What Landlords Need to Know About the Law in Nevada

Introduction

There are more notable landlord laws in Nevada than other states, so it’s important that, when investing in real estate there, you are up to date and fully informed on these rules and regulations. Below are some of the most important laws that landlords in Nevada should know.

Required Disclosures

The state of Nevada has a list of required notices that landlords must disclose to their tenants. Here are a few: 

• Landlords must provide a copy of the written rental agreement to the tenant along with any additional copies they request within a reasonable time frame, and any copies must be kept at a reasonable cost. 
• Landlords must disclose the name and address of people authorized to manage the premises 
• Landlords must provide a signed written receipt for the tenant’s security deposit. The tenant can ask for receipts for other payments including rent and other deposits or fees.
• The rental agreement must include descriptions of all required fees and deposits as well as the responsibilities of the landlord and tenant for utility charges.
• Rental agreements must include a summary of Nevada Public Nuisance law, which describes the punishment for causing or permitting a public nuisance.
• Landlords must include a signed record of the condition of the premises upon the tenant’s move-in. They also must disclose information for what procedures the tenants should follow when reporting health, safety, or building code violations. The landlord must disclose the tenant’s right to display the United States flag on their property, a disclosure unique to Nevada. 

Entry

Tenant privacy should be a primary concern for landlords. Many states have landlord entry laws to maintain renter privacy and limit when landlords can enter and for what purposes. 

In Nevada, landlords must give at least 24 hours’ notice for situations that call for advanced notice. For emergency circumstances, landlord entry without notice is allowed. 

Even with advanced notice, landlords can only enter the unit at reasonable times during normal business hours, unless the tenant explicitly consents otherwise. Landlords can enter the tenant’s unit for inspections, improvements, to supply services, or to conduct showings. 

Evictions

Nevada eviction laws are more complex than many other states, so it’s best to consult an attorney if you are in doubt when evicting a tenant.

For periodic tenancies (or tenancies that are less than 45 days), landlords can demand unpaid rent by sending a rent demand notice giving the tenant four days to pay or leave the property. After those four days, the landlord can begin eviction proceedings. For all other tenancies, the landlord can give the tenant seven days to pay or quit the unit after providing a rent demand notice.

For lease violations that aren’t severe, the tenant has five days to either remedy their violation or quit after the landlord gives them a notice for lease violation. If the violation is severe and incurable, the landlord does not need to issue a notice. 

Under the Nevada Uniform Controlled Substances Act, tenants who are conducting illegal drug activity in the unit have three days to leave the unit before the landlord starts the evictions proceedings. The notice does not allow any opportunity for the violation to be cured. 

If the tenant sublets against the landlord’s permission, carries out illegal business on the property, or causes injury to other tenants, the landlord can issue an unconditional notice to quit that is enacted immediately.

Rent and Fees

Nevada rent laws do not regulate application fees. There is also no statewide rent control in Nevada, though landlords are not allowed to increase rent charges without providing at least 60 days’ written notice (or 30 days’ notice for periodic tenancies that are less than one month). 

Late fees are limited to 5% of the monthly rent, and Nevada also has a mandatory grace period of three days. This means that rent is not officially “late” (and no late fees can be charged) until at least three days after the original due date.

Tenants in Nevada also have certain remedies provided by the law. A tenant suffering from uninhabitable conditions due to the landlord’s negligence can deliver a written notice, detail the issues, and request that the landlord remedy the condition within two weeks. If the landlord does not comply, the tenant can immediately terminate the lease agreement and recover damages. The tenant can withhold rent without notice if the landlord fails to try to remedy the condition of their unit after receiving notice from a governmental agency. 

Nevada also upholds the repair and deduct remedy. If the landlord does not keep the unit in habitable condition and the repair costs are less than $100 or one month’s rent (whichever is greater), the tenant can arrange for the repair to be done by a professional and deduct the cost from rent. The tenant must first give notice to their landlord and send them an itemized statement of the work order.

Conclusion

Landlord tenant laws in Nevada are in place to keep landlords and tenants safe. When dealing with someone’s housing, maintaining fairness and equity should always be in your mind, and state real estate laws exist to keep everyone on track in doing so.