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Guides, tips, and state-specific information about lease agreements and rental transactions.
Massachusetts lease agreement requirements: what landlords must include
Massachusetts caps what a landlord can collect at signing, sets strict deposit paperwork, requires a lead paint notice, and voids several common lease terms. Here is the checklist.
Jill Stradley · October 23, 2026 at 12:32 PM ET 
Pet deposit, pet fee, or pet rent: what landlords can charge
A pet deposit, a pet fee, and pet rent work differently, and state deposit caps decide how much can be collected at move-in. Here are the rules in three states and a sample clause.
Jill Stradley · October 22, 2026 at 11:41 AM ET 
Georgia room rental agreement: what the law requires
Most people who rent a room in Georgia are tenants. Here is how tenancy-at-will notice, deposits, the small-landlord exemption, and the dispossessory process apply to a room rental.
Paul Oak · October 21, 2026 at 12:29 PM ET 
The 3x rent rule: how income requirements work and where they cross a legal line
Earning three times the rent is the most common screening rule in renting, and it is not a law. Where it comes from, how landlords apply it to couples and roommates, when it runs into voucher and fair housing protections, and the alternatives that fill the gap.
Paul Oak · October 20, 2026 at 12:31 PM ET 
Does a lease end when the rental property is sold?
A sale does not cancel a lease. The buyer takes over as landlord, and state notice rules decide when a month-to-month tenancy can end and how showings work.
Jill Stradley · October 19, 2026 at 11:38 AM ET 
Does a landlord have to provide heat? Minimum temperatures for rentals
Heat is part of a habitable home in nearly every state, and many cities set a minimum indoor temperature during heating season. What the rules usually require, how New York City spells it out, what tenants can do when the heat goes out, and where air conditioning fits in.
Paul Oak · October 16, 2026 at 1:12 PM ET 
How many people can live in a rental? Occupancy limits explained
HUD treats two people per bedroom as a general guide, local codes set square-footage floors, and a lease limit has to satisfy both without shutting out families with children.
Paul Oak · October 15, 2026 at 12:28 PM ET 
Keys, locks, and lockouts: who can change them and when
Changing the locks to force a tenant out is illegal in nearly every state. Here is when a landlord may legitimately rekey, when a tenant may, and what to do if you are locked out.
Jill Stradley · October 14, 2026 at 11:49 AM ET 
Mid-term rentals: what a 30 to 90 day lease needs to say
A furnished 30 to 90 day stay is usually a tenancy under state law. Here is where states draw the line, when occupancy tax applies, and what the lease should cover.
Jill Stradley · October 13, 2026 at 12:57 PM ET 
Automatic renewal clauses in a lease: are they enforceable?
Automatic renewal clauses usually hold up, but New York and Wisconsin require a written reminder from the landlord first. Here is how to draft one and how tenants opt out.
Jill Stradley · October 12, 2026 at 11:34 AM ET 
How much notice to end a month-to-month lease in Indiana
Indiana ends a month-to-month tenancy with one month's written notice. Here is how to serve it, when no notice is needed, the 45-day deposit rule, and how rent increases work.
Paul Oak · October 9, 2026 at 1:23 PM ET 
Can a landlord ban smoking or marijuana in a rental?
Landlords can generally ban tobacco and marijuana smoking through the lease. California, Michigan, and New York spell out the limits, especially for edibles and medical use.
Paul Oak · October 8, 2026 at 12:56 PM ET 
Minnesota lease agreement requirements: what landlords must include
Minnesota Chapter 504B sets required disclosures, deposit interest, a three-week return deadline, notice rules, and five landlord covenants that apply to every residential lease.
Jill Stradley · October 7, 2026 at 1:19 PM ET 
Does a deceased tenant's estate have to pay the rest of the lease?
Unpaid rent after a tenant dies is a debt of the estate, and heirs rarely pay it from their own money. Here is how landlord claims, re-renting, early termination, and cosigners fit together.
Paul Oak · October 6, 2026 at 11:21 AM ET 
California room rental agreement: what the law requires
California treats one lodger in an owner's home differently from other room renters. Here are the notice, deposit, and removal rules, with the Civil Code section behind each one.
