What Nevada landlord-tenant law covers
NRS chapter 118A, Nevada’s landlord and tenant law for dwellings, governs apartment leases: deposits, fees, entry, repairs, rent increases and the duties of each side. The notice periods for ending a tenancy and the summary eviction process are in NRS chapter 40, sections 40.251 to 40.254.
The two chapters work together. A notice that does not meet chapter 40 can sink an eviction, and a lease clause that breaks chapter 118A cannot be enforced. Summary eviction cases are filed in justice court or district court, and the court’s order is carried out by the sheriff or constable.
Nevada landlord-tenant rules at a glance
The table covers the rules apartment owners use most, as of October 2026.
| Rule | Nevada requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ending a month-to-month tenancy | 30 days’ written notice | NRS 40.251 |
| Ending a week-to-week tenancy | 7 days’ notice | NRS 40.251 |
| Nonpayment of rent | 7 judicial days to pay or move out | NRS 40.2512, 40.253 |
| Security deposit cap | 3 months’ rent, including last month’s rent and any surety bond | NRS 118A.242 |
| Deposit return | 30 days after the tenancy ends, with an itemized accounting | NRS 118A.242 |
| Late fees | Up to 5% of periodic rent, not before 3 calendar days after rent is due | NRS 118A.210 |
| Entry notice | At least 24 hours, during normal business hours, except emergencies | NRS 118A.330 |
| Rent increase notice | 60 days in writing (30 days for periods under a month) | NRS 118A.300 |
How much notice does a landlord have to give in Nevada?
Thirty days to end a month-to-month tenancy and 7 days for week-to-week, under NRS 40.251. A 5-day notice applies when a tenant fails to meet basic or contractual obligations.
Some tenants can ask for more time. A tenant who is 60 or older, or who has a physical or mental disability, may request an extra 30 days on a periodic tenancy other than week-to-week, with a written request and proof. Federal, tribal or state workers affected by a government shutdown can also ask to stay until 30 days after it ends. Your notice must tell tenants about these rights.
Security deposits in Nevada
A Nevada landlord can collect up to three months’ periodic rent as a deposit, counting last month’s rent and any surety bond toward the total. That leaves owners room to ask for more from an applicant with a thin rental history, as long as the total stays within three months.
Within 30 days after the tenancy ends, you must return the deposit with an itemized written accounting of any deductions. A landlord who fails to do so can be liable for the entire deposit plus up to the same amount again as damages set by the court.
Late fees and landlord entry
Late fees are allowed if the lease provides for them, but under NRS 118A.210 a fee may not exceed 5% of the periodic rent. For any tenancy longer than week-to-week, you cannot charge it until at least three calendar days after rent is due.
Before entering, you must give at least 24 hours’ notice except in an emergency, and you may enter only at reasonable times during normal business hours unless the tenant agrees otherwise, under NRS 118A.330.
The summary eviction process in Nevada
Most Nevada residential evictions use the summary eviction process in NRS 40.253 for nonpayment and NRS 40.254 for other cases. It is fast because the tenant, not the landlord, has to go to court first to stop it.
For nonpayment, you serve a notice to pay rent or quit giving the tenant until the close of business on the seventh judicial day after service. Judicial days exclude weekends and court holidays. If rent is paid weekly or more often and the tenancy is 45 days old or less, the deadline is noon on the fourth full day. The notice must explain the tenant’s right to file an affidavit contesting it.
If the tenant neither pays, moves nor files an affidavit, you file your own affidavit with the justice court. The court can order the sheriff or constable to post an order within 24 hours of receiving it, and the tenant is removed no earlier than 24 hours and no later than 36 hours after posting. If the tenant files an affidavit, the court holds a hearing; if there is no legal defense it can order removal, and if there is one, the case moves to a formal unlawful detainer action.
- Serve the 7-judicial-day notice to pay rent or quit.
