Housing (Renters)

SB 391 prevents Kansas cities and counties from passing local laws that require landlords to accept tenants using housing vouchers or restrict landlords from considering a tenant's income source (like housing assistance). It specifically bans ordinances that force landlords to lease to voucher recipients, limit security deposits, or require automatic tenant rights. The bill ensures landlords can use standard screening criteria, including income source, when deciding tenants. This directly affects landlords, local governments, and tenants who rely on housing assistance programs.

SB 369, if passed, would require Kansas landlords to provide specific written disclosures to prospective tenants before accepting any payment, including estimated rent, non-rent expenses (like utilities), unit availability dates, and tenant eligibility criteria (e.g., credit, criminal history). It also restricts late fees to no more than 5% of rent, prohibits increasing fees based on prior late payments, and mandates a minimum 5-day grace period for rent payments. Violations would release tenants from agreements without penalty and require landlords to refund all payments plus an equal penalty for disclosure breaches. This bill directly affects landlords and prospective tenants under Kansas' residential landlord-tenant law, aiming to increase transparency and limit unfair fees. The bill is currently pending committee review after introduction in January 2026.

SB 370 modifies Kansas' Residential Landlord and Tenant Act to change how rental agreements end when landlords fail to meet lease terms or health/safety requirements. It gives tenants 30 days' written notice to terminate a lease for serious landlord breaches (like unsafe conditions), but requires landlords 14 days to fix the issue before termination takes effect. If the same problem recurs after the 14-day window, tenants can terminate without further notice. The bill also clarifies that tenants cannot terminate for issues they caused and mandates landlords to return eligible security deposits after lease termination. This directly affects renters and landlords in Kansas rental housing.

SB 415 would allow tenants to use Kansas's Consumer Protection Act to address landlords who create unsafe living conditions. Specifically, if a landlord's action or inaction makes a rental unit uninhabitable, tenants could pursue remedies under the Consumer Protection Act instead of (or in addition to) the standard landlord-tenant law. The bill treats landlords as "suppliers" and tenants as "consumers" under this law, removing the need to prove a typical consumer transaction. This change would give tenants stronger enforcement tools for habitability violations without replacing existing tenant protections. The bill is currently pending in committee with a hearing scheduled for February 11, 2026.

SB 388 limits late rent fees in Kansas to a maximum of 5% of the monthly rent amount, as specified in a rental agreement. This applies directly to landlords and tenants in residential rental agreements across the state. The bill requires that any late fee charged must not exceed this 5% cap, replacing any higher fees previously allowed under lease terms. It amends the existing residential landlord-tenant law to establish this clear financial boundary for late payments.

HB 2504 prevents cities and counties in Kansas from banning landlords from refusing to rent to prospective tenants who receive housing assistance (like vouchers), consider credit or eviction history, or set security deposits. It allows landlords to use their own criteria for tenant screening and refuse to offer a right of first refusal. However, the bill explicitly permits cities or counties to still ban discrimination against tenants or applicants who receive veterans benefits. This directly affects landlords (by expanding their screening flexibility) and tenants using housing assistance or veterans benefits (by limiting local protections against certain landlord decisions).

SB 100, the Kansas Fair Chance Housing and Homelessness Reduction Act, limits how landlords and consumer reporting agencies can use past evictions and unpaid rent when screening rental applicants. The bill prohibits consumer reporting agencies from sharing eviction or rental arrears information after three years and bans landlords from denying housing or increasing rent based on such history beyond that point. It also requires consumer reporting agencies to give applicants a chance to explain any eviction or unpaid rent record. This law directly affects renters with past housing issues and landlords who rely on rental history for tenant screening.