat/hot water is produced by equipment under the tenant's exclusive control with a direct utility connection. Heating facilities the landlord supplies must be kept in good and safe working order. No numeric minimum temperature is set. Outside URLTA areas, there is no statewide heat statute. For a single-family residence, the parties may agree in writing, in good faith, that the tenant supplies heat and hot water (KRS 383.595(3)). Local codes may set temperatures. Source: KRS 383.595(1)(d), (e) |
| Air conditioning | No duty to install air conditioning and no maximum indoor temperature. In URLTA areas, air-conditioning facilities supplied or required to be supplied by the landlord must be kept in good and safe working order. Outside URLTA areas, A/C repair depends on the lease and local codes. Source: KRS 383.595(1)(d) |
Related questions
- Does a landlord have to fix mold?
- Who pays for pest control and bed bugs in a rental?
- Does a landlord have to provide heat?
- Does a landlord have to provide air conditioning?
Kentucky vs. neighboring states
| State | Mold | Pests & bed bugs | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | No statute — Kentucky has no mold-specific landlord-tenant law. Where the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA) has been locally adopted, mold falls under the landlord's duties to comply with building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety and to do whatever is necessary to keep the premises fit and habitable. Outside URLTA areas, no statewide habitability statute applies; the lease and local codes govern. KRS 383.595(1)(a), (b); KRS 383.500 | No statute — Kentucky does not specifically assign pest or bed-bug treatment and has no bed-bug disclosure rule. In URLTA areas, infestations fall under the landlord's code-compliance and fit-and-habitable duties and the tenant's duty to keep the unit clean and dispose of garbage properly. Elsewhere, the lease and local codes govern. KRS 383.595(1)(a), (b); KRS 383.605(2), (3) | In URLTA areas, yes: the landlord must supply running water, reasonable amounts of hot water at all times, and reasonable heat between October 1 and May 1 — unless the building is not required by law to be so equipped or heat/hot water is produced by equipment under the tenant's exclusive control with a direct utility connection. Heating facilities the landlord supplies must be kept in good and safe working order. No numeric minimum temperature is set. Outside URLTA areas, there is no statewide heat statute. KRS 383.595(1)(d), (e) |
| Illinois | No statute — Illinois has no statewide mold disclosure or remediation law for rentals. Mold falls under the landlord's general duty to keep the unit fit to live in, make necessary repairs, and comply with state and local health and housing codes. For small repairs required by the lease or by law (lesser of $500 or half a month's rent), a tenant may use the statutory repair-and-deduct procedure after 14 days' written notice. Illinois Attorney General, Landlord and Tenant Rights and Laws, p. 1; 765 ILCS 742/5 | No statute — Illinois has no statewide pest or bed-bug law for private rentals. Infestations are handled under the landlord's duty to keep the unit fit to live in and comply with local health and housing codes. Illinois Attorney General, Landlord and Tenant Rights and Laws, p. 1 | No statewide statute sets a heat requirement, minimum temperature, or heating season for private rentals. Heat is generally covered by the landlord's duty to keep the unit fit to live in and by local housing codes, which often set minimum temperatures (for example, in Chicago). Illinois Attorney General, Landlord and Tenant Rights and Laws, p. 1 |
| Indiana | No statute — Indiana has no mold-specific landlord-tenant law. Mold is handled under the landlord's duties to deliver the premises in a safe, clean, and habitable condition and to comply with applicable health and housing codes. A tenant may sue to enforce these duties after giving notice and a reasonable time to repair. IC 32-31-8-5(1), (2); IC 32-31-8-6 | No statute — Indiana does not specifically assign pest or bed-bug treatment and has no bed-bug disclosure rule. Infestations fall under the landlord's safe, clean, and habitable delivery duty and health-code compliance, and the tenant's duties to keep the unit reasonably clean and comply with tenant obligations under health and housing codes. IC 32-31-8-5(1), (2); IC 32-31-7-5(1), (2) | Yes, if a heating system is provided at the time the lease is signed: the landlord must maintain it in good and safe working condition, and it must be sufficient to adequately supply heat at all times. No specific minimum temperature or heating season is set by state statute. Plumbing must supply a reasonable amount of hot and cold running water at all times. IC 32-31-8-5(4)(B), (D) |
