Can a domestic violence victim end a lease early in Kentucky?

In Kentucky, a tenant protected by a domestic violence order or interpersonal protective order may end the lease with written notice effective at least 30 days after the landlord receives it, together with a copy of the order. A tenant who already had the order before signing the lease must also show the landlord a safety concern that arose after the lease was signed. The tenant owes rent prorated to the termination date, payable when it would have been due, and may not be charged other rent or fees, or given a negative credit entry or character reference, because of the early termination; ending the lease 14 or more days before occupancy carries no damages or penalties. The person restrained by the order is civilly liable to the landlord for the landlord’s economic losses from the early termination, and an excluded restrained person remains liable for rent. After telling the landlord, a protected tenant may rekey or replace the lock at the tenant’s own expense and must give the landlord a key on request, and the landlord may refuse a key to the restrained person even if that person is on the lease. A landlord may not terminate, fail to renew, refuse to rent to, or retaliate against a person because of protected-tenant status. The tenancy continues for any remaining tenants. The section applies to leases created or renewed on or after June 29, 2017. This is KRS 383.300.

WhatKentucky
Ending the lease early30 days’ written notice with a protective order

What the statute says

“Written notice of termination to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least thirty (30) days after the landlord’s receipt of the notice; and 2. A copy of the valid protective order.”

Quoted word for word from the section’s text.

Source

KRS 383.300

Read the statute in the Kentucky Revised Statutes (Kentucky General Assembly): apps.legislature.ky.gov.

Checked against the statute on November 15, 2026.

This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.

How Seayora uses this rule

Seayora keeps every lease’s term, rent and signers in one record and dates every change to it. This page states the state’s rule so a lease’s own early-termination and sublet clauses can be checked against it before the lease is signed.

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