How to become a landlord in Kansas

At or before the start of the tenancy you must disclose in writing the name and address of the person managing the premises and of an owner or agent for service of process and notices. You and the tenant must also complete a joint move-in inventory within five days (K.S.A. 58-2551(a); K.S.A. 58-2548).

• Keep the owner and manager disclosure current (K.S.A. 58-2551(b)).See Owner and manager disclosure on the Kansas page
• A form you give the tenant to sign as notice to vacate that adds terms not in the lease must carry the statutory warning in bold type (K.S.A. 58-2570(e)).See Ending a month-to-month tenancy on the Kansas page
• Some lease terms are unenforceable in Kansas, and knowingly using them can cost you the tenant's actual damages (K.S.A. 58-2547).See Lease terms Kansas forbids on the Kansas page
• Federal law also requires that, for target housing, before the tenant is bound by the lease you give the EPA lead hazard pamphlet and disclose any known lead-based paint or lead hazards and any available report (42 U.S.C. 4852d).

At or before the start of the tenancy you, or whoever signs leases for you, must disclose in writing the name and address of the person authorized to manage the premises and of an owner or a person authorized to accept service of process, notices and demands for the owner (K.S.A. 58-2551(a)).

• The information must be kept current and binds any later landlord, owner or manager (K.S.A. 58-2551(b)).
• A person who does not make the disclosure becomes the landlord's agent for service and notices and for the landlord's duties, and a manager who does not disclose counts as the landlord (K.S.A. 58-2551(c); K.S.A. 58-2543(e)).
• A landlord who sells in good faith is freed from later obligations once the tenant has written notice of the sale, but stays liable for the deposit (K.S.A. 58-2554(a)).

No section of the Kansas Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, read whole, requires a flood disclosure (K.S.A. 58-2540 to 58-2573).

The Kansas Residential Landlord and Tenant Act does not mention smoke or carbon monoxide alarms. Kansas fire safety rules and city codes were not read for this page, so check them (K.S.A. 58-2540 to 58-2573).

• Your duty to follow building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety can include an alarm rule those codes set (K.S.A. 58-2553(a)(1); K.S.A. 58-2543(b)).

No section of the Kansas Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, read whole, requires particular locks or rekeying between tenants (K.S.A. 58-2540 to 58-2573).

• You must follow building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety, which include any law or local ordinance on fitness for habitation (K.S.A. 58-2553(a)(1); K.S.A. 58-2543(b)).

For an unfurnished unit you may not demand or receive a security deposit of more than one month's periodic rent. Where the lease lets the tenant use your furniture the limit is 1 1/2 months' rent, and where the lease permits pets you may take an additional deposit of up to 1/2 of one month's rent (K.S.A. 58-2550(a)).

• A security deposit is any sum the lease sets for the tenant to deposit as a condition of moving in that the tenant may forfeit for breaking lease conditions, whatever it is called (K.S.A. 58-2543(m)).
• A municipal housing authority that receives federal aid and sets rent solely by the tenant's income may use a deposit schedule based on bedroom size, and must then offer a deferred payment plan (K.S.A. 58-2550(a)).
• Unless the lease says otherwise, the tenant may not use the deposit as the last month's rent. A tenant who does forfeits the deposit, and you may recover the rent as if it had not been applied (K.S.A. 58-2550(d)).

No section of the Kansas Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, read whole, requires you to hold deposits in a separate account or to pay interest on them (K.S.A. 58-2540 to 58-2573).

• The holder of the landlord's interest when the tenancy ends is bound by the deposit return rules (K.S.A. 58-2550(f)).See Returning the deposit on the Kansas page

Within five days of the first day of occupancy, or when you deliver possession, you or your representative and the tenant must jointly inventory the premises and complete a written record of the condition of the premises and of any furnishings or appliances you provide (K.S.A. 58-2548).

• Both of you sign duplicate copies of the record to show the inventory was completed, and the tenant must be given a copy (K.S.A. 58-2548).
• At the start of the term you must deliver possession in compliance with the lease and your maintenance duties (K.S.A. 58-2552).

No section of the Kansas Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, read whole, limits application or screening fees (K.S.A. 58-2540 to 58-2573).

• You may not deny tenancy to an applicant who otherwise qualifies because the applicant is, was within the past 12 months, or is in imminent danger of becoming a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking or stalking (K.S.A. 58-25,137(a)(1); K.S.A. 58-25,137(f)).See Victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking or stalking on the Kansas page
• Kansas fair housing law bars refusing to rent because of race, religion, color, sex, disability, familial status, national origin or ancestry (K.S.A. 44-1016(a)).See Fair housing on the Kansas page
• From July 1, 2026, a city or county may not limit your use of income tests, credit, eviction, property damage or criminal history under your usual screening criteria (SB 391 (2026)).
• When reviewing an eviction record, check the current court disposition rather than treating an old filing as a permanent judgment. Since July 1, 2026, eligible residential eviction records can be expunged through a court request. The process is not automatic: it generally requires three years since judgment, satisfaction of the related monetary judgment and no additional covered eviction judgment during that period. See the eviction process section for the notice and objection procedure (2026 Kansas Laws, ch. 132, sec. 1; Kansas Judicial Council, July 1, 2026 notice).See Eviction process on the Kansas page
• An unsatisfied monetary judgment prevents expungement unless the plaintiff and defendant agree. Expungement does not erase the underlying debt or separate civil remedies, and public housing authorities retain the access specified for federal housing applications. Check the order and applicable reporting requirements before relying on a screening report (2026 Kansas Laws, ch. 132, sec. 1(a)(5) to (7)).