[jeffbase40]

Tonight I have been researching online Arkansas tenant rights, and the information I've found is sobering and depressing. Basically, there are none. Landlords have all the rights and power. Apparently, they don't even to provide a safe environment for tenants. I found an article where a commision was formed last year to address this problem, but it doesn't appear anything came out it. These quotes are particularly disturbing:

Calling existing laws in Arkansas "significantly out of balance," the report proposes fifteen major reforms intended to even the playing field between landlords and tenants. "Tenants have fewer rights in Arkansans than in any other state," said Commission member and UALR William H. Bowen School of Law Professor Lynn Foster

Arkansas is the only state in which it is actually a crime for a tenant to fail to pay rent," said Foster. Arkansas also has no implied warranty of habitability, meaning that landlords are under no legal obligation to make property that they lease to tenants safe or livable. "This can have serious consequences for the health and safety of Arkansas families who are completely without recourse under current law.

http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog...ord-tenant-law

Why does our state have to be the freaking worst here? It's bad enough that one single company, Lindsey management has almost a monopoly on apartment complexes in the state. A group of renters tried to sue them a couple of years ago with some really disturbing complaints and health risks. They must have lost the case because I heard nothing else about it. In Arkansas, the only reason a renter can terminate a lease is for military duty. Landlords? They can terminate a lease at any time, give you an eviction notice even if you are a model resident. That's scary.


This really bothers me on a personal level because I am currently living in an apartment that is infested with roaches. This has put my health at risk as well as created great mental anguish for me. I was just starting to get some peace of mind and thought the roaches were gone when I saw one tonight crawling around inside my bathroom scale! While the landlord has been keeping my unit sprayed weekly, my lease actually says that roach infestation is my issue to take care of! I really don't have any recourse but to tough it out until my lease is up in May.

[aquietpath]

Pretty crummy, IMO. Time for a change in laws for your state.

[ArkansasTgirl]

Lindsey doesn't dominate the market in Fort Smith, they only have maybe 2 or 3 complexes there. Having rented from them before I'd say thats not a bad thing.

[Ultrarunner]

There was a time when consumer's voted with their wallets... if less than satisfactory, why stay?

[ArkansasTgirl]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

There was a time when consumer's voted with their wallets... if less than satisfactory, why stay?

Because you can only break the lease for military duty. I had a 6 month lease with Lindsey, they had it set up so that I only had a window to get out of the lease every 6 months. I wanted to get out after the first 6 months but I procrastinated and didn't have a new place lined up so I got locked in for another 6. After that I got motivated and finally found a better place.

[Ultrarunner]

At least you're not locked into a one year term...

180 days to freedom will pass quickly.

Other States or jurisdictions have shifted to the point where owners will do just about anything to get out of the Landlording Business... mostly those with rent control like San Francisco.

Finding a balance seems to work well with most things.

I do know a few renters in Arkansas... none rent from large management companies and instead rent directly from small mom and pop owners... might be worth looking into?

[ArkansasTgirl]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

At least you're not locked into a one year term...

180 days to freedom will pass quickly.

Other States or jurisdictions have shifted to the point where owners will do just about anything to get out of the Landlording Business... mostly those with rent control like San Francisco.

Finding a balance seems to work well with most things.

I do know a few renters in Arkansas... none rent from large management companies and instead rent directly from small mom and pop owners... might be worth looking into?

That was like 2008, the place I moved into was privately owned and ran by an asset management company. After the first 3 months I could move out any time I wanted there.

[saxondale351]

Better than living in NYC where the gov wants to tell you what you will rent for, for how long and how much in taxes you will pay. LOL I lived in a state that had way too much tilt to the renter. They will take advantage of you 90 percent of the time.

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by saxondale351

I lived in a state that had way too much tilt to the renter. They will take advantage of you 90 percent of the time.

My wife and I had rentals in Texas where the laws are supposed to be heavily tilted to landlords. To say renters take advantage of landlords only 90% of the time seems to be is a very conservative estimate. Even in a small west Texas town, it got to the point that most of our renters openly despised us at move-in and from that point on, things continue to disintegrate.

We sold the last of our rentals last year and have not looked back. Unless things change, I would guess the home/apartment rental business will continue to move to the hands of big nameless corporations. Only big corporations have the economic and political clout to succeed in a business where the environment between business owners and clients is increasingly hostile.

[ArkansasTgirl]

Originally Posted by wconell

This is the freedom people keep saying they want.

What people?

With all of the laws today- we scream we want our freedoms.

No I don't

Now they make no laws and your screaming? Can't make people happy. LOL.

What are you talking about?

With freedom comes responsibility and responsibility means doing the right thing as a landlord and as a tenant

I suppose

I guess people really don't want to be free to choose.

I think it varies by person.

Perhaps your saying people can't be responsible on both ends?

I didn't get that from the OP at all. I think they just want their landlord to do something about the roaches.