NE · Researched October 7, 2026
Nebraska follows the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. Deposits are capped at one month's rent plus a pet deposit of up to a quarter month and must be returned within 14 days. Nonpayment needs a 7-day notice, entry needs 24 hours' written notice, and eviction trials are held 10 to 14 days after the summons issues.
Nebraska's broker definition includes negotiating rentals or leases and collecting rents for others for pay. Third-party managers need a broker license or must work as salespersons under a broker unless an exemption applies.
Owners and lessors and their regular employees for property they own or lease (not as a leasing business); resident managers who live on site and lease units as part of their job; employees, parents, children, brothers, or sisters of the owner, and employees of a licensed broker, who manage rental property for the owner; attorneys-in-fact and attorneys; court-appointed fiduciaries; public officials.
Each active broker must keep a separate insured checking trust account in Nebraska, report it to the commission, and allow annual examination. If the account earns interest, the interest may go only to approved nonprofit housing groups, and all parties must agree.
A landlord may not collect security above one month's periodic rent, however it is labeled. A separate pet deposit of up to one-fourth of a month's rent is allowed. Housing agencies are exempt.
Apply the deposit to unpaid rent and damages from the tenant's noncompliance, then deliver or mail the balance and a written itemization within 14 days. If the tenant gave no address, mail it to the last known address; unclaimed funds go to the State Treasurer after a year. Missing the deadline lets the tenant recover the amount due plus costs and attorney fees, and willful bad faith adds up to one month's rent or twice the deposit, whichever is less.
The deposit statute sets no interest or holding account rule. Whoever holds the landlord's interest when the tenancy ends is bound by the return rules, so pass deposits along on a sale. A licensed broker holding tenant money must still use a trust account.
Nebraska's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Neb. Rev. Stat. 76-1401 to 76-1449) has no late fee section. Put any fee in the written lease and keep it reasonable. A lease may not make the tenant pay the landlord's attorney fees.
Nebraska's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act has no application or screening fee section. Screening must still follow the Nebraska Fair Housing Act.
The Landlord and Tenant Act has no rent increase notice section. During a lease, follow its terms. For a month-to-month tenancy, the safe course is written notice at least 30 days before the rental date when the new rent starts, the same notice needed to end the tenancy.
Nebraska's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act does not regulate rent amounts. We did not find a state law that expressly preempts local rent control, so check city ordinances.
If rent is unpaid when due, give written notice of nonpayment and your intent to terminate if rent is not paid within 7 calendar days. If the tenant does not pay, you may end the rental agreement and file for possession.
For a material breach or a health and safety violation, give written notice that the agreement ends in at least 30 days unless the breach is fixed within 14 days. A repeat within 6 months allows a 14-day termination notice. For violent criminal activity, illegal drug sales, or other conduct threatening health or safety, you may give 5 days' written notice with no right to cure, subject to exceptions for victims.
Either side may end a month-to-month tenancy with written notice given at least 30 days before the periodic rental date named in the notice. Willful holdover can cost up to three months' rent or three times actual damages, plus attorney fees.
File a complaint for restitution stating the statutory basis and the notice given. The summons must be served within 3 days of issuance (excluding nonjudicial days), and trial is held 10 to 14 days after the summons issues, without a jury. If you win, the writ of restitution restores possession on a date no more than 10 days after it issues.
Give written notice describing the property, any storage costs, where to claim it, and the deadline: at least 7 days after personal delivery or 14 days after mailing. Unclaimed property must be sold at a public sale after published notice, unless you reasonably believe it is worth less than $2,000, in which case you may keep or dispose of it. Unclaimed sale proceeds go to the State Treasurer.
Except in emergencies or when impracticable, give at least 24 hours' written notice to each unit stating the purpose and a reasonable time window, and enter only at reasonable times. Entry may be to inspect, repair, supply services, or show the unit. Do not use access to harass the tenant.
After written or actual notice, comply with minimum housing codes affecting health and safety, make repairs to keep the unit fit and habitable, keep common areas clean and safe, maintain supplied systems and appliances, provide trash receptacles, and supply running water, hot water, and reasonable heat. For a single-family home, the tenant can take on some duties by a written agreement made in good faith.
At or before the start of the tenancy, disclose in writing the name and address of the manager and of an owner or agent for service of process and notices, and keep it current. A manager who does not disclose is treated as the landlord. You may ask the tenant to name a person allowed to collect belongings if the tenant dies. Federal lead paint disclosure rules also apply to pre-1978 housing.
The Nebraska Fair Housing Act covers race, color, religion, national origin, disability, familial status, sex, and military or veteran status. Military or veteran status was added by LB 150, operative September 3, 2025.
LB 150 added military or veteran status to the Nebraska Fair Housing Act and to the landlord rules for mobile home parks.
Landlords may send notices and documents by email or an online portal only if the tenant gives informed electronic consent, which the tenant may withdraw at any time. Landlords cannot require electronic delivery as a lease condition, and must fall back to mail when receipt is not confirmed.
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Compare with other states: security deposit limit, deposit return deadline, deposit interest and holding rules, late fees, application and screening fees, rent increase notice, rent control, notice for unpaid rent, notice for lease violations, ending a month-to-month, eviction timeline, abandoned property, landlord entry, repairs and habitability, required disclosures, state fair housing protections.