About This Dataset
The RentSolve Landlord-Tenant Law Database was compiled from official state legislative codes across all 50 U.S. states and Washington D.C. to power the compliance engine inside RentSolve AI, an AI-powered property management platform for independent landlords.
We are making this dataset publicly available for researchers, journalists, policy analysts, legal aid organizations, and educators who need structured, machine-readable landlord-tenant law data. There is no comparable free, structured dataset available — most existing resources are either paywalled legal databases or unstructured text.
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). You may use, share, adapt, and build on this data for any purpose, including commercial, as long as you attribute RentSolve AI as the source.
RentSolve AI / TrueSolve LLC. (2025). U.S. Landlord-Tenant Law Database [Dataset]. Retrieved from https://rentsolve.ai/data. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Dataset Coverage: 9 Topic Categories
Data Schema
Each of the 459 records contains the following fields:
| Field | Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
id | integer | Unique record ID | 147 |
state | text | U.S. state or D.C. | Florida |
state_abbr | text | 2-letter state code | FL |
topic | text | Legal topic category | security_deposit |
subtopic | text | Specific rule within topic | return_deadline |
rule_summary | text | Plain-language description | Landlord must return deposit within 15–60 days after move-out |
specific_limit | text | Numerical value or timeframe | 15 days (no dispute) / 30 days (disputed) |
statute_citation | text | Official legal citation | Fla. Stat. § 83.49 |
statute_url | text | URL to official statute text | https://www.leg.state.fl.us/... |
last_updated | date | Date record was last verified | 2025-01-15 |
notes | text | Additional context or exceptions | Landlord who fails to return faces double damages |
Sample Data Preview (5 records)
| State | Topic | Subtopic | Rule Summary | Limit | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | security_deposit | max_amount | Security deposit cannot exceed 1 month's rent for unfurnished units (as of 2024 AB 12) | 1× rent | Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5 |
| Texas | security_deposit | return_deadline | Landlord must return deposit within 30 days after tenant vacates and provides forwarding address | 30 days | Tex. Prop. Code § 92.103 |
| New York | late_fee | max_amount | Late fee cannot exceed $50 or 5% of monthly rent, whichever is less | $50 or 5% | RPL § 238-a |
| Florida | landlord_entry | notice_period | Landlord must give 12 hours advance notice before entering for non-emergency repairs | 12 hours | Fla. Stat. § 83.53 |
| Oregon | rent_increase | notice_period | Landlord must give 90 days written notice before a rent increase in month-to-month tenancy | 90 days | ORS 90.323 |
Intended Use Cases
📊 Academic Research
Analyze how landlord-tenant law correlates with housing affordability, eviction rates, or renter stability across states. Ready for R, Python, or Stata.
📰 Investigative Journalism
Compare security deposit caps, eviction timelines, or rent control laws across states for data-driven housing reporting.
⚖️ Legal Aid Organizations
Provide fast, state-specific reference data to tenant advocates and legal aid attorneys without subscriptions to expensive legal databases.
🏛️ Policy Analysis
Benchmark state laws against national standards, identify policy gaps, or model the impact of proposed legislation changes.
🎓 Education
Law schools, real estate programs, and public policy courses can use this dataset for case studies, problem sets, and comparative law analysis.
💻 Product Development
Build compliance tools, legal chatbots, or property management software without building your own legal database from scratch.
Data Collection Methodology
Each statute in this database was compiled from official state legislative sources, including state legislature websites, official code publications, and administrative regulations. The process:
- Primary sources: All records cite official state codes (e.g., Florida Statutes, California Civil Code, Texas Property Code)
- Cross-reference: State-specific rules were cross-referenced against the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA) where applicable
- Verification: Each record includes a statute URL linking to the authoritative source text
- Updates: The dataset is reviewed quarterly and updated for legislative changes
Known limitations: Local ordinances (city and county level) are not included. The dataset reflects state law only. Some jurisdictions have highly active local housing laws (New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle) that may supersede state law. For local law research, consult the relevant municipal code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Data-Backed Articles
The following articles were written using data from this database. If you cite our data in your work, we'd love to know — email us and we'll add a link.
- Security Deposit Laws by State — Maximum Limits, Return Deadlines, Penalties
- Late Fee Laws by State — Maximum Charges and Grace Periods
- Landlord Right of Entry Laws by State
- Eviction Laws by State — Notice Requirements and Process
- Rent Increase Laws by State
- Required Landlord Disclosures by State
- Pet Deposit Laws by State
- Lease Renewal Laws by State
- Tenant Notice to Vacate Requirements by State
Contact for Research Inquiries
For research collaborations, data accuracy corrections, or questions about the dataset methodology, contact:
Kyle Shaddox — Founder, TrueSolve LLC / RentSolve AI
The Data Powering This Dataset Is Live in Our Product
RentSolve AI uses this same database to automatically flag compliance requirements in leases, warn landlords of state-specific risks, and generate state-compliant notices. Free for 1 unit.
Try RentSolve AI Free See the Compliance Assistant