Short answer: Arkansas landlord repair laws give tenants a floor and an exit rather than a repair remedy: since November 1, 2021, Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-502, added by Act 1052 of 2021, implies six minimum standards into most residential leases. If the landlord does not fix a violation within 30 calendar days of your written notice and your rent is current, your sole remedy is to end the lease without penalty and get your deposit back. You may not withhold rent or deduct repair costs.
Before that law, Arkansas had never set statewide standards for rental housing, as Legal Aid of Arkansas reported in 2026. The standards are a floor, not a full warranty, and the remedy is a way out rather than a way to force repairs. Knowing exactly what the six standards cover, and what they leave out, is how you decide whether to stay, negotiate or leave.
Arkansas Landlord Repair Laws Quick Reference
| Rule | Arkansas | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Implied quality standards | Hot and cold running water, electricity, drinking water, sewer and plumbing, roof and building envelope, heat and AC if present at signing | § 18-17-502(a) |
| Which leases | Entered into or renewed after Nov. 1, 2021; not lease-to-purchase | § 18-17-502(a) |
| Notice method | Written, by certified mail or a method the lease allows | § 18-17-502(d)(1) |
| Landlord’s repair window | 30 calendar days after receiving notice | § 18-17-502(d)(2) |
| Tenant remedy | Terminate without penalty and recover deposit (sole remedy) | § 18-17-502(d)(2)(A) |
| Repair and deduct / withholding | Not allowed; no offset or withholding of rent | § 18-17-502(d)(3) |
| Retaliation statute | None in the landlord-tenant act | Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-101 et seq. |
The Six Standards Your Landlord Must Meet
Under § 18-17-502(a), every covered dwelling unit or single-family home must have, at move-in and throughout the lease:
- an available source of hot and cold running water;
- an available source of electricity;
- a source of potable drinking water;
- a sanitary sewer system and plumbing that meet the building and housing codes in effect when they were installed;
- a functioning roof and building envelope; and
- a functioning heating and air-conditioning system, but only to the extent one served the unit when you signed the lease.
Notice what is missing. Pest control, mold, broken appliances, common-area safety, locks and garbage service are not on the list. Plumbing is judged by the code in effect when it was installed, not today’s code. And the duty pauses when an act of God, a public utility failure, or a force majeure event such as a pandemic-driven labor or materials shortage prevents repair.
Lease clauses and the “as is” problem
Under § 18-17-502(b), the six standards override any contrary lease term unless you agreed in writing to take responsibility for renovating, remodeling or finishing construction of the unit. Subsection (g) separately bars waiving rights under the chapter. The Arkansas Attorney General’s tenant page still describes renting “as is” with no maintenance duty beyond city codes, and advises putting any promised repairs in the written lease. For problems outside the six standards, that advice remains accurate.
The Move-In Defect Form: Two Business Days
Arkansas gives landlords a compliance shortcut that tenants must watch for. Under § 18-17-502(c)(1), if the landlord hands you a written form at move-in to list defects in the six standards, and you sign it without noting a problem or fail to return it within two business days, the landlord is deemed to be in compliance.
Treat that form as the most important paper you sign. Test every faucet for hot water, flip the breakers, run the heat and AC, look for ceiling stains and check under sinks before you return it, and keep a dated copy.
How to Give Notice and the 30-Day Clock
For problems that arise after move-in, § 18-17-502(d)(1) requires written notice delivered by certified mail or another method your lease provides, specifying the acts and omissions that make the unit noncompliant. Text messages and calls do not start the clock unless your lease makes them an approved notice method.
The 30 calendar days begin when the landlord receives the notice. The landlord is also treated as compliant, and you lose the remedy, if the problem could not be fixed because you refused entry for the repair, or if it was caused by the deliberate or negligent act of you, your family, another occupant, a visitor, or anyone other than the landlord or its agent, under § 18-17-502(c)(2). That last category means damage caused by a stranger, such as a burglar breaking a window, may fall outside the landlord’s duty.
Your Only Remedy: Ending the Lease
If your rent is current, the problem is not excused, and 30 days pass without a fix, § 18-17-502(d)(2)(A) says your “sole remedy” is to terminate the lease without penalty and receive any security deposit recoverable under the deposit statute, § 18-16-301 et seq.
Two consequences follow. First, there is no statutory repair-and-deduct and no rent abatement: subsection (d)(3) says nothing in the chapter excuses paying rent and you may not “offset or withhold rent” for an alleged or actual violation. Second, being even partly behind on rent can cost you the remedy entirely, because the rent-current condition is written into the statute.
