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Landlord repairs in Arkansas

Source: Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-502 (implied residential quality standards, added by Act 1052 of 2021) · Checked against the statute

Time to repair
30 days
Repair and deduct
Not allowed
Withhold rent
Not allowed
End the lease
Allowed with limits

Arkansas repair deadline

Choose the state and the date the landlord got your request.

The landlord's duty to repair

For leases entered into or renewed after November 1, 2021, the law implies a requirement that the home have a short list of basics at move-in and throughout the lease (§ 18-17-502(a)). It is not a general duty to keep the home in repair; leases made before that date have no statutory repair duty, and the Attorney General says renters usually take a home 'as is' unless the lease promises repairs. (Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-502(a) (Act 1052 of 2021, § 1))

Arkansas law names these:

  • hot and cold running water
  • electricity
  • potable drinking water
  • sanitary sewer system and plumbing that met building and housing codes when installed
  • functioning roof and building envelope
  • functioning heating and air-conditioning system, to the extent it served the home when the lease began

Telling the landlord

The tenant must deliver written notice of the problem to the landlord by certified mail or any other method the lease provides, describing what is wrong (§ 18-17-502(d)(1)). The tenant must be current on rent. (Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-502(d)(1)–(2))

The notice must be in writing. Write a Arkansas repair request letter.

How long the landlord has

If the landlord does not fix the problem within 30 calendar days after receiving the tenant's written notice, the tenant may end the lease (§ 18-17-502(d)(2)(A)). There is no shorter emergency deadline.

Law: Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-502(d)(2)(A)

Repair it yourself and deduct the cost

Not allowed. Termination is the tenant's sole remedy under the quality-standards law, and the tenant may not offset or withhold rent for any alleged or actual violation (§ 18-17-502(d)(2)(A), (d)(3)(B)).

Law:
Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-502(d)(2)(A), (d)(3)(B)

Withholding rent

Not allowed. Nothing in the Act excuses a tenant from paying rent, and a tenant may not offset or withhold rent for any alleged or actual violation of the quality standards (§ 18-17-502(d)(3)). The Attorney General advises tenants to keep paying rent even if a promised repair is not made.

Law:
Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-502(d)(3); Arkansas Attorney General, Landlord and Tenant Rights

Ending the lease over repairs

Allowed with limits. If rent is current, the landlord's noncompliance is not excused, and the landlord does not fix a listed problem within 30 calendar days after receiving written notice, the tenant's sole remedy is to end the lease without penalty and get back the recoverable security deposit (§ 18-17-502(d)(2)(A)). The landlord is deemed compliant if the tenant signed a move-in defect form without noting the defect or did not return it within 2 business days, if the tenant refused entry for the repair, or if the tenant, family, occupants, visitors or anyone other than the landlord caused the problem (§ 18-17-502(c)). Applies only to leases entered into or renewed after November 1, 2021, and not to lease-to-purchase agreements.

Law:
Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-502(c)–(d)

Going to court

The quality-standards law gives no other remedy. The Attorney General lists small claims court, renegotiating the lease, moving, or consulting a private attorney, and says any repair promise should be written into the lease.

Protection from retaliation

Neither § 18-17-502 nor the Attorney General's tenant guide contains any protection against landlord retaliation for repair requests or code complaints, and we found no Arkansas statute that provides one. (Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-502; Arkansas Attorney General, Landlord and Tenant Rights)

Reporting unsafe conditions

The Arkansas Attorney General says city building codes protect health and safety, and tenants with health or safety problems should contact their city to find out whether the home complies with housing codes.

Also good to know

  • The standards do not apply when temporarily prevented by an act of God, a public-utility failure, or other force majeure such as a pandemic that causes labor or material shortages (§ 18-17-502(a)).
  • A tenant may install a battery-powered or plug-in smoke or carbon monoxide detector; the tenant is then responsible for keeping it working and for any damage from installing or removing it (§ 18-17-502(e)).
  • A lease cannot waive these rights, except that a tenant may agree in writing to take on renovation or construction of the home (§ 18-17-502(b), (g)).
  • Stricter local housing standards still apply (§ 18-17-502(h)).
  • In an unlawful-detainer (eviction) case, a tenant who stays in the home must deposit rent into the court registry while the case is pending (Ark. Code Ann. § 18-60-307, as amended by Act 1052 of 2021).

Related

Sources

Laws change. This page was checked against the sources above on October 14, 2026. It is legal information, not legal advice; before withholding rent or ending a lease, contact your state's legal aid. See our methodology.