A lease agreement ensures that a property owner and tenant understand each of their obligations and rights when renting an apartment. Tenants must comply with any terms in a lease agreement, otherwise, they would be in violation of their agreement.
Lease violations happen frequently, however. Here’s what you should know:
1. Unauthorized pets
Many lease agreements have no-pet restrictions or a pet limit. If tenants are allowed pets, they may be liable to pay one-time and monthly pet fees. However, a landlord may find that their tenant has unauthorized pets. Some pets may be allowed if the tenant has a service animal.
2. Smoking
Smoking can cause a lot of damage to apartments. Furthermore, tenants may disturb others who live in the same building. This is why many landlords prevent smoking indoors. A tenant who is caught smoking may be violating their lease agreement.
3. Property damage
Landlords put a large amount of trust in tenants. They expect tenants to respect and not damage apartments. But, property damage does happen and tenants may clarify that is a prohibited action.
4. Long-term guests
Many tenants have guests over. But, guests who overstay their welcome are practically tenants living on a property without authorization. Lease agreements may place limits on how long guests can stay with a tenant.
5. Noise violations
No one likes waking up before work in the middle of the night because a tenant is making noise. Landlords often understand this is a possible issue and include quiet hours in their leases.
6. Unpaid rent
The biggest issue that leads to tenant lease violations happens for the simplest reason: unpaid rent. There’s often no question whether a tenant violated their lease agreement if they haven’t paid their rent — unless they’re withholding payments and keeping them in escrow to force the landlord to make repairs or something similar.
If you’re involved in a conflict between a landlord and tenant, then it may be paramount to understand your legal rights.