Federal laws every new landlord should know

Fair housing

42 U.S. Code 3604 covers refusing to rent and discriminating in the terms or conditions of a rental because of race, color, religion, sex, familial status or national origin. Familial status covers families with children. The same section includes disability rules, such as allowing reasonable modifications and accommodations in certain cases.

In practice: write screening criteria first, apply them to every applicant, keep the records, and keep ads about the home, not about the kind of person you want. Many states and cities add protected groups, such as source of income, so check where your property is.

Lead-based paint disclosure

The EPA says that before a renter signs a lease for housing built before 1978, a landlord must:

• Give the renter EPA's pamphlet on identifying and controlling lead-based paint hazards.
• Disclose any known lead-based paint or hazards and where they are.
• Provide available records and reports on lead in the unit, including common areas in multi unit buildings.
• Include a lead warning statement in the lease.
• Keep a signed copy of the disclosures for three years after the lease begins.

A paint inspection is not required, but a renter may ask for one from a certified inspector before signing. Read the EPA page for the current wording.

What your state and city add

Everything that makes a lease work day to day is local. A short list to look up before you write a lease:

• How much security deposit you may collect and when you must return it.
• How much notice a rent increase or a lease end needs.
• Late fee limits and grace periods.
• Required disclosures in the lease.
• Entry notice before you visit the unit.
• City rental registration and inspections.

Our state guides cover these one state at a time. Start with the security deposit limits and deadlines guide.

Keep proof you followed the rules

Example a made-up landlord signs a lease for a 1965 house on March 1. The signed lead disclosure form is dated March 1 and kept in the property folder. If a question comes up in two years, the form is a single click away. Without it, the landlord has only memory.

Do the same for the screening criteria, the applications and the denials. The IRS recordkeeping rules are separate, but the habit of one folder per property serves both.

A one page habit list

• Write screening criteria before you list the home, and use them for every applicant.
• Describe the home and its features in ads, not the kind of tenant you want.
• Keep lead paint forms for pre-1978 homes in the property folder for the required three years.
• Look up your state and city rules for deposits, notices and registration before the lease is written.

These habits take an afternoon to set up. After that, each new tenant follows the same path, and each file looks the same, which makes it easy to show that you followed the rules. If a situation does not fit the list, ask your own attorney before you act.

How DoorKeeping handles it

DoorKeeping stores each lease, disclosure and notice under the property and e-signs leases and renewal offers, so the proof is in one place. DoorKeeping gives no legal advice: it files and drafts, and you check your state and approve anything that goes out.

Tenants pay rent to your own bank account by bank transfer, free from DoorKeeping, and DoorKeeping marks rent paid when the deposit matches.

Sources

1. 42 U.S. Code 3604, Discrimination in the sale or rental of housing, Cornell Law School, read Oct 30, 2026
2. Real estate disclosure of lead-based paint, EPA, read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

What federal law applies to landlords?

The Fair Housing Act applies to almost all rentals, and the lead paint disclosure applies to housing built before 1978.

Does fair housing law apply to a small landlord?

Often yes. Some limited exemptions exist and vary, so ask an attorney before relying on one.

Are deposits and eviction rules federal?

No. Those come from your state and sometimes your city.