Landlord-friendly states compared: it depends on the measure

Why one ranking misleads

A single score has to weigh rules that point in different directions:

• Texas sets no cap on security deposits (Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.101 to 92.113), but missing its 30-day refund deadline creates a presumption of bad faith, which can cost $100, three times the amount wrongfully withheld and attorney's fees (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.109).
• Florida sets no deposit cap (Fla. Stat. ch. 83, part II) and bars local rent control (Fla. Stat. § 125.0103(2)), yet a landlord who misses its 30-day claim notice forfeits the right to claim against the deposit (Fla. Stat. § 83.49(3)(a)).
• Massachusetts limits the deposit to one month's rent and allows no late fee until rent is 30 days late (Mass. G.L. c. 186, § 15B(1)(b); Mass. G.L. c. 186, § 15B(1)(c)).

The useful question is not which state is friendliest, but which rules matter for the way you rent.

Security deposit caps

• One month: Massachusetts, which also allows first and last month's rent and a lock and key charge at move-in (Mass. G.L. c. 186, § 15B(1)(b)); New York, counting any advance such as last month's rent (N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-108(1-a)(a)); and California, with a two-month limit for a qualifying small landlord that does not apply to a service member (Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(c)(1), (c)(5)).
• One and a half months: Arizona, including prepaid rent (A.R.S. § 33-1321(A)).
• Three months: Nevada, counting the deposit, any surety bond and last month's rent together (NRS 118A.242(1)).
• No statewide cap: Texas, Florida and Ohio (Ohio Rev. Code ch. 5321). Oregon sets no state limit, but Portland sets its own (ORS 90.300).

Deposit return deadlines

• 14 days: New York, with an itemized statement (N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-108(1-a)(e)), and Hawaii, with a written itemized notice for anything kept (HRS § 521-44(c)).
• 21 days: California (Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(h)(1)).
• 30 days: Texas, after the renter surrenders the home (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.103), and Washington, after the lease ends and the renter moves out (RCW 59.18.280(1)(a)).
• 60 days: Alabama, after the tenancy ends and possession is delivered, with double the deposit owed if you miss it (Ala. Code § 35-9A-201(b), (f)), and West Virginia, or 45 days after a new renter moves in if that is sooner (W. Va. Code 37-6A-1(7); W. Va. Code 37-6A-2(a)).

Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy

• Short: North Carolina, 7 days before the end of the current monthly period (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-14); Louisiana, 10 days (La. Civ. Code art. 2728; La. Civ. Code art. 2729); Pennsylvania, 15 days, which the lease may shorten or waive (68 P.S. § 250.501(b), (e)); and Utah, 15 days before the end of the rental period (Utah Code § 78B-6-802(1)(b)(i)).
• Middle: Florida, 30 days before the end of a monthly period (Fla. Stat. § 83.57(3)), and Hawaii, 45 days for a landlord's notice (HRS § 521-71(a), (b)).
• Longer: Delaware, 60 days counted from the first day of the next month (25 Del. C. § 5106(d)); Maryland, 60 days for a landlord's written notice (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-402(c)(2), (c)(3)); and California, 60 days, or 30 if any renter has lived there less than a year, where just cause may also be needed (Cal. Civ. Code § 1946.1(b), (c)).
• Cause required: Washington requires a statutory cause for a landlord to end a tenancy (RCW 59.18.650(1)), New Jersey requires good cause in most buildings (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1) and the District of Columbia requires a ground its law lists (D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(a)(1)).

Late fees

• Texas: a fee only after rent is unpaid two full days past the due date, and a fee up to 12 percent of the rent in a building of four or fewer units, or 10 percent in a larger one, is considered reasonable (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.019).
• North Carolina: no fee until rent is five days late, capped at $15 or 5 percent of the monthly rent, whichever is greater (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-46(a); N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-46(a)(1)).
• New York: no fee unless rent is unpaid five days after the due date, capped at $50 or 5 percent of the monthly rent, whichever is less (N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 238-a(2)).
• Maine: no penalty until rent is 15 days late, capped at 4 percent of a month's rent with written notice at signing (14 M.R.S. § 6028(1); 14 M.R.S. § 6028(2), (3)).
• Florida: its landlord-tenant part sets no grace period or cap (Fla. Stat. ch. 83, part II).

Rent control and local rules

• Statewide caps: California limits most increases over 12 months to 5 percent plus the regional change in the cost of living, or 10 percent, whichever is lower, until January 1, 2030 (Cal. Civ. Code § 1947.12(a)). Oregon caps increases at the lesser of 10 percent or 7 percent plus an index, with an exemption for units whose first certificate of occupancy is less than 15 years old (ORS 90.323; ORS 90.324). Washington caps them at 7 percent plus inflation or 10 percent, whichever is less, with a published maximum of 9.683 percent for increases taking effect in 2026 (RCW 59.18.700; Washington Commerce: 2026 rent cap announcement).
• Local rent control barred: Arizona (A.R.S. § 33-1329), Florida (Fla. Stat. § 125.0103(2)) and Colorado (C.R.S. § 38-12-301(1), (2)). Texas allows it only after a disaster-caused housing emergency with the governor's approval (Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 214.902), and Minnesota only with voter approval in a general election (Minn. Stat. § 471.9996).
• District rent stabilization: in the District of Columbia, a yearly increase for an occupied stabilized unit is limited to the adjustment of general applicability plus 2 percent, never more than 10 percent (D.C. Code § 42-3502.08(h)).

Cities add rules even where the state sets the cap. Portland, Oregon requires relocation assistance for qualifying increases of 10 percent or more (Portland City Code 30.01.085), and Seattle's guidance calls for 180 days' written notice before increasing housing costs (Seattle SDCI: housing cost increases).

Compare states for your own rentals

1. List the rules that change your costs: deposit size and timing, notice periods, late fees, rent increase limits and eviction steps.
2. Check each rule at both the state and the city level.
3. Weigh them against your plan, whether that is long-term leases, furnished stays or small multifamily buildings.
4. Recheck before each lease cycle, because rules change. Maryland's submetered water and sewer disclosures, for example, took effect October 1, 2026.

Sources and further reading

• Texas Property Code chapter 92: residential tenancies
• Florida Statutes chapter 83, part II: residential tenancies
• Massachusetts General Laws chapter 186, § 15B: security deposits
• New York General Obligations Law § 7-108: deposits
• California Civil Code § 1950.5: security deposits
• Nevada Revised Statutes 118A.242: deposits
• North Carolina General Statutes § 42-46: late fees
• New York Real Property Law § 238-a: late fees
• Maine Revised Statutes, Title 14, § 6028: late payment
• California Civil Code § 1947.12: rent increase limits
• Oregon Revised Statutes chapter 90: residential landlord and tenant
• Revised Code of Washington 59.18.700: rent increase limits
• Arizona Revised Statutes § 33-1329: rent control preemption
• D.C. Code § 42-3502.08: rent stabilization increases

Common questions