US landlord and tenant law is mostly state law, and the states draw their lines in very different places. Deposit limits run from none at all to two months’ rent. The notice before an eviction case for unpaid rent runs from 3 days to 14. Only some states cap rent increases. This section has a full guide to seven states, California, Florida, Texas, Washington, Arizona, Virginia and Pennsylvania, and a step-by-step eviction guide for four of them.
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Landlord and tenant law varies by state and city, and changes. Ask the court, your state agency, a lawyer or legal aid about your case.
Every state page here was written from the statute or the state’s own court or agency pages, and each rule carries its section and the date we read it. We add a state only once we have read its law. Each page is written for both sides of a lease: small landlords checking a rule before they act, and tenants checking what a landlord can and can’t do.
Three questions before any state rule
Which state? The state statute sets the base rules: deposits, notices, repairs, entry and the eviction steps. The table below shows how far apart those can be.
Which city? Some cities add rules on top. Seattle and Tacoma require far longer notice of a rent increase than Washington does. Philadelphia adds a rental license, its own Municipal Court and new tenant rules from 1 November 2026. Several California cities set lower rent caps than the state. Other states bar cities from controlling rent at all: Arizona and Florida both do. A state page tells you which cities we read; it never means the state rule is the whole story everywhere.
What do you own? Many rules turn on a number, and the states don’t count the same thing. Virginia mostly asks whether you own more than four rental units in the state. Texas sets a late fee safe harbor by the number of units in the structure. California lets some owners of no more than two properties with four units in total take a larger deposit. Our guide to rules that change with how many units you own compares these tests across states.
The seven states side by side
Four rules readers ask about most, as read in each statute. Each one has conditions and exceptions that the state page sets out.
| State (date read) | Deposit limit | Deposit back by | Notice for unpaid rent | Statewide rent cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona (6 Nov 2026) | 1.5 months’ rent (A.R.S. 33-1321(A)) | 14 days, not counting weekends or legal holidays, once the tenancy ends, possession is delivered and the tenant demands it (33-1321(D)) | 5 calendar days after written notice (33-1368(B)) | None; cities can’t control rents (33-1329(A)) |
| California (5-6 Nov 2026) | One month’s rent; two for some small owners (Civ. 1950.5(c)) | 21 days, with an itemized statement (Civ. 1950.5(h)) | 3 days, not counting weekends or judicial holidays (CCP 1161(2)) | Lower of 5% plus cost of living, or 10% (Civ. 1947.12): 8.1% to 8.8% by area from 1 Aug 2026 to 31 Jul 2027, per the Attorney General’s chart |
| Florida (5 Nov 2026) | None in the act (s. 83.49) | 15 days with no claim; written notice of a claim within 30 days (s. 83.49(3)(a)) | 3 days, not counting weekends or court-observed holidays (s. 83.56(3)) | None; local rent control barred (s. 125.0103(2), s. 166.043(2)) |
| Pennsylvania (5 Nov 2026) | 2 months’ rent in the first year, 1 month after (s.511.1) | 30 days, with a written damage list (s.512) | 10 days, unless the lease shortens or waives it (s.501(b), (e)) | None in the law we read |
| Texas (5 Nov 2026) | None in the chapters we read (Prop. Code 92.101 to 92.113) | By the 30th day after the tenant surrenders the home, once a written forwarding address is given (92.103(a), 92.107) | Notice to vacate of at least 3 days, unless a written lease sets another period (24.005(a)) | None in chapters 91 and 92 |
| Virginia (5 Nov 2026) | 2 months’ rent (Va. Code 55.1-1226(A)) | 45 days, with an itemized notice (55.1-1226(A)) | 14 days after written notice, since 1 July 2026 (55.1-1245(F)) | None in the chapters we read |
| Washington (6 Nov 2026) | None in the chapter (RCW 59.18.260) | 30 days, with a full and specific statement (RCW 59.18.280) | 14 days, on the statutory form (RCW 59.12.030(3), 59.18.057) | None in the first 12 months, then 9.683% for 2026 and 10% for 2027 (RCW 59.18.700) |
No national rule sets a deposit deadline. Our page on how long a landlord has to return a deposit covers more states, and the guide to states with rent control explains where city and county caps apply.
The state guides, and what stands out in each
California
The most layered of the seven. After a tenant has lived in a unit lawfully for 12 months, most tenancies can end only for a cause the statute lists, and covered rents sit under the state cap. Cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland add their own lower caps. What a California landlord cannot do sets out each rule with its code section, who is exempt, and the claims you may see repeated on older pages.
