Lexington, KY Rental Inspections: Tenant Complaint Process (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code of Ordinances § 12-55
- Protected act
- Complaint to code agency on health/safety
- Presumption window
- 1 year before landlord's adverse act
- Tenant remedy
- Up to 3 months' rent + attorney's fees
- Statute adopted
- Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (§12-54)
Summary
Kentucky's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, adopted locally under Sec. 12-54, bars a Lexington landlord from raising rent, cutting services or filing an eviction after a tenant complains to a code enforcement agency about a health-or-safety violation.
Except as provided in this section, a landlord may not retaliate by increasing rent or decreasing services or by bringing or threatening to bring an action for possession after: The tenant has complained to a governmental agency charged with responsibility for enforcement of a building or housing code of a violation applicable to the premises materially affecting health and safety;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Republication | Zoning Ordinance: Republication).
Full Breakdown
Lexington-Fayette adopted the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act by ordinance at Sec. 12-54, and Sec. 12-55 spells out the retaliation protection tenants get once they've complained. 595, or joined a tenants' union. The section builds in a rebuttable presumption favoring the tenant: a complaint made within one year before the landlord's adverse act creates a presumption of retaliation, meaning the landlord must produce evidence to rebut it, unless the tenant complained only after already being notified of a rent increase or service cut. The protection isn't absolute, a landlord can still pursue eviction if the code violation was caused by the tenant's own lack of care, if the tenant is behind on rent, or if fixing the violation would require alterations that would force the tenant out anyway.
If a landlord unlawfully shuts off essential services like heat, water or electricity to push a tenant out, the tenant can recover possession or terminate the lease and collect up to three months' rent plus attorney's fees.
Violations & Fines
A tenant who proves retaliation gets the remedies in Sec. 12-55(5): if the landlord unlawfully cuts off heat, water, electricity or another essential service, the tenant may recover possession or terminate the lease, plus recover an amount up to three months' periodic rent and reasonable attorney's fees, with any prepaid rent returned if the lease ends.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my landlord raise my rent because I complained about code violations?
Is there any situation where my landlord can still evict me after I complain?
What can I recover if my landlord shuts off my utilities?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lexington
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