- Day 8 (judicial): if no payment, move-out or tenant affidavit, file the landlord’s affidavit.
- Court order posted within 24 hours of receipt by the sheriff or constable.
- Lockout 24 to 36 hours after posting.
- If the tenant files an affidavit: hearing, then removal order or formal case.
Before you serve a Nevada eviction notice
Summary eviction moves fast, so a defect in the notice usually means starting over. Check these points first.
- Count judicial days, not calendar days: skip weekends and court holidays.
- Use the shorter weekly deadline only if rent is paid weekly or more often and the tenancy is 45 days old or less.
- State the tenant’s right to file an affidavit with the court before the deadline, and name the court.
- For a no-cause termination, include the notice of the extra 30 days available to tenants 60 or older or with a disability.
- Serve in person if you can; otherwise post and mail the notice and deliver a copy to the sheriff or constable, as NRS 40.253 allows.
- Keep a copy of the notice and proof of service for your affidavit.
Evictions for other reasons
For a no-cause termination or another unlawful detainer, the tenancy must first end under the right notice, such as 30 days for month-to-month. If the tenant stays, you serve a summary eviction notice under NRS 40.254 that gives the tenant until the close of business on the fifth judicial day to file an affidavit or to ask for a stay of up to 10 days. The same posting and lockout steps then follow.
If the tenant is found guilty of certain controlled-substance violations at a contested hearing, the court can award the landlord reasonable attorney’s fees.
Does Nevada have rent control?
No. NRS chapter 118A sets no limit on how much rent can rise. It regulates notice only: a landlord must give 60 days’ written notice before the first payment at a higher rent, or 30 days for a periodic tenancy shorter than a month, under NRS 118A.300.
For an apartment buyer, that means rent growth in Las Vegas or Reno is set by the market and the lease terms, not a statutory cap. Leases still bind the buyer for their terms, so a below-market lease runs until it expires or the 60-day increase notice takes effect.
What happens to leases and deposits when you sell
Leases survive a sale in Nevada. The buyer takes the building subject to existing leases and becomes the landlord on the same terms.
NRS 118A.244 spells out the deposit steps. Within a reasonable time after your interest ends, you must either transfer each remaining deposit to the buyer and notify the tenant in writing of the buyer’s name, address and phone number, or return the deposit to the tenant. Before the deed is recorded, you must transfer the deposits to the buyer in writing or notify the buyer in writing that they were returned. The buyer must accept the deposits and cannot require a new deposit during the lease term, and under NRS 118A.349 the new owner must notify tenants within 30 days after a voluntary sale.
Nevada landlord-tenant laws added in 2025
The 2025 Legislature added several sections to NRS chapter 118A. These are the ones an apartment owner should build into leases and office procedures.
- NRS 118A.303: offer at least one way to pay rent with no fee and no need to share bank account information; online portal fees cannot exceed the portal operator’s own fee and must be listed separately in the lease.
- NRS 118A.306: refund application, credit and background check fees if you rent the unit to someone else without doing that screening; no screening fees for minors in the applicant’s household.
- NRS 118A.327: tenants may display religious or cultural items on their entry door or doorframe, within size and safety limits.
- NRS 118A.332: at properties with more than 50 units on a parcel in counties of 100,000 or more people, or more than 30 units in smaller counties, written key policies, a key log and criminal background checks for staff with key access.
- NRS 118A.235: give a prospective tenant a copy of the written rental agreement on request.
Selling a tenant-occupied Nevada building to Skyline
Skyline buys apartment buildings with five or more units in Nevada, with tenants in place, in Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Reno and Sparks. We buy directly, close on your timeline, and can work inside 1031 deadlines. We handle the deposit transfer and written notices at closing so your deposit obligations pass to us under NRS 118A.244.
For the tax side of a sale, see Nevada capital gains tax on real estate, and for the carrying cost a buyer will weigh, the property tax rate in Nevada.
