ABA Family Legal Guide

Renting Residential Property

Renting Basics

The landlord and tenant relationship is created when the landlord and the tenant choose each other. The tenant has to want to rent from the landlord, and the landlord must consent to accept the tenant applying for the apartment. How well each of them makes that decision will probably affect the success of the relationship more than any other single factor.

If you are a tenant, you should try not to be so desperate for a place to live that you accept whatever the landlord is offering at whatever price and condition. If you are a landlord, you should try not to be so desperate for the income from the rent that you accept whoever walks into your office with cash in his hand. Bad decisions are often the result of hasty decision making. This section will cover topics that apply to both tenants and landlords.

Subsections

1. Choosing a Landlord
2. Choosing a Tenant
3. Leases
4. Lease Clauses to Consider