Rent increases in Louisiana

Louisiana has no statute on rent-increase notice. To change the rent in a lease with no fixed term, the landlord must end the lease with a termination notice: 10 calendar days before the end of the month for a month-to-month lease. For a residence the notice must be in writing, and it ends the lease at the end of a rental period. (La. C.C. arts. 2727, 2728, 2729)

No separate rent-increase rule: the periods below are the notice to end a periodic tenancy.

• The notice must be in writing.
• The change can only start at the end of a rental period (on a rent day).

Earliest date the new rent can start, with rent due on the 1st, worked out from the Louisiana rule above:

• For a month-to-month tenant of 1 year raising rent 5% or a month-to-month tenant of 3 years raising rent 12% or a week-to-week tenant raising rent 5%: Tuesday, December 1, 2026

No statute deals with rent increases during a lease. Under the Civil Code a contract is law between the parties and may be dissolved only by their consent or on grounds the law provides. (La. C.C. art. 1983)

R.S. 9:3258 says lessors' rights under the Civil Code's lease title may not be altered, abridged or diminished except by state law, so local governments cannot change them. The statute does not use the words 'rent control'. (La. R.S. 9:3258)

• No Louisiana statute specifically bars a retaliatory rent increase; none was found in the Civil Code or R.S. Title 9 lease provisions.
• A 2019 bill (SB 28) would have raised month-to-month residential notice to 30 days; it was not enacted. Art. 2728 still says 10 calendar days.
• A notice that is given on time ends the lease at the end of the period it names. If it names none, the lease ends at the end of the first period for which the notice is timely.

Security deposit

No statutory limit. Return deadline: 1 month after the tenancy terminates.

Tenant's notice to move out

10 days, ending with a rental period

Notice for unpaid rent

5 business days (notice to vacate, no right to pay)

How a written notice is delivered (eviction-notice rules)

The notice must be written and 'delivered' to the tenant (art. 4701); the article does not list delivery methods. If the premises are abandoned or closed, or the tenant's whereabouts are unknown, notices may be attached to a door of the premises (La. C.C.P. art. 4703).

Notice for other lease violations

5 business days (notice to vacate, no right to fix)

Small claims court limit

$5,000 — where most deposit and rent disputes are filed.

Repairs

Time to repair: A reasonable time. Repair and deduct: allowed; withholding rent: allowed with limits.

Deposit kept wrongly

Willful failure to comply: tenant recovers the wrongfully kept amount plus the greater of $300 or twice the wrongfully kept amount (§ 9:3252). The court may award costs and attorney's fees to the prevailing party (§ 9:3253).

Lawful reasons to end a lease early

Domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking; Military service (state law)

• La. Civil Code art. 2727 Retrieved October 15, 2026.
• La. Civil Code art. 2728 Retrieved October 15, 2026.
• La. Civil Code art. 2729 Retrieved October 15, 2026.
• La. Civil Code art. 1983 Retrieved October 15, 2026.
• La. R.S. 9:3258 Retrieved October 15, 2026.
• 2019 SB 28 (original, not enacted) Retrieved October 15, 2026.

Laws change. This page was checked against the sources above on October 15, 2026. It is legal information, not legal advice; for a dispute, contact your state's legal aid. See our methodology.