How can a lease be terminated in the State of Arkansas?
If there is a written lease, notice must be given in accordance with the provisions of the lease. If the lease agreement is oral, the tenant must give one rental period's notice, before the next rent is due. For a month-to-month lease, the notice period is 1 month.
In Arkansas, a landlord may give notice of termination FOR ANY REASON. The landlord must give 1 rental period's notice for an oral lease, or give notice in accordance with the terms of a written lease. The only exception is for non-payment of rent in which case eviction procedures may take place.
On what grounds can a landlord evict a tenant?
The most common grounds for eviction are for failure to pay rent or to pay rent on time, for any reason. The landlord must give 10 days written notice to the tenant to vacate the premises. If the tenant fails to do so, the landlord can commence an eviction action in court..
A landlord cannot lock a tenant out, move the tenant's belongings out, turn off utilities or use any other "self-help" method of eviction or harassment to force a tenant to move out. The landlord must go through the courts and obtain a court order to evict a tenant.
Also, Arkansas law states that upon the voluntary or involuntary termination of any lease, all property left in the dwelling by the tenant will be considered abandoned, and may be disposed of by the landlord as he or she sees fit and without recourse by the tenant. All property left on the premises by the tenant is subject to a lien in favor of the landlord for payment of all sums agreed to be paid by the tenant.
The foregoing summary is provided for information purposes only and is not to be considered legal or business advice. The information may not be complete, accurate or applicable for any particular situation and should not be relied upon.
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