State Of Alaska Landlord Tenant Handbook 2015
Landlord and Tenant Information. The lawyer referral service may be able to refer you to a lawyer in your area. To file a claim for damages of $10,000 or less without a lawyer, you can file in Small Claims Court. The Alaska Court System publication, Alaska Small Claims Handbook, explains how to file a small claims action in court.
Both landlords and tenants should be able to deal with many legal questions and problems without a lawyer, once they understand the basics of state law. This overview of key landlord-tenant laws in Alaska will get you started.
Required Landlord Disclosures in Alaska
Under Alaska law, landlords must make specific disclosures to tenants (usually in the lease or rental agreement), such as the name and address of the person authorized to manage the premises.
Alaska Security Deposit Limit and Return
Alaska state law limits how much a landlord can charge for a security deposit (two months’ rent, unless the monthly rent exceeds $2,000), when it must be returned (within 14 days after a tenant moves if the tenant has given proper notice to end the tenancy or 30 days if the tenant has not), and sets other restrictions on deposits.
Small Claims Lawsuits in Alaska
Tenants can sue landlords in small claims court for the return of their deposit, up to a dollar amount of $10,000.
Alaska Late Fees and Other Rent Rules
State law regulates several rent-related issues in Alaska, including late and bounced-check fees, the amount of notice (at least 30 days in Alaska) landlords must give tenants to raise the rent, and how much time (seven days in Alaska) a tenant has to pay rent or move before a landlord can file for eviction.
Tenant Rights to Withhold Rent in Alaska
Tenants may withhold rent or exercise the right to “repair and deduct” if a landlord fails to take care of important repairs, such as a broken heater.
Alaska Termination and Eviction Rules
State laws specify when and how a landlord may terminate a tenancy. For example, a landlord may give an Alaska tenant who has been involved in specified illegal activity on the premises an unconditional quit notice that gives the tenant five days (in some cases, as few as 24 hours) to move out before the landlord can file for eviction.
Landlord Access to Rental Property, Tenant Protection Against Retaliation, and Other State Laws in Alaska
Several other landlord-tenant laws in Alaska affect both property owners and renters, including:
- restrictions on landlord’s right to access rental property (Alaska landlords must provide 24 hours’ notice of entry)
- tenant protections against landlord retaliation for tenant exercising a legal right, such as complaining about an unsafe living condition
- special protections for tenants who are victims of domestic violence
- procedures for how landlords must handle abandoned property left behind by tenants, and
- fair housing rights (discrimination is also prohibited by federal and, often, local law).
Where to Find Alaska Landlord-Tenant Statutes
If you want to read the text of a law itself, such as state security deposit rules, you’ll find citations in many of the articles and charts included on the Nolo site. If you just want to browse through the Alaska landlord-tenant law, you can find state statutes at Ala. Code § § 35-9-1 to 35-9-100; 35-9A-101 to 35-9A-603. You can search the table of contents for the landlord-tenant statutes. Or, if you don’t know the exact statute number, you can enter a keyword that is likely to be in it, such as “nonpayment of rent.” To access your state law, check out the state section of the Library of Congress’s legal research site.
Local Ordinances Affecting Alaska Landlords and Tenants
Cities and counties often pass local ordinances, such as health and safety standards, noise and nuisance regulations, and antidiscrimination rules that affect landlords and tenants. Many municipalities have websites —just search for the name of a particular city in Alaska and then do a search when you’re on the site.
State and Local Government on the Net and Municode are good sources for finding local governments online. Also, your local public library or office of the city attorney, mayor, or city or county manager can provide information on local ordinances that affect landlords and tenants in Alaska.
Federal Landlord-Tenant Laws and Regulations
While most landlords and tenants will primarily be concerned with state law in Alaska, several federal laws come into play. Congress has enacted laws, and federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have adopted regulations, covering discrimination and landlord responsibilities to disclose environmental health hazards, such as lead-based paint.
Alaska Landlord Tenant Law
The U.S. Code is the starting place for most federal statutory research. It consists of 50 separate numbered titles, each covering a specific subject matter. Most federal regulations are published in the Code of Federal Regulations (“CFR”), also organized by subject into 50 separate titles. To access the U.S. Code and Code of Federal Regulations online, see the federal section of the Library of Congress’s legal research site. Also, check USA.gov, the official U.S. website for government information.
Nolo Resources on Legal Research and Landlord-Tenant Law
Nolo’s Laws and Legal Research page includes links to state and federal laws, explains how to research and understand statutes, and provides advice on finding local ordinances and court cases, including Supreme Court cases. To go further, check out Legal Research: How to Find & Understand the Law, by Stephen Elias and the Editors of Nolo (Nolo). This nontechnical book gives easy-to-use, step-by-step instructions on how find legal information.
You’ll also find a wealth of information in Nolo books, such as Every Landlord’s Legal Guide and Every Tenant’s Legal Guide.
Related Articles
The Alaska Landlord and Tenant Act defines the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. A landlord is the property owner or the agent of the property owner and the tenant is the person who rents the dwelling. The Act applies to the rental of a residence, including a house, apartment, condo or mobile home.
Eviction
Q video player. An eviction is the lawful removal of a tenant from a dwelling. Alaska law requires the landlord to give the tenant notice of the termination prior to evicting the tenant. If the tenant refuses to move, the landlord can begin the eviction process by filing a 'Notice to Quit' with the court.
Termination
A landlord may terminate a tenancy without cause (only on a month-to-month lease, and after giving the tenant a 30-day notice) or for cause. In Alaska, a landlord may terminate a tenancy for cause for failure to pay rent, purposeful infliction of damage to the dwelling, engaging in illegal activity, failure to pay for utilities, breach of duties or abandonment.
Winter Eviction
A landlord can evict a tenant living in an apartment, house or condo at any time, even in the winter. If the tenant lives in a mobile home, the law prohibits a landlord from evicting the tenant between October 15 and May 1.