Lease dictionary
Your lease, translated into plain English.
57 terms landlords use - decoded, with the catch to watch for in each one.
Abandonment
When a tenant leaves a rental for good without telling the landlord, which can let the landlord retake the unit under state rules.
Read the full meaningAddendum
An add-on document that becomes part of your lease, covering things like pets, parking, or mold.
Read the full meaningApplication fee
A non-deposit charge paid when you apply to rent, normally to cover credit and background screening.
Read the full meaningArbitration clause
A clause requiring disputes to go to a private arbitrator instead of court.
Read the full meaningAssignment
Transferring your entire lease to someone else, who then becomes the tenant.
Read the full meaningAssignment of rents
A loan provision that lets a lender collect the rent from a property if the owner defaults on the mortgage.
Read the full meaningAssistance animal
An animal that helps a person with a disability, which housing providers usually must allow as a reasonable accommodation.
Read the full meaningAttorney fees clause
A clause saying the loser of a lease dispute pays the winner's lawyer bills.
Read the full meaningAutomatic renewal clause
A clause that renews your lease by itself unless you opt out by a deadline.
Read the full meaningCo-tenant
One of two or more people who are all named on the same lease and share its rights and obligations.
Read the full meaningConstructive eviction
When conditions get so bad the law treats it as if the landlord evicted you.
Read the full meaningCure or quit notice
A written notice that you broke a lease rule and must fix the problem by a deadline or face eviction.
Read the full meaningEarly termination clause
The lease's exit door: what it costs to leave before the term ends.
Read the full meaningEscalation clause
A clause that raises your rent automatically during the lease - by a set % or an index like CPI.
Read the full meaningEviction (unlawful detainer)
The court process - the only legal process - for removing a tenant.
Read the full meaningJoint and several liability
Each roommate is on the hook for ALL the rent - not just their share.
Read the full meaningJury trial waiver
A clause where you give up the right to a jury if the landlord ever sues you.
Read the full meaningJust cause eviction
A rule that landlords may only end a tenancy or refuse to renew for specific legally recognized reasons.
Read the full meaningLate fee
The charge for paying rent after the due date (and any grace period).
Read the full meaningLease rider
Another name for an attachment that modifies the standard lease - same idea as an addendum.
Read the full meaningLiability waiver
A clause claiming the landlord isn't responsible even when they're at fault - often unenforceable.
Read the full meaningLiquidated damages
A pre-set dollar amount for breaking a lease rule, agreed in advance.
Read the full meaningNon-renewal notice
Written notice that a lease won't be renewed when it ends, given by either the landlord or the tenant.
Read the full meaningNormal wear and tear
The ordinary aging a home suffers from being lived in - which can't come out of your deposit.
Read the full meaningNotice to quit
The formal written warning that starts the path to eviction - pay, fix, or leave by a deadline.
Read the full meaningNY Real Property Law 226-c
New York's rent-increase and non-renewal notice law, which requires 30, 60 or 90 days' written notice depending on how long you've lived there.
Read the full meaningPay or quit notice
A written notice giving you a short deadline to pay overdue rent or move out before the landlord can file for eviction.
Read the full meaningPet deposit, pet rent & pet fees
The three ways landlords charge for pets - one refundable, two not.
Read the full meaningProrated rent
Partial-month rent, charged only for the days you actually occupy the unit.
Read the full meaningRatio utility billing system (RUBS)
A method of splitting a building's shared utility bill among tenants by formula instead of individual meters.
Read the full meaningRent abatement
A temporary reduction or pause in rent, usually because part of the home became unusable.
Read the full meaningRent cap
A legal limit on how much a landlord can raise rent over a set period, usually a year.
Read the full meaningRent control
A law that limits how much, or how often, a landlord may raise rent for covered units.
Read the full meaningRent escrow
Paying rent to a court or neutral account - instead of the landlord - until repairs get made.
Read the full meaningRent ledger
A running record of the rent charged and paid on a tenancy, which both sides can use to settle disputes.
Read the full meaningRenters insurance clause
A lease requirement that you carry renters insurance, often with minimum coverage.
Read the full meaningRetaliation
A landlord punishing you for exercising your rights - illegal in nearly every state.
Read the full meaningRight of entry
When and how the landlord may enter your home - usually with advance notice.
Read the full meaningSecurity deposit
Money held against damage and unpaid rent - with strict state rules on limits and returns.
Read the full meaningSelf-help eviction
When a landlord tries to force a tenant out without a court order, such as by changing locks or cutting utilities.
Read the full meaningSeverability clause
If one clause of the lease is illegal, the rest still stands.
Read the full meaningSubletting
Renting out your place (or a room) while you stay on the lease.
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