Renter rights glossary
Plain-English definitions of the terms renters run into — from quiet enjoyment to unlawful detainer — with why each matters and a simple example.
Quiet enjoyment
Your right to use and enjoy your rented home without unreasonable interference from the…
Warranty of habitability
An implied promise in most states that a rental will be kept fit to live in — heat,…
Constructive eviction
When conditions become so bad that a tenant is effectively forced to move out, even…
Security deposit
Money you pay up front that the landlord holds against unpaid rent or damage beyond…
Normal wear and tear
The ordinary, expected decline of a rental from everyday living — not…
Retaliation
When a landlord punishes a tenant — with a rent hike, service cut, or eviction — for…
Notice to cure
A written notice giving a tenant a chance to fix a lease violation within a set time…
Notice to vacate
A written notice that a tenancy is ending — given by a tenant or a landlord, depending on…
Holdover tenant
A tenant who stays after the lease term ends, without a new…
Sublet
Renting part or all of your unit to someone else while your own lease…
Assignment
Transferring your entire lease to someone else, who takes over your rights and…
Rent escrow
Paying rent into a protected account (often court-supervised) instead of to the landlord,…
Proration
Charging rent for only part of a month, based on the days you actually occupy the…
Late fee
A charge for paying rent after it's…
Lease addendum
An add-on document that changes or adds terms to your…
Joint and several liability
A lease term making each co-tenant responsible for the full rent, not just their…
Emotional support animal (ESA)
An animal that provides comfort to a person with a disability, recognized under…
Reasonable accommodation
A change to a rule, policy, or service so a person with a disability has equal housing…
Unlawful detainer
The formal court eviction lawsuit a landlord must file to remove a…
Habitability
The condition of being fit and safe to live…
Abandonment
When a tenant leaves for good before the lease ends without proper…
Surrender of premises
Formally giving the rental back to the landlord, ending the…
Just-cause eviction
A rule, in some places, requiring a landlord to have a legitimate reason to end a…
Rent control / stabilization
Laws in some states and cities that limit how much and how often rent can…