The AG’s page suggests other practical routes when a landlord breaks a written repair promise: small claims court, renegotiating the lease, or moving. Any damages claim rests on your lease, not on § 18-17-502, and subsection (f) states the section does not expand a landlord’s tort liability beyond § 18-16-110.
If you are sued for possession
Withholding rent invites an eviction. Under Arkansas’s 2007 landlord-tenant act, as shown in the enacted House amendment to HB 2540, § 18-17-701(b) lets a landlord terminate if rent goes unpaid five days after the due date. And under § 18-60-307 as amended by Act 1052, a tenant who stays in possession and objects to an unlawful detainer must deposit the rent due into the court registry.
Code Enforcement, Mold and Pests
Because the state standards are minimal, local codes do much of the work. Section 18-17-502(h) preserves any stricter local housing standard, and the Attorney General advises contacting your city to find out whether a home complies with housing codes. A city inspection report is also strong evidence if you later end the lease under § 18-17-502.
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Mold and pests are not among the six standards. In the Legal Aid of Arkansas article, the organization’s managing partner said that getting a landlord to remove mold generally requires medical proof that the mold is causing or worsening a health condition. If mold stems from a roof leak or failed plumbing, frame your notice around the roof, building envelope or plumbing standard instead.
What Arkansas Requires of Tenants
Section 18-17-601 obliges you to follow tenant-side housing codes, keep the unit reasonably clean and safe, dispose of waste properly, keep plumbing fixtures reasonably clean, use systems and appliances reasonably, and not deliberately or negligently damage the premises or let your guests do so. Under § 18-17-602 you may not unreasonably refuse entry for repairs or inspections, and you may not change the locks without permission. The statute sets no fixed advance-notice period for entry.
Under § 18-17-502(e), you may install a battery or plug-in smoke or carbon monoxide detector at your own expense, but you are then responsible for keeping it working and for any damage from installing or removing it.
Retaliation: A Gap in Arkansas Law
We read the full 2007 act and Act 1052: neither contains a provision barring a landlord from retaliating after a repair complaint, and there is no presumption period. A landlord with a month-to-month tenant can generally end the tenancy with proper notice, which the AG notes may be given for any reason. During a fixed-term lease, though, the landlord still needs a lease or statutory ground, such as unpaid rent under § 18-17-701, to end it early.
Worked Example: No Hot Water in Conway
Marcus signed a 12-month lease on a Conway duplex on March 1 for $875 a month. He noted no defects on the move-in form. On August 4, the water heater fails. He pays August rent on time and on August 5 sends a certified letter citing § 18-17-502(a)(1). The landlord signs for it on August 7.
The 30-day window runs through September 6. Marcus pays September rent on the 1st. When no repair has happened by September 7, he can send written notice terminating the lease, move out without owing the remaining months, and request his deposit back. He cannot buy a heater and deduct it from October’s rent.
Drafting Your Notice Letter
- your name, the unit address and the date;
- which of the six standards is not met, with dates and photos;
- a citation to Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-502 and a request to fix the problem within 30 days;
- a statement that your rent is current;
- an offer of access for repairs; and
- delivery by certified mail, return receipt requested, unless your lease names another method.
Our repair request letter generator builds the letter, and our guide to breaking a lease by state explains moving out cleanly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 2021 law apply to my older lease?
Only if the lease was entered into or renewed after November 1, 2021, under § 18-17-502(a). A renewal after that date brings the lease under the standards. Lease-to-purchase and purchase-option leases are excluded.
Is my landlord required to fix the air conditioning in Arkansas?
Only if a heating and air system served the unit when you signed the lease. Section 18-17-502(a)(6) requires that system to function, but it does not require a landlord to add AC to a unit that never had it.
Can I stop paying rent until the landlord repairs?
No. Section 18-17-502(d)(3)(B) bars offsetting or withholding rent, and falling behind also destroys your right to terminate, which requires current rent.
What if I never returned the move-in condition form?
If the landlord gave you a defect form and you did not return it within two business days, the landlord is treated as compliant for conditions at move-in under § 18-17-502(c)(1)(B). Problems that arise later are still covered once you give written notice.
Can my landlord evict me for complaining to the city?
Arkansas has no anti-retaliation statute for residential tenants, so your protection depends on your lease term and other laws. Keep paying rent and keep copies of every complaint.
Send your notice by certified mail today and calendar the 30th day. Read more about Arkansas security deposit law and compare repair laws in other states. This guide is general information, not legal advice; Legal Aid of Arkansas handles housing cases, and LSC’s legal help finder can connect you.