Landlords’ Right in Renting Out Their Property

Every landlord has a right to get paid for the rental property they rented. One of the most apparent rights of a landlord is the right to get rent payment from the tenant. The tenant also has a legal duty to pay the rent.

Bill for Damages

If it is written in the lease contract, then the landlords have the right to be paid for any damage to the building that a tenant causes. It does not matter if it happened intentionally or unintentionally. Besides reasonable wear and tear, all other kinds of damages caused by a tenant can be billed. If the landlord wants, he can deduct the bill for repairs from the tenant’s security deposit.

Security Deposits

A landlord has the right to require a security deposit from tenants. The tenant pays this security deposit to the landlord, and he will hold it. The amount of security deposit cannot exceed the amount of rent for one month. The security deposit is used to guarantee against unpaid rent, any damages, or other costs. If the tenant owns any pet, then the landlord can require a pet deposit to cover any pet-related property damage. If the tenant has a criminal conviction on their record, then the landlord can charge a security deposit in the amount of two months’ rent. In some states, landlords must pay interest to the tenant on the security deposit.

Lease Agreement

When a landlord agrees to rent any type of living quarters to a tenant for a specific monthly rent and other conditions, they entered into a legally binding lease agreement. This agreement can be either verbal or written. It is an agreement to rent for a specified term and conditions defined by the law. There are two types of lease agreement: periodic lease and term lease.

Periodic Lease

The periodic lease has no ending date. It is a month-to-month lease. A periodic lease is automatically renewed when the tenant pays the rent for each month. These lease agreements are usually verbal, but landlords would do well to always put everything in writing.

Term Lease

The term lease has an ending date. This type of lease is written. The tenants of this type of lease agreement are liable for the rent through the entire term of the lease.

Rent

Rent is one of the most fundamental rights of a landlord. He has the right to get the rent payment on time every month. It does not matter if the tenant has a verbal lease or a written lease. They have to pay the rent on time. If the tenant failed to pay the rent on time, then it will be considered a breach of the lease agreement, and this is a legal cause for eviction.

Rent Increase

Increasing rent is the right of a landlord. If the tenant has a month-to-month lease agreement, then the landlord can raise the rent by any amount. He has to provide a written notice about it to the tenant at least 30 days before the end of the month. In case of a term lease, the landlord has to increase the rent after the end of the term or only once in a year.

Utility Bills

The responsibility of paying utility bills is specified in the lease agreement. If it is not included in the lease agreement, then the landlord and the tenant have to make a separate written agreement regarding this issue.

Repairs

It is the responsibility of the landlord to repair any damages the property has. If the tenant notices any need for necessary repairs, then he should notify the landlord. If the landlord does not respond to the verbal notice of repair, then the tenant should send a written notice. The tenant has to give the landlord reasonable notice and a reasonable amount of time to repair.

Right of Entry

The landlord has the right of entry to the apartment for specific reasons. These reasons include in case of an emergency; during reasonable hours and in a consistent manner to inspect the premises; making necessary or general repairs, decorations, alterations, improvements, or agreed services. If the landlord wants to show the rental apartment to any potential renter or buyer, insurer, mortgagees, real estate agents, workers, or contractors, the landlord has the right of entry to the apartment.

A landlord has lots of other rights. Most of them are related to renting and evictions. If any issues occur and if there are any legal needs, lawyer firms like Express Evictions can be a great consultant and can get a tenant evicted the first time, in the shortest period possible.