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

In Louisiana, a tenant in a building of six or more units who asserts in writing that the tenant or a household member is a domestic abuse victim and gives the landlord a Uniform Abuse Prevention Order or a sworn Certification of Domestic Abuse can end the lease on a mutually agreed date within 30 days of the written request. The documentation must show an act of domestic abuse battery on the leased premises within the past thirty days; for stalking or cyberstalking that did not occur on the premises, the tenant gives a written declaration of why living there may threaten the victim’s safety. The Certification of Domestic Abuse must be signed under oath by a qualified third party: a licensed clinical social worker employed by a state-contracted shelter, a licensed professional counselor, or a prosecuting attorney or investigating officer involved in the case. The tenant must also state in writing that the tenant will not knowingly let the offender into the unit, must otherwise meet the lease’s requirements, and, if the landlord asks, must give the offender’s name and address. The tenant must vacate by the termination date to avoid future rent, owes only rent through that date and earlier obligations, payable on or before move-out, and the landlord may keep the deposit only for reasons R.S. 9:3251 allows. When there are several tenants on the lease, the whole lease ends on the agreed date. The landlord is entitled to an immediate eviction of the offender on presenting the documentation to the court. A lease may not limit or penalize calling the police or emergency help in an emergency or after domestic abuse on the premises. A landlord may not refuse to rent to a qualified applicant who provides documentation solely because the applicant or a household member is a domestic abuse victim, and may not terminate, fail to renew or evict because domestic abuse against a tenant or household member occurred on the premises, unless the offender’s continued presence leads to additional violent disturbances that threaten safety. The section does not apply to buildings of fewer than six units, or of ten or fewer units when the owner lives in one. This is La. R.S. 9:3261.1.

WhatLouisiana
Ending the lease earlyWritten request with a protective order or certification

What the statute says

“If the lessee requests early termination of the lease agreement, the lessor shall terminate the lease agreement as a matter of law on a mutually agreed-upon date within thirty days of the written request for accommodation.”

Quoted word for word from the section’s text.

Source

La. R.S. 9:3261.1

Read the statute in the Louisiana Laws (Louisiana State Legislature): legis.la.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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