Nevada Landlord-Tenant Law for DIY Landlords (2026)

Security deposits, the 5 percent late fee cap, 60-day rent increase notice, the 7 judicial day pay-or-quit and the summary eviction timeline in Nevada, in plain English for landlords who manage their own rentals.

Last updated September 23, 2026

Nevada is unusual. In a summary eviction for unpaid rent, the tenant has to make the first move in court, not you. Lawmakers tried to flip that in 2025 with AB 283. Governor Lombardo vetoed it in June 2025, so the old order still stands.

Most of the rest of the rules live in NRS Chapter 118A. Here is what a small Nevada landlord has to get right, with the section behind each rule.

Security deposits

The cap is three months' rent. That total counts everything you hold as security, including last month's rent and any surety bond, added together (NRS 118A.242(1)).

A tenant can offer a surety bond instead. You have to agree to it. The bond covers unpaid rent, damage and cleaning, same as cash would (NRS 118A.242(2)).

You have 30 days after the tenancy ends. Send an itemized written accounting of what you kept and why, and return the rest inside that window (NRS 118A.242(4)).

Three things come out of a deposit. Unpaid rent, damage the tenant caused beyond normal wear, and reasonable cleaning costs. Nothing else (NRS 118A.242(4)).

Miss the deadline and it gets expensive. A landlord who fails to return the deposit on time is liable for the whole deposit plus a further sum set by the court, up to the amount of the deposit again (NRS 118A.242(6)).

Give a receipt if asked. Written, signed, for the deposit and for any other payment or fee the tenant makes (NRS 118A.250).

Nevada does not require you to park the deposit in a separate escrow account. No statute in Chapter 118A sets one up for ordinary landlords. Keeping it in its own account is still the cleanest way to prove you held it.

Late fees

No fee for the first three days. On any tenancy longer than week to week, a late fee cannot be charged until at least 3 calendar days after rent was due (NRS 118A.210).

The cap is 5 percent of the periodic rent. On $1,800 rent, that is $90, full stop (NRS 118A.210).

No stacking. You cannot raise the maximum fee based on a late fee you charged before (NRS 118A.210).

Put it in the agreement. A written rental agreement has to spell out the charges for late or partial rent and for a returned check (NRS 118A.200).

Rent increases and rent control

Sixty days' written notice. The notice goes out at least 60 days before the first raised payment. On a periodic tenancy shorter than a month, 30 days (NRS 118A.300).

Nevada sets no cap on how much you can raise rent, and no Nevada city runs rent control. There is no rent control preemption statute we could confirm in Chapter 118, so the notice period is the real constraint here.

Entering the unit

Twenty-four hours' notice. Give at least a day's notice and come at a reasonable time during normal business hours, except in an emergency. The tenant cannot unreasonably refuse entry for repairs, inspections or showings (NRS 118A.330).

Ending a month-to-month tenancy

Thirty days' written notice on a month-to-month. Seven days on a week-to-week (NRS 40.251).

Older and disabled tenants can ask for 30 more days. A tenant 60 or older, or one with a physical or mental disability, may request an extra 30 days in writing with proof (NRS 40.251).

Then a second notice. After the termination notice runs out and the tenant stays, you serve a further notice giving them until the fifth judicial day after service to leave before you can ask the court for an order (NRS 40.254).

When rent isn't paid

Serve a 7 judicial day pay-or-quit notice. It demands the past due rent or the return of the unit by the seventh judicial day after service (NRS 40.2512, NRS 40.253(1)).

Judicial days skip weekends and court holidays, so seven judicial days usually runs longer than a calendar week and a half. Service follows NRS 40.280.

The summary eviction timeline

Serve the notice. Seven judicial days for unpaid rent, five judicial days after a terminated tenancy (NRS 40.253, NRS 40.254).
The tenant answers first, or doesn't. A tenant who claims the rent was paid or that no default exists files an affidavit with the justice court before close of business on the last day in the notice (NRS 40.253(3)).
You file. If nothing is filed and the tenant is still there, you file an affidavit of complaint for eviction with the justice court (NRS 40.253(5)).
Order for removal. If the tenant filed an affidavit, the court holds a hearing. If not, the court can issue the order on your paperwork (NRS 40.253).
The lockout. The constable or sheriff removes the tenant not earlier than 24 hours and not later than 36 hours after the order is posted (NRS 40.253).

Never do it yourself. Changing the locks, hauling out belongings or cutting the power or water to push a tenant out is unlawful exclusion, and the tenant can go to court over it (NRS 118A.390).

No payback evictions. Nevada bars retaliating against a tenant for complaining to a code agency or exercising a right under Chapter 118A (NRS 118A.510).

Repairs and habitability

You keep the unit fit to live in. Weatherproof roof and walls, working plumbing, hot and cold water, heating, electrical, air conditioning where you supply it, sound floors and stairs, and rubbish removal (NRS 118A.290).

The tenant's clock is 14 days. A tenant gives written notice of the problem. If you fix it, or make your best effort to fix it, within 14 days, they cannot go further. If you don't, they can end the agreement, sue for damages or ask a court for relief (NRS 118A.355).

Repair and deduct is capped. After the same 14-day notice, a tenant can have small work done and take it off the rent. Your exposure is $100 or one month's rent, whichever is greater, in any 12-month period (NRS 118A.360).

Heat, water and power are their own category. Fail to supply heat, air conditioning, running water, hot water, electricity, gas or a working door lock and the tenant gets faster remedies (NRS 118A.380).

The short version

Deposit cap of 3 months' rent, counting last month's rent and any bond
Itemized accounting and refund within 30 days, or you owe up to double
No late fee for 3 calendar days, then a 5 percent of rent cap
60 days' written notice for a rent increase
24 hours' notice to enter
30 days to end a month-to-month, plus a 5 judicial day notice after
7 judicial day pay-or-quit before any eviction filing
The tenant files the first affidavit, then you file yours

Let Taz handle the paperwork

Taz is an AI property manager for landlords who would rather not count judicial days by hand. It tracks the 30-day deposit deadline, holds late fees to the cap, sends rent reminders, takes maintenance calls at any hour, and keeps the records a Nevada justice court would ask for. See how Taz works.

Where this guide says a state has no rule on something, that means we found no statute setting one, which is not the same as none existing. Local ordinances and court practice can add requirements. Confirm anything you plan to rely on.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and your city or county may add rules. Talk to a Nevada attorney before acting on a specific situation. Last checked September 2026.