Local Forums Discuss Landlord-Tenant Law in Owensboro

The Owensboro Human Relations Commission is hosting forums for community feedback on whether or not to adopt a local Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. Or URLTA for short.

Created in 1972, URLTA laid the groundwork for balancing landlord and tenant rights and obligations regarding matters such as rental agreements, health & safety codes, security deposits, evictions, and more. It has been updated to include guidelines in situations of domestic violence or death, and ideally makes for a fairer playing ground with residential leasing properties.

Kentucky's 1984 General Assembly established a law that allows city and county governments to implement their own versions of URLTA either by adopting the whole act or parts of it that best fit their communities. While efforts have been made to enact a statewide URLTA, they have not made progress.

Here is the link to the Kentucky Revised Statutes so you can scroll down and read more about it. According to the Courier-Journal, here are the areas of Kentucky that have URLTA guidelines in place.

• Jefferson County
• Oldham County
• Fayette County
• Pulaski County
• Florence (Boone)
• Bromley, Ludlow, Taylor Mill and Covington (Kenton County)
• Newport, Bellevue, Dayton, Woodlawn, Southgate, Silver Grove and Melbourne (Campbell County)
• Shelbyville (Shelby County)
• Georgetown (Scott County)
• Barbourville (Knox County)

Jen Vogel, head of the OHRC Advocacy Committee, is hosting forums for feedback on whether Owensboro/Daviess County needs to establish its own version of URLTA. Here is the flyer for more info:

If there is enough interest in moving forward, the commission will proceed with advocating for it to the Owensboro City Commission as well as the Daviess County Fiscal Court. Now is the time to make your voice heard! For more information, you can follow the OHRC on Facebook and contact their office with any questions.

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