Arksansas - Where it's a crime to not pay rent.

[sanantone]

This law actually put Arkansas heavily on my radar in 2015.  Having a second legal filing to motivate those to pay is beneficial to get people to pay.  Also if you withhold rent because of untimely repairs you would also be in breach of the lease.  At the same time, if the house becomes uninhabitable due to neglect, you can terminate the lease early and move out.  

From a business perspective, landlord friendly states are where I generally invest in.  I had some opportunities in Chicago a few years back, but with high taxes and tenant-friendly laws, we decided to invest in Tennessee and Indiana instead.

I can understand why landlords would like these laws; it favors them entirely. As a human being, though, I couldn't put someone in jail for not being able to pay their rent. As "business-friendly" as these laws are, Arkansas is still a poor state that isn't high on many people's lists of places to move to. Just think. They're the only state that does this, and they're still one of the poorest. Maybe they should focus more on lifting people out of poverty instead of punishing them for it.