Jill Stradley · October 5, 2026 at 12:52 PM ET 
Divorce and a joint lease: who stays, who pays, and how to remove a name
Both spouses signed the lease and the marriage is ending. What joint and several liability means for the rent, why a divorce decree cannot bind your landlord, and the three realistic ways to get one name off.
Jill Stradley · October 2, 2026 at 11:23 AM ET 
How much notice to end a month-to-month lease in Wisconsin
Wisconsin requires at least 28 days' written notice to end a month-to-month tenancy, timed to the end of a rental period. Here is how to serve it and which ATCP 134 rules apply.
Paul Oak · October 1, 2026 at 12:02 PM ET 
You signed a lease but the unit is not ready: your options
The old tenant is still there, or the landlord's furniture fills the living room. Here is what the landlord owes you on move-in day and the three paths you usually have when the unit is not ready.
Jill Stradley · September 30, 2026 at 12:28 PM ET 
Military lease termination: Your rights under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act
Qualifying orders let a servicemember end a residential lease early. Who is covered, what the notice must include, when it takes effect, and what comes back.
Paul Oak · September 29, 2026 at 12:15 PM ET 
The move-in walkthrough: how to document a rental before you sign
The half hour of photos, video, testing, and signatures that decides who pays for the scuff on the bedroom door a year from now.
Jill Stradley · September 28, 2026 at 1:12 PM ET 
Mobile home park lot leases: how they differ from an apartment lease
When you own the home but rent the land, a separate set of state rules often applies. Here is how lot leases handle rent increases, evictions, park rules, sales in place, and the homeowner's death.
Jill Stradley · September 25, 2026 at 1:14 PM ET 
Removing a guest who will not leave in Georgia
In Georgia, the way you remove someone depends on whether they are a tenant, a guest, or an intruder. Here is how the dispossessory process and the squatter affidavit process work, and why changing the locks backfires.
Paul Oak · September 24, 2026 at 1:30 PM ET 
Rent receipts: when a landlord has to give one
Some states require a rent receipt for every cash payment and any other payment on request. Here is what a compliant receipt shows and why it decides eviction cases.
Paul Oak · September 23, 2026 at 1:02 PM ET 
Week-to-week tenancies: How much notice to end one
Paying rent weekly with nothing signed still creates a real tenancy. Here is the notice each side owes, why timing matters, and how to end it cleanly.
Paul Oak · September 22, 2026 at 1:25 PM ET 
What happens to a tenant's pets when the tenant dies
Pets pass with the estate, which moves in weeks, while an animal needs food today. What landlords, families, and executors should do in the first days.
Paul Oak · September 21, 2026 at 1:11 PM ET 
Parking, vehicles, and towing rules in a lease
Assigned spaces, guest parking, inoperable cars, and the signage many states require before a tow. What the lease should say so a tow does not turn into a dispute.
Paul Oak · September 18, 2026 at 1:27 PM ET 
Repair and deduct: When a tenant can legally fix it and subtract the cost
When a landlord ignores an urgent repair, the repair-and-deduct remedy lets a tenant fix it and subtract the cost. Here are the steps, the caps, and the risks.
Paul Oak · September 17, 2026 at 12:27 PM ET 
How long your landlord has to return your security deposit, by state
State law gives your landlord a firm deadline to return your security deposit, anywhere from 14 to 60 days. Here is the clock in every state and how to enforce it.
Paul Oak · September 16, 2026 at 5:58 PM ET 
Co-signer vs guarantor vs co-tenant: Who is actually on the hook
Co-signer, guarantor, and co-tenant are not interchangeable. Learn who can live in the unit, who owes the rent, and how each obligation actually ends.
Jill Stradley · September 15, 2026 at 1:33 PM ET 
Who pays for what: utilities, repairs, and services in a rental
An allocation reference for leases: which utilities and services belong to each side, where the repair line falls, and the one duty a lease cannot move.
Paul Oak · September 14, 2026 at 12:35 PM ET