Some leases contain language allowing the option for the landlord to alter certain terms during the lease with proper notice.
The lease document itself must be reviewed carefully for the existence of such language.
Lease Agreement Questions
Answers to Frequently Asked Lease Agreement and Rental Document Questions
If I Have Roommates and One is Not Paying His Part of the Rent, Can I Get Him Off the Lease?
Usually, a lease contract is written with ‘joint and several’ responsibility for the payment of the rent. That means each tenant is responsible for the full amount of the rent due, not just his or her ‘part’.
How Do We Handle Our Landlord When My Military Husband Has Been Assigned to a Different Base?
Military personnel and their family members are covered under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) in dealing with civilian apartment and home leases. Section 305 provides:
If I Get Divorced, Can I Tell the Landlord I Am Leaving and Make My Ex-Spouse Responsible for the Rent?
Until such time as the landlord agrees to release a tenant from liability under the terms of a lease, the tenants listed in the lease are obligated together to abide by those terms (i.e. pay the rent).
Unilateral pronouncements by a tenant delivered to a landlord will usually not result in a termination of liability for that tenant.
Is My Apartment Lease Valid if the Landlord Never Signed It?
In most states, the general rule is that any agreement regarding or pertaining to an interest in real property must be in writing and signed by the parties.
However, courts will often look to the conduct of the parties to see if there is a definitive agreement reached, even if the document in question has not been signed.
Can Our Landlord Force Us to Leave Before the End of the Rental Term?
You must carefully read the details of your Lease Agreement, as that document will spell out the rights and responsibilities of both the Landlord and the Tenant.
Can a Landlord Add Additional Late Fees After Filing a Court Case for a Lease Dispute?
Required fees stipulated in any contract — including a Lease Agreement — do not stop accruing simply because a court case is filed.
Is a Lease Agreement Signed for a Lesser Amount than Discussed Binding?
Most often, the terms used in a written contract are binding on the parties.
And most times, the terms of that written contract will control the obligations of the parties, regardless of what one party or the other ‘meant.’
If My Employer Forces Me to Move to Another City, Can I Demand a Return of My Security Deposit From My Landlord?
Typically, only the requirements of military duty compels a landlord to return a security deposit to a person breaking a residential lease.
Is a Lease Agreement with Damage Responsibility to the Tenant for Non-Working Fire Alarms Standard?
A Lease Agreement is a contract that is open to negotiation between the landlord and tenant. The only ‘standards’ in a Lease Agreement are those required by local and state governments.