The landlord lease may be oral or written. It may also be for a predetermined period of time or on a monthly or annual basis. Whatever the conditions of the landlord lease are, as a resident, you need to verify and see that the lease deals with the following issues. All these issues must be approved by both the landlord and the tenant.
- A description and address of the house that is being rented out.
- The duration of the landlord lease.
- The amount of rent and the date of payment.
- Where and how rent is to be paid.
- Fines for late payment of rent.
- The residents of the rental unit.
- What pieces of equipment the landlord will include in the property and their working condition (e.g., if the refrigerator is working or it needs a repair).
- The amount of security or other deposit payable and the terms under which it will be refunded at the end of the lease period.
- The person responsible for paying for the utilities.
- What repairs the landlord has to do and what the tenant has to do.
- Whether or not pets are allowed, and if they are, then the amount of pet deposit to be paid to the landlord.
When both parties sign the landlord lease, it becomes operable by law. Thus it is important that the tenant gives it a reading and gets adjustments done to the lease as necessary to him, so that there is no uncertainty about the finer points later on. The landlord lease is an official document and both the landlord and the tenant have to abide by it.