Our Methodology for the 2026 Landlord vs. Tenant State Rankings

On our 1-5 scale, factors closer to 1 mean they’re more tenant-friendly, while state factors closer to 5 benefit landlords more. Each state’s final score is based on the weighted average of 10 important factors of current rental property law. Many of these factors can be verified via the relevant statutes, while others will vary widely on a case-by-case basis.

Here’s the full breakdown of this year’s “Landlord Tenant Friendliness Index”, including the 10 relevant factors, why we chose them, and how we weighted each one in the final verdict.

First, we came up with 10 ways to gauge landlord/tenant laws & protections

Within the active rental property laws and regulations of all 50 states, there are a number of common denominators that informed what we should focus on:

1. Formal Landlord/Tenant Act
   
   State governments can still provide core protections without a specific landlord/tenant act. For example, many states’ rules on eviction proceedings are in separate statutes.
   
   Many states feature a formal tenant/landlord act that covers most of the standard protections for all parties, as well as any penalties and enforcement tools. However, how far these protections go still varies considerably. Several of our ranking factors, like rules on security deposits or late fees, are found in these statutes.
   
2. Rent control/stabilization laws, or state preemption of them
   
   Most states don’t have rent control or stabilization laws, and in fact preempt local/city governments from passing them. But many of these cities still enforce additional ordinances unrelated to rent prices, strengthening rights through things like habitability standards or mandatory licensing.
   
3. Regulatory burdens like inspection or insurance mandates
   
   Lots of common regulatory requirements aren’t actually mandated at the state level, but from county or city governments (if at all). Since populations are concentrated in urban areas, these local-level ordinances still have a major impact. Chicago, New York City, and Seattle are some great examples.
   
4. Average eviction costs per state
   
   This includes filing paperwork, lawyers’ fees, and even soft costs like cleanup. Lost rent is far and away the costliest unknown, and most impactful in states with longer eviction timelines. An uncontested eviction in landlord-friendly states may cost a few hundred dollars, while a drawn-out, contested eviction in a tenant-friendly state could cost more than $10,000.
   
   Other than court filing costs at the county-level, public data for a lot of states’ eviction costs is hard to find, and there will be huge swings in these other expenses. The takeaway should be your mileage can and will vary.
   
5. Average eviction timelines
   
   Long, complicated evictions mean higher court costs and months of lost rent. Adding regulatory burdens, like dispute mediation or longer notice periods, also extend the timeline. The shortest evictions could average as few as 3-6 weeks, while the process in the most tenant-friendly states might last as long as 3 or 4 months.
   
6. Required notice periods for nonpayment, lease violations
   
   Landlords have to notify tenants of any payment/lease violations in advance before starting eviction proceedings. Nearly all states’ required notice periods for lease violations (averaging 2-4 weeks) are longer than in cases of nonpayment (as few as 3-5 days). There are even a couple states that don’t require any notification period, so landlords can start eviction proceedings for nonpaying tenants that same day.
   
7. Effective property tax rates per state
   
   We looked at the effective property tax rate because there are big differences between rural and urban counties, and many counties only tax a percentage of property value. Differences can illustrate how property value vs. the actual tax rate affects the total tax burden a landlord faces.
   
8. Squatter’s rights and adverse possession requirements
   
   While the stereotypical squatter may not conjure much of your sympathy, there are situations where these laws protect tenants and reestablish property lines. The length of time required varies wildly between states, with some granting possession in as few as 5 years with color of title, or as many as 60 years on land plots set aside for specific use.
   
9. Rules on security deposits
   
   This includes how much landlords can hold as the deposit as well as return windows. A maximum deposit of 1-2 months’ rent is common, although many states don’t enforce a formal cap. Instead, deposits deemed “unreasonable” can be contested. Tenant-friendly states may require that deposits are kept in interest-bearing savings accounts.
   
10. Rules on late fees
    
    Late fees are mostly dictated by lease terms, but like security deposits, tenants can contest “unreasonable” fees. When states do enforce a cap, it’s usually by a percentage of rent or specific dollar amounts.

Next, we placed them in 1 of 4 buckets based on their importance to landlord/tenant law

These broader categories, Legal, Evictions, Financial and Misc. are weighted according to how much they impact today’s rental property law, legal proceedings etc.

Category	Factors	Weight	Rationale	Primary Sources
Legal	Formal Landlord/Tenant Act Rent control or preemption Regulatory burdens	35%	This mostly relates to the degree of state-level control. Legal codes and statutes inform how the state regulates the industry for decades.	State law, government agency memos, county and city-level ordinances
Evictions	Eviction timelines Required notice periods Potential costs	35%	We weighted evictions similarly to legal statutes because they’re the most costly and visible pain point of rental property disputes.	State law, court filings, legal aid organizations
Financial	Security deposits Late fees Effective property tax rates	20%	What impacts risk and ROI for rental property management. High taxes increase holding costs, while fee caps and return windows impact flexibility in between leases.	State law, public tax data
Miscellaneous	Adverse Possession requirements Access to resources Enforcement tools	10%	Some states offer rental/eviction aid programs, or mandate tenant rights’ handbooks to keep renters informed and aware.	State law, government programs, nonprofit organizations

Finally, we created the formula for reaching our final score on the Landlord and Tenant Friendliness Index

With how we weighted each category, our final L.T.F.I. formula is as follows: (Eviction Avg × 0.35) + (Legal Avg × 0.35) + (Financial Avg × 0.2) + (Practical Avg × 0.1). Let’s plug in a state with wide-ranging scores, like Michigan’s, to see it in action.

With the averages of each category in place, the final formula looks like this: (4 × 0.35) + (4.3 × 0.35) + (3 × 0.2) + (Practical Avg = 3.5 × 0.1)

Michigan’s final score is the sum of these numbers, so 1.40 + 1.50 + .60 + .40 = 3.905

As states amend their rules and regulations each year, SoldFast will continue to reevaluate our formula to best represent all the complex elements of rental property law. Through emerging patterns or sudden shifts, we can better understand what drives the markets and people behind them.