Kansas House Bill HB2454

Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/15/26
• Refer: 1/15/26

Caption

Providing that under rental agreements governed by the residential landlord tenant act, a landlord is required to accept partial payments and to count certain income when considering a tenant or prospective tenant's qualifications for housing.

Summary

HB 2454 would amend Kansas landlord-tenant law to require landlords to accept full or partial rent payments tendered by a tenant or someone acting on the tenant’s behalf. If a landlord refuses a tendered payment, the bill provides that the tenant’s obligation is discharged to the amount of the refused tender, while preserving any other rights the landlord may have under the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. The bill also makes violations of this payment-acceptance rule a deceptive or unconscionable act under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, opening the door to consumer-protection remedies and enforcement. The bill further requires landlords who use income screening as a condition of housing eligibility to consider all income, broadly defined to include wages, government or private assistance, grants, loans, gifts, inheritance, pensions, annuities, alimony, child support, and proceeds from the sale or pledge of property. The definition excludes federal Section 8 housing assistance. Like the partial-payment provision, a violation of this income-consideration requirement would also be treated as a deceptive or unconscionable practice under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.

Impact

HB 2454 would add new tenant-protection rules to the Kansas Residential Landlord and Tenant Act and tie enforcement to the Kansas Consumer Protection Act. In practical terms, it would limit a landlord’s ability to reject partial rent payments and would require broader consideration of lawful income sources when screening applicants or tenants for housing. Landlords who violate either requirement could face consumer-protection remedies in addition to any existing landlord-tenant remedies, potentially increasing legal exposure and enforcement options for tenants.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and available context, the bill appears to be framed as a tenant-protection measure aimed at reducing barriers to housing and preventing landlords from excluding applicants based on nontraditional or supplemental income sources. No committee transcript or vote record is available here, so there is no documented debate or recorded opposition in the provided materials. The caption and structure suggest a policy emphasis on housing access and consumer protection.

Contention

The main points of potential contention are likely to be the mandatory acceptance of partial rent payments and the requirement that landlords count a wide range of income sources when screening tenants. Landlords may view the partial-payment rule as limiting their leverage in enforcing lease terms or managing arrears, while housing advocates would likely support it as a way to prevent eviction escalation. The income-screening provision could also be controversial because it restricts how landlords assess financial qualifications, although the bill preserves an exception for Section 8 housing assistance and does not require acceptance of unlawful income sources.