Every day a new tenant is signing a lease on shelter for them and their family. Sometimes a move occurs in a hurry and other times you get to shop around. No matter the timing, please make sure to read and understand the terms of your lease agreement so you don’t find yourself in a tough situation down the road.

Some of the things you should pay close attention to include the payment schedule, late fees, pet rules, and maintenance responsibilities. Even though you are paying a monthly amount for the shelter, your responsibility to the shelter while it’s in your possession can extend much farther.

Pay Schedule

The main thing you as a tenant need to understand is when rent is due. In most cases, rent is due on the very first of the month and if you move in midmonth you will initially owe for that short period of living in the space.

This can be 15 days, it can be longer, or shorter. Tenants who understand when rent is due should have no problem paying on the due date. In most cases, there is a due date window of about 3 days before any additional fees are calculated.

Late Fees

The calculation for these fees is listed in the lease. Sometimes they are a dollar amount per late day, a flat rate, or they can be a percentage of the total rental amount due for the month. You need to understand when a late fee is owed and that is considered a part of your monthly rent when it is charged. Any amounts paid will most likely be applied to past due balances. If you are not clear about the wording in your lease feel free to contact lawyers such as law advice compensation lawyers.

Pet Rules

Pets tend to dig and ruin carpeted areas and leave dwellings full of shed hair and sometimes mites. Apartment owners have placed a deposit amount for pets. It’s up to you to report that you have an animal or that you’ve just purchased an animal. You will need to pay the pet deposit and your pet will also need to be a breed that is within the limited pounds as stated in the lease.

Maintenance Responsibilities

Property managers can’t be everywhere at once. Tenants who have issues in their apartment need to report those issues before they become major. Some of the most important things to report include bedbugs, water leaks, mould and a broken air conditioner. As a courteous gesture, you can report raised sidewalks or any other safety and security concern that you have to encounter that the landlord needs to fix.

Tenants need to understand that incidents that go unreported can’t be sued for and are also not a reason to abandon the monthly rental agreement. Depending on the state, by law, you must report hazards or issues and give the owner a specific number of days to remedy the situation. If you are unsure about who is responsible in the event of any liability issues you should contact

Conclusion

Tenants are not at the mercy of landlords when they rent shelter. There are laws that protect you just as there are laws that protect landlords. You can legally break the lease if a landlord has you stuck in an uninhabitable shelter. This type of shelter is a case where there is a known emergency health or safety issue that is not being resolved.

In some cases, you have the right to withhold monthly payments until the issues get properly resolved. You won’t find this information in your lease, and that’s why it’s important for you to read your lease and read about the rental laws in your state. At a very minimum you need to read your lease to be aware of the payment schedule, late fees, pet rules, and maintenance responsibilities.