Texas
Texas sets no limit on a deposit or on rent, and no notice period for entry or a rent increase. It is firm elsewhere: a late fee only after rent is unpaid two full days, a repair process built around a seven-day presumption, tight conditions on lockouts and utility cutoffs, and a six-month bar on retaliation. Our guide to Texas tenant rights and landlord duties takes them one by one.
Florida
Florida keeps most of its rules in one place, part II of chapter 83. There is no cap on deposits or rent, but the deadlines are short and easy to miss, and a lease can’t waive the act’s rights except where the act allows it. Florida landlord and tenant rules by topic includes what goes in or with a Florida lease.
Washington
In Washington, a landlord can end a tenancy only for a cause the statute lists, and rent can’t rise in the first 12 months. An increase takes 90 days’ written notice on the state’s form, and the chapter has no general small-landlord exemption, though some owners are exempt from the rent cap. Washington landlord-tenant law also compares Seattle’s and Tacoma’s extra rules.
Arizona
Arizona’s Residential Landlord and Tenant Act covers most home rentals, with two days’ notice to enter and 30 days’ notice to end a month-to-month tenancy. One duty sits outside the Act: an owner has to keep the rental on file with the county assessor. The guide to the Arizona Landlord Tenant Act includes its eviction steps and court timing.
Virginia
Virginia’s Act covers almost every rental in the state, and its coverage section has no small-landlord exemption. Late fees can’t exceed 10%, and routine maintenance needs 72 hours’ notice. Several sections now show more than one dated version, so the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act guide says when each rule starts.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania rests on the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, court decisions that make a livable home part of every residential lease, and in Philadelphia a layer of city rules. Our guide to Pennsylvania landlord and tenant law covers all three, plus two acts that take effect on 21 December 2026.
How eviction differs by state
The shape is the same everywhere we’ve read: a written notice, a court case, a judgment, and removal by a sheriff or other officer, never by the landlord alone. Our guide to the lawful eviction process explains that shape. The timing and the paperwork are where states part ways, and the state eviction guides take each step with its statute:
- Texas. Since 1 January 2026, under Senate Bill 38: notice to vacate, a sworn petition, trial 10 to 21 days after filing, five days to appeal, then a writ. With a three-day notice and no appeal, a little over three weeks. See the Texas eviction process after SB 38.
- Florida. A 3-day demand, a county court complaint, 5 days to respond, a judgment and a writ with 24 hours’ notice. If nobody contests and every office acts at once, a little over two weeks by our count. A tenant who answers and pays the rent into the court registry can get a hearing. See the Florida eviction process step by step.
- California. A notice, an unlawful detainer case in superior court, 10 court days for the tenant to respond, then a writ the sheriff carries out. The state courts say it can take 30 to 45 days or more from service of the court papers, and just cause decides whether a tenancy can end at all. See the California eviction process.
- Pennsylvania. A notice to quit, a district court hearing 7 to 15 days after filing, 10 days to appeal, and an order for possession. With a 10-day notice and no appeal, about 40 days at the earliest by our count. Philadelphia runs differently. See the Pennsylvania eviction process.
The Arizona, Virginia and Washington pages each cover their state’s eviction steps in a section of their own. In California, Texas, Florida, Washington and Virginia, the statutes we read bar a lockout or utility cutoff to force a tenant out, outside narrow exceptions, and some add damages. Pennsylvania’s Act has no such section, but the Attorney General’s guide says self-help eviction is prohibited, and in Philadelphia the court and the city say so too. If the person in the home never had permission to be there, read the squatter pages for California, Texas and Florida instead.
Dates to watch
- 21 December 2026, Pennsylvania: application fees must be reasonably related to actual costs, and a lease must say whether parking is provided and any fee.
- 1 January 2027, California: an eviction complaint must also state when and where the notice was served (CCP 1166).
- 2027, Washington: the rent cap is 10% for the year.
- 1 January and 1 July 2027, Virginia: further changes to the Act take effect.
- 31 July 2027, California: the current 8.1% to 8.8% state cap figures run to this date.
Your next step
Open your state’s page and find the rule you need, then check two things it can’t settle for you: whether your city adds its own rule, and whether your unit count or building type changes it. If your state isn’t here yet, don’t borrow another state’s figure. Read your state’s statute or ask the court clerk or your state’s consumer protection or housing agency.
If a notice has been served, a court date is set, or a lockout or shutoff has happened, that can’t wait: a tenant should contact the court and legal aid, and a landlord should talk to a lawyer before taking the next step.
Sources checked on 6 November 2026.
