Renter’s Rights Guide in Van Nuys

September 18, 2021

342 4 minutes read

There are several standard forms of lease that are commonly used by realtors in the United States. Although US law does not prohibit the use of a custom form of lease that takes effect once both parties have signed it.

Without fail, the contract must contain only the main points:

The names and surnames of the tenant and the landlord
The address of the rented housing
The lease term
The amount of the monthly fee and the deposits made

The standard form of the contract contains 22 clauses and allows you to negotiate a number of controversial issues, thus protecting the interests of both parties.

Lease Agreements for Renters

The agreement, for example, includes clauses that stipulate the age and number of residents, the possibility and conditions of keeping pets in the apartment.

The tenant’s obligations are fixed to behave respectfully towards neighbors and not to cause them inconvenience, not to use the rented accommodation for any illegal purposes, to compensate for all damage caused to the property of the owner of the apartment, to notify the owner of the property about relatives and friends who have come to stay.

The renter’s rights in Van Nuys also establishes who pays for the various types of utilities, contains the contact information of service providers that the tenant should contact, for example, in case of problems with the electrical wiring, details for transferring payments, etc.

If you are facing trouble in as a renter than it better to hire landlord tenant lawyer in Van Nuys to make your legal process smooth.

Fixed and Non-Fixed Rental Contracts (Renter’s Rights)

The fixed ones provide for a specific lease term: six months, a year, two, and so on. The parties cannot terminate the fixed contract before the end of the specified period, unless some critical situations have occurred. These include natural disasters, fire that led to the destruction of housing, the death of the tenant, others.

As per renter’s rights If the renter left ahead of schedule without a valid reason, he is obliged to compensate the landlord for the entire amount of rent for the months “not lived through” them.

It is also usually not specified in the lease agreement. The landlord goes to court, which decides on the procedure for paying compensation.

By concluding a fixed contract, the renter’s rights have no right to evict the tenant before the end of the term, if the latter pays the rent on time and does not violate the terms of the contract.

Moreover, under Massachusetts law, the owner of an apartment does not have the right to unauthorized evict even a tenant who has stopped paying. He can hire a lawyer who, through the court, will obtain permission to evict.

An unfixed contract provides that any party can terminate it at any time, provided that the notice of termination is submitted at least 30 days before the end of the contract.

The renter’s rights agreement, of course, cannot take into account all possible conflicts, and a number of issues are resolved by mutual agreement of the parties, through authorized organizations and services or through the courts, but always in the established order.

For example, in case of;

non-observance of sanitary standards (irregular garbage disposal,
lack of cleaning of public places,
the appearance of cockroaches or mice in apartments

And If the air temperature in the apartment is below normal and the landlord is responsible for heating the premises and others), the tenant has the right to complain to the city sanitary inspection.

Penalties for Violation of the Terms (Renter’s Rights)

If the landlord does not take any measures to correct serious breakdowns in the apartment, which include any malfunctions that interfere with normal living, the tenant has the right to delay payment.

The penalties for violation of renter’s rights contract by the landlord depend on how serious the violation is. Disputes between the landlord and the tenant, on which the parties could not reach a consensus on their own; are resolved by the so-called Small Claim Courts.

Judge can only impose the fine in cases where the injured party applies there. Legal action are for any reason, and only the judge decides whether there was a violation and determines the penalty.

If your landlord prevents you from entering your home, you must send them a written request for a refund with a mailing address. You can go to small claims court to get your money back.

Renovations:

If your landlord is no making proper repairs to your home and the condition is dangerous; In such case as per renter’s rights you can:

Make Repair and Stay:

If the repair costs $ 100 or less, send WRITTEN NOTICE to the landlord for problem fixation; you can make the repair up to $ 100 and deduct that amount from your next rent. month. You will need to give the landlord a detailed invoice for the work performed.

Repair or Move:

You must give the landlord a WRITTEN NOTICE that if he didn’t repair within the next 14 days; you will move out in 30 days and will not pay any more rent.

Unsuitable for Habitat

If the property is unsuitable or unsafe to live in; you can give the landlord a written notice of the problem and move out immediately.
You cannot continue to live there, declare that the property is unfit for habitation and refuse to pay rent.

Utilities: If your landlord does not provide heating water, hot water, electricity, gas, or other necessary utilities, you must send them a written notification of the problem, and then renter’s rights enable you to can:

Terminate the lease by means of written notice; or,
Organize utilities yourself and deduct expenses from the rent; to demand in court the difference between the amount of the monthly rent and the actual cost of the rent.
Move during a period of lack of utilities and do not pay rent for this period.

Hope this article helps you to build better understating about renter’s rights in Van Nous!