| Missouri | No statute — Missouri has no mold disclosure or remediation law. Missouri courts recognize an implied warranty of habitability as case law, not statute. Local housing codes set specific standards. If a condition that detrimentally affects habitability or sanitation violates a local housing or building code, an eligible tenant may use the statutory repair-and-deduct remedy. To qualify, the tenant must have lived there 6 consecutive months, be current on rent, and have no uncured lease-violation notices. RSMo 441.234; RSMo ch. 441 and 535 (checked) | No statute — no state law assigns pest or bed bug treatment or requires disclosure. The lease, local housing codes and the case-law implied warranty of habitability govern. Where an infestation violates a local housing code, an eligible tenant may use the repair-and-deduct remedy. RSMo ch. 441 and 535 (checked); RSMo 441.234 | No statewide minimum temperature or heating season for rentals. Heat requirements come from local housing codes and the lease. By statute, in master-metered multi-unit buildings, the utility must post notice 5 days before shutting off heat-related service for the owner's nonpayment. Tenants may then petition for a receiver, and service may not be cut while the petition is pending. RSMo 441.650; ch. 441 (checked) |
| Ohio | No statute — general habitability/repair duty applies. Ohio has no mold disclosure, remediation or exposure-standard law for rentals; the landlord must comply with building, housing, health and safety codes and 'do whatever is reasonably necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition.' Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.04(A)(1)-(2) | No statute — no bed-bug or pest-specific state law. The landlord must keep the premises fit and habitable and common areas safe and sanitary; the tenant must keep the part of the premises the tenant occupies safe and sanitary and dispose of garbage in a clean, safe and sanitary manner. Ohio Rev. Code §§ 5321.04(A)(2)-(3), 5321.05(A)(1)-(2) | Yes. The landlord must supply 'reasonable heat at all times' and keep landlord-supplied heating fixtures in good and safe working order, except where the building is not required by law to be equipped for heat or heat is generated by an installation in the tenant's exclusive control on a direct utility connection. No statewide minimum temperature or heating season. Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.04(A)(4), (6) |
| Tennessee | No statute — Tennessee's landlord-tenant law sets no mold disclosure or remediation rule. In counties covered by the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, mold falls under the landlord's general duties to comply with building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety and to make all repairs needed to keep the premises fit and habitable. The tenant must keep the unit as clean and safe as when the tenant took possession. T.C.A. § 66-28-304(a); § 66-28-401 | No statute — no pest or bed-bug provision in the landlord-tenant law. In URLTA counties, infestations fall under the landlord's code-compliance and fit-and-habitable duties; the tenant must keep the unit clean and safe, dispose of garbage properly, and comply with tenant obligations under housing codes. T.C.A. § 66-28-304(a); § 66-28-401(1)-(3) | No minimum temperature or heating season in state law. In URLTA counties, heat is an 'essential service': if the landlord deliberately or negligently fails to supply it, the tenant, after written notice, may procure heat and deduct the actual reasonable cost from rent, recover damages for reduced rental value, or obtain substitute housing (rent excused) and recover its reasonable value plus attorney's fees. The remedy is unavailable if the tenant, family or guests caused the condition. T.C.A. § 66-28-502(a), (c); § 66-28-304(a)(1)-(2) |
| Virginia | Yes — detailed statute. Disclosure: the move-in inspection report must state whether there is visible evidence of mold in readily accessible interior areas; a 'no visible mold' statement is deemed correct unless the tenant objects in writing within 5 days. If mold is disclosed, the tenant may terminate and not take (or keep) possession, or take possession and have the landlord remediate within 5 business days, reinspect and issue a new report. Duty: the landlord must maintain the premises to prevent moisture accumulation and mold growth, respond promptly to tenant notices, and promptly remediate visible mold to professional standards, reinspect, and give the tenant a summary of remediation information. Where mold materially affects health or safety, the landlord may relocate the tenant for up to 30 days to a comparable unit or hotel at no cost to the tenant (rent continues). Tenants must use reasonable efforts to prevent moisture and mold and promptly report it. Va. Code § 55.1-1215; § 55.1-1220(A)(5); § 55.1-1227(A)(10); § 55.1-1231 | The landlord's general duty to keep the premises fit and habitable and to comply with housing codes applies. The tenant must keep the part of the unit the tenant occupies free from insects and pests and promptly notify the landlord of them, and is financially responsible for added treatment costs caused by unreasonable delay in reporting and for treatment costs caused by the tenant's fault in failing to prevent infestation. The landlord must give at least 48 hours' written notice before applying insecticide or pesticide in a unit (unless the tenant requested it or agrees to less), post notice for common-area applications, and the tenant must prepare the unit per the landlord's written instructions. Va. Code § 55.1-1220(A)(1)-(2); § 55.1-1227(A)(3), (14); § 55.1-1223 | Yes. The landlord must supply heat in season (unless heat is generated by equipment within the tenant's exclusive control or supplied by a direct public utility connection) and keep heating facilities in good and safe working order. Heat is an 'essential service'; if the landlord willfully or negligently fails to supply it, the tenant may give written notice and, after a reasonable time to correct, pursue statutory remedies (such as damages for reduced rental value). State law sets no minimum temperature or dates for the heating season; local codes may. Va. Code § 55.1-1220(A)(4), (7); § 55.1-1200 ('essential service'); § 55.1-1239 |
| West Virginia | No statute — West Virginia's landlord-tenant law does not mention mold and sets no disclosure or remediation rule. Mold is governed by the general duty to deliver and maintain the unit in a fit and habitable condition, to meet applicable health, safety, fire and housing codes, and to make repairs needed to keep it habitable — unless the problem was caused by the tenant, family or guests' lack of reasonable care. The landlord need not make repairs while the tenant is behind on rent. W. Va. Code § 37-6-30(a)(1)-(2), (4), (c) | No statute — no pest or bed-bug provision in the landlord-tenant chapter. Infestations are handled under the fit-and-habitable duty and applicable health and housing codes; the landlord's duty does not extend to conditions caused by the tenant, family members or guests, or to repairs while rent is in arrears. W. Va. Code § 37-6-30 | Yes. For units served by direct public utility connections, the landlord must supply reasonable heat between October 1 and the last day of April (plus running water and reasonable hot water at all times), unless heat is generated by an installation within the tenant's exclusive control. The landlord must also keep heating facilities it supplies in good and safe working order. No minimum temperature is set by state law. W. Va. Code § 37-6-30(a)(5), (a)(7) |
City rules that may add to state law
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Kentucky Mold, Pests, Heat & AC Rules FAQ
Does a landlord have to fix mold in Kentucky?
No statute — Kentucky has no mold-specific landlord-tenant law. Where the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA) has been locally adopted, mold falls under the landlord's duties to comply with building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety and to do whatever is necessary to keep the premises fit and habitable. Outside URLTA areas, no statewide habitability statute applies; the lease and local codes govern. (KRS 383.595(1)(a), (b); KRS 383.500)
Who pays for pest control and bed bugs in Kentucky?
No statute — Kentucky does not specifically assign pest or bed-bug treatment and has no bed-bug disclosure rule. In URLTA areas, infestations fall under the landlord's code-compliance and fit-and-habitable duties and the tenant's duty to keep the unit clean and dispose of garbage properly. Elsewhere, the lease and local codes govern. (KRS 383.595(1)(a), (b); KRS 383.605(2), (3))
Does a landlord have to provide heat in Kentucky?
In URLTA areas, yes: the landlord must supply running water, reasonable amounts of hot water at all times, and reasonable heat between October 1 and May 1 — unless the building is not required by law to be so equipped or heat/hot water is produced by equipment under the tenant's exclusive control with a direct utility connection. Heating facilities the landlord supplies must be kept in good and safe working order. No numeric minimum temperature is set. Outside URLTA areas, there is no statewide heat statute. (KRS 383.595(1)(d), (e))
Does a landlord have to provide air conditioning in Kentucky?
No duty to install air conditioning and no maximum indoor temperature. In URLTA areas, air-conditioning facilities supplied or required to be supplied by the landlord must be kept in good and safe working order. (KRS 383.595(1)(d))
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.