Who is a landlord?

A landlord is the owner of a piece of real property (also called “rental property”), who leases it to another person. Most of the rules governing the relationship between a landlord and tenant are set forth in the lease agreement that the two parties make. State landlord-tenant laws will vary, but generally, landlords must maintain habitable premises. Learn more in our legal guide below.

UPDATED: Oct 21, 2024Fact Checked

Get Legal Help Today

Find the right lawyer for your legal issue.

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

Jeffrey Johnson

Insurance Lawyer

Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

Insurance Lawyer

Mary Martin

Published Legal Expert

Mary Martin has been a legal writer and editor for over 20 years, responsible for ensuring that content is straightforward, correct, and helpful for the consumer. In addition, she worked on writing monthly newsletter columns for media, lawyers, and consumers. Ms. Martin also has experience with internal staff and HR operations. Mary was employed for almost 30 years by the nationwide legal publi...

Published Legal Expert

UPDATED: Oct 21, 2024

Advertiser Disclosure

It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.

We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.

UPDATED: Oct 21, 2024Fact Checked

A landlord is the owner of piece of real property (also called “rental property”), who leases it to another person. The landlord is also referred to as the “lessor” of rental property. The landlord allows a tenant use and occupy his/her rental property in exchange for the monthly payment of rent. While the specific landlord/tenant laws vary by state, in every case there are legal protections in varying degrees, called “landlord rights,” and “tenants rights,” in place governing the landlord tenant relationship.

Rules Governing Tenants Rights and Landlord Rights 

Most of the rules governing the relationship between a landlord and tenant are set forth in the lease agreement that the two parties make. For example, the agreement may specify the amount of rent owed, late fees charged, whether pets are allowed, and how many people may live in the apartment at any given time. However, in addition to the private agreement between the party, state law also imposes some obligations on landlords:

  • Under tenants rights, landlords can’t discriminate against tenants on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, disability, or any other characteristic established as a protected status under Civil Rights laws.
  • Landlords must maintain a habitable premises. If the location the tenant is renting is unheated, unclean or otherwise unsafe to occupy, the tenant may be able to break his lease and/or pay for repairs to make the apartment livable and deduct that money from the rent owed.
  • The landlord must return the tenant’s security deposit within the prescribed period set by state law.
  • A landlord may not evict a tenant without proper notice and/or without following the proper judicial procedures for eviction of that tenant.

These are just a small sampling of laws relating to landlord rights and tenant rights that may exist in your area.

Case Studies: Landlord-Tenant Relationships

Case Study 1: Tenant’s Rights Violation

A tenant named Sarah rented an apartment from a landlord who failed to address significant maintenance issues in the unit. Despite multiple requests for repairs, the landlord neglected to take any action, resulting in a hazardous living environment for Sarah. Frustrated by the lack of response, Sarah sought legal advice to understand her tenant rights and explore her options for recourse.

Case Study 2: Lease Agreement Dispute

John, a landlord, and Michael, a tenant, entered into a lease agreement for a residential property. However, a conflict arose when John accused Michael of violating certain terms specified in the agreement, such as having unauthorized pets and subletting the unit without permission.

Michael disputed these allegations and believed he had not breached any clauses. The situation escalated, leading both parties to seek legal guidance to resolve the lease agreement dispute.

Case Study 3: Security Deposit Disagreement

A landlord named David wrongfully withheld a portion of Lisa’s security deposit after she moved out of the rental property. Lisa believed that the deductions made by the landlord were unwarranted and exceeded the permissible limits set by state law.

Feeling unjustly treated, Lisa decided to consult an attorney specializing in landlord-tenant disputes to challenge the withheld amount and protect her rights as a tenant.

Getting Help

If you are a landlord or a tenant and you believe your landlord rights or tenant rights have been infringed upon, consult with an attorney today to find out what recourse you may have.  

Find the right lawyer for your legal issue.

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

Jeffrey Johnson

Insurance Lawyer

Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

Insurance Lawyer

Mary Martin

Published Legal Expert

Mary Martin has been a legal writer and editor for over 20 years, responsible for ensuring that content is straightforward, correct, and helpful for the consumer. In addition, she worked on writing monthly newsletter columns for media, lawyers, and consumers. Ms. Martin also has experience with internal staff and HR operations. Mary was employed for almost 30 years by the nationwide legal publi...

Published Legal Expert

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.

Get Legal Help Today

Find the right lawyer for your legal issue.

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption