It’s time for Kentucky to strengthen its protections for renters | Opinion

When will we render the same care we shower on our pets to the ramen-budgeted renters living in our midst? I attended the B.U.I.L.D. Nehemiah Action event, where thousands of Lexington residents gathered to confront the injustices affecting our neighbors. One theme rose above the rest: families across our city are often living in unsafe, mold‑infested, unrepaired housing, and the systems meant to protect them are failing.

I left that meeting with a renewed conviction that this crisis can no longer be ignored.

Across Lexington and throughout Kentucky, renters are dealing with leaking ceilings, broken heat in winter, pest infestations, and electrical hazards that would alarm any inspector. Yet landlords face few consequences, and tenants have even fewer protections. This is not a matter of isolated bad actors. It is the predictable result of a legal and regulatory framework that leaves renters exposed and landlords largely unaccountable.

A system built on silence

In many states, rental housing is governed by proactive inspections, licensing requirements, and clear tenant remedies. Kentucky takes a different approach. We rely almost entirely on a complaint‑driven system that places the burden on the tenant — the person with the least power in the relationship.

Lexington’s Code Enforcement office is staffed with committed professionals, but the structure they operate within is fundamentally reactive. They cannot inspect a unit unless a tenant complains. They cannot require repairs unless they document a violation. And they cannot relocate tenants even when conditions are unsafe. Meanwhile, landlords can delay, appeal, or simply ignore repair requests while continuing to collect rent.

This is how moldy apartments stay moldy. This is how broken HVAC systems go unrepaired. This is how slumlords thrive.

Kentucky’s weak landlord‑tenant law leaves renters exposed

Kentucky is one of the few states that does not require adoption of the Uniform Residential Landlord‑Tenant Act (URLTA) statewide. Lexington has adopted it, but the state has not. The result is a patchwork of protections and a lack of consistent standards.

Even under URLTA, tenants must give written notice, wait a “reasonable time,” and then — if the landlord still refuses to act — take the matter to court. For a family living with mold or a senior living without heat, “go to court” is not a remedy. It is a barrier. And for many tenants, it is simply not an option.

Evictions move fast. Repairs move slow.

Kentucky’s eviction process is among the fastest in the nation. A landlord can file a forcible detainer, which may occur within days. Tenants often lose by default because they lack representation or cannot navigate the procedural requirements.

Meanwhile, a landlord who ignores repair requests faces no comparable urgency. No automatic fines. No rent escrow. No mandatory inspection. No requirement to provide safe temporary housing.

The message is unmistakable: the system moves quickly when protecting a landlord’s property rights, and slowly — if at all — when protecting a tenant’s health and safety.

Lexington can lead, but the state must act

Lexington has tools it is not yet using. The city could adopt a proactive rental inspection program, requiring regular inspections of all rental units, not just those with complaints. Cities from Louisville to Minneapolis have shown that such programs dramatically reduce unsafe housing and level the playing field for responsible landlords.

Lexington could also publish a public database of code violations, so tenants know which landlords repeatedly fail to maintain safe housing. Transparency alone would change behavior.

But the deeper fix must come from Frankfort.

Kentucky should:

• Mandate URLTA statewide
• Create a statewide rental licensing and inspection system
• Allow rent escrow when landlords fail to make repairs
• Strengthen anti‑retaliation protections
• Impose real penalties for chronic code violators

These are not radical ideas. They are the minimum standards in many states.

Safe housing is not a luxury

Housing is not just a roof. It is the foundation of health, stability, and dignity. When a child breathes mold for months because a landlord refuses to fix a leak, that is not a private dispute. It is a public failure.

Kentucky prides itself on fairness, responsibility, and looking out for our neighbors. But our rental laws do not reflect those values. They reflect a time when renters were treated as transient, disposable, and unworthy of protection.

That era must end.

A call to action

The Nehemiah Action reminded me that change begins when ordinary people stand together and insist on fairness. If Kentucky wants to attract workers, retain young families, and build healthy communities, we must start with the basics: safe, habitable housing for everyone.

Landlords who maintain their properties have nothing to fear from stronger laws. Only those who profit from neglect do.

It is time for Kentucky to choose whether we will continue a system where renters bear all the risk, and landlords bear almost none, or build a fair, modern housing framework that protects the health and safety of every Kentuckian.

Kentucky is a caring Commonwealth. We stand united for our common wealth.

Richard Dawahare is a Lexington attorney who specializes in elder law, estate planning, probate and personal injury and more.

This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 4:43 PM.