Arkansas was long the only state with no implied warranty of habitability. A 2021 law (Ark. Code 18-17-502) now imposes minimum standards for leases entered or renewed after Nov. 1, 2021, but the tenant's sole remedy is to give written notice, allow 30 days to cure, then terminate and recover the deposit.
Until 2021 Arkansas recognized no statewide warranty of habitability. Ark. Code 18-17-502, effective for leases 'entered into or renewed after November 1, 2021,' now requires the landlord to provide hot and cold running water, an available source of electricity, potable drinking water, a sanitary sewer system and conforming plumbing, a functioning roof and building envelope, and a functioning heating and air-conditioning system 'to the extent the heating and air conditioning system served the premises.' The remedy is narrow: a tenant must deliver written notice of noncompliance, and if the landlord does not cure within 'thirty (30) calendar days after receiving the notice,' the tenant's 'sole remedy shall be to terminate the lease... without penalty and receive a refund of any security deposit recoverable.' No rent-withholding or repair-and-deduct right exists.
No specific statutory penalty. The statute creates no fine, no repair-and-deduct, and no rent-withholding right; a tenant's only remedy for an uncured violation is lease termination plus deposit refund under Ark. Code 18-17-502.
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