Blog
Guides, tips, and state-specific information about lease agreements and rental transactions.
The fastest way to catch a fake pay stub is the bank statement
A San Francisco survey found 85 percent of landlords worried about fraudulent applications and 28 percent out at least $5,000. Here is the verification method that catches forged stubs, fake references, and borrowed identities before anyone signs.
Paul Oak · September 11, 2026 at 1:25 PM ET 
How to prorate rent when a tenant moves out mid-month
The final month of a tenancy rarely lines up with the calendar. Here is how to pick a day count, run the math both common ways, and handle the refund you owe when rent was already paid in full.
Paul Oak · September 10, 2026 at 1:53 PM ET 
Renting to a Section 8 tenant: how the voucher changes the lease
A Housing Choice Voucher adds an inspection, a HAP contract with the housing authority, and a federal tenancy addendum to your lease. Here is what each one changes and what stays the same.
Paul Oak · September 9, 2026 at 1:46 PM ET 
Landlord retaliation: what counts, and how the law protects you
A landlord who raises rent, cuts services, or starts an eviction because a tenant complained or asserted a right is retaliating. Here are the protected activities, the presumption windows, and the remedies.
Paul Oak · September 8, 2026 at 12:59 PM ET 
Which lease terms the law overrides, even if you signed them
A signature does not make every clause valid. Learn which common lease terms courts refuse to enforce and why signing them does not waive your rights.
Jill Stradley · September 7, 2026 at 12:18 PM ET 
Renting a room in the home you live in: What a live-in landlord needs to know
Renting a spare room while you live on site changes which rules apply and which do not. Fair housing limits, house rules, deposits, and what to write down.
Jill Stradley · September 4, 2026 at 12:06 PM ET 
How much notice a landlord must give before entering, by state
A 50-state map of the statutory entry-notice period: 18 states set 24 hours, eight states and D.C. set 48 hours, Wisconsin sets 12 hours, and 23 states name no number at all.
Jill Stradley · September 3, 2026 at 12:07 PM ET 
How to write a notice to vacate letter (and when to send it)
A notice to vacate letter takes ten minutes to write. Timing it correctly is the hard part. Here is what the letter must say, how much notice your state expects, and how to prove it was delivered.
Paul Oak · September 2, 2026 at 1:20 PM ET 
What happens to your security deposit when the landlord dies
A landlord's death does not turn your deposit into estate money. Here is where it goes, what the executor owes you, and how to claim it if it vanishes.
Jill Stradley · September 1, 2026 at 1:26 PM ET 
Can a landlord keep prepaid rent when a tenant leaves early?
Prepaid rent is not a forfeitable deposit. What happens to advance rent when a tenant breaks the lease, and how the duty to re-rent limits what a landlord keeps.
Paul Oak · August 31, 2026 at 1:21 PM ET 
Can a landlord refuse to renew your lease?
In most states a landlord may decline to renew a lease for any reason or none. Fair housing law, retaliation statutes, and a handful of just cause jurisdictions draw the lines.
Jill Stradley · August 28, 2026 at 1:55 PM ET 
When does a guest legally become a tenant?
No national day count turns a guest into a tenant. Courts weigh money, mail, belongings, and time, and the answer decides whether removal takes a phone call or a court case.
Jill Stradley · August 27, 2026 at 11:57 AM ET 
Holdover tenants: What happens when you stay past the lease end
Staying past your lease end makes you a holdover tenant. Depending on the state, the tenancy can convert to month-to-month or trigger an eviction. Here is how it works.
Paul Oak · August 26, 2026 at 1:55 PM ET 
How fast can you be evicted? Nonpayment notice periods in all 50 states
The pay-or-quit notice period for unpaid rent ranges from three days to thirty across the states. Here is the full 50-state map and what the clock really covers.
Jill Stradley · August 25, 2026 at 12:33 PM ET 
How much notice before a rent increase? A state-by-state guide
The notice a landlord owes before raising rent runs from 7 days to 90, and a fixed-term lease freezes it entirely. Here is the rule in every state.
Jill Stradley · August 24, 2026 at 2:28 PM ET 
Breaking a lease as a domestic violence survivor: Your legal protections
Most states let a domestic violence survivor end a lease early with the right documentation and notice. Here is how the protection works and where to find help.
Jill Stradley · August 21, 2026 at 12:27 PM ET 
Adding a roommate: Sublease, lease addendum, or a new lease?
Adding a roommate can be done three ways, and each one changes who is legally on the hook for the rent. Here is how a sublease, a lease addendum, and a brand new lease compare.
Jill Stradley · August 20, 2026 at 12:06 PM ET 
Lease vs Rental Agreement: Are They the Same Thing?
A lease and a rental agreement often mean two different things. Here is the real difference, what changes for each side, and which one to use.
Paul Oak · August 19, 2026 at 1:27 PM ET 
Normal Wear and Tear vs Damage: What a Landlord Can Legally Deduct
The line between normal wear and tear and tenant damage decides most security deposit disputes. Here is how to tell them apart, room by room, and what a landlord may legally deduct.
Jill Stradley · August 18, 2026 at 11:34 AM ET 
The Implied Warranty of Habitability: What Your Landlord Must Fix
Almost every rental in the country comes with an unwritten promise that the home will be livable. Here is what the implied warranty of habitability covers, the remedies it gives tenants, and why a lease cannot sign it away.
Jill Stradley · August 17, 2026 at 12:19 PM ET 
What Is the Maximum Late Fee in Texas?
Texas is one of the few states that wrote a late fee limit into law. Here is the two-day rule, the 12 and 10 percent safe harbor, and the penalty for overcharging.
Jill Stradley · August 14, 2026 at 12:28 PM ET 
How to Replace or Remove a Roommate Mid-Lease
One roommate leaving before the lease ends does not end their liability. Here are the three documents that move a name off a joint lease, and who stays on the hook.
Paul Oak · August 13, 2026 at 1:06 PM ET 
Vermont Lease Agreement Requirements: What Landlords Must Include
Vermont implies a set of landlord and tenant duties into every rental agreement, written or not. Here is what state law already requires and what your written lease still needs to spell out.
Paul Oak · August 12, 2026 at 11:57 AM ET 
Can a Landlord Charge Last Month's Rent Plus a Security Deposit?
Last month's rent and a security deposit are not the same thing, and some states count them together toward a legal cap. Here is how to charge both correctly and write it into the lease.
Paul Oak · August 11, 2026 at 12:02 PM ET 
What to Include in a Lease Agreement: A Complete Checklist
A clause-by-clause checklist of what every solid residential lease needs, from parties and rent to disclosures and signatures, explained in plain language.
Jill Stradley · August 10, 2026 at 12:54 PM ET 
Rent Control and Rent Stabilization: Where It Actually Exists
Rent control exists in far fewer places than most people assume, and most states forbid it outright. Here is where local rent regulation is allowed, where it is preempted, and how stabilization differs from control.
Paul Oak · August 7, 2026 at 11:51 AM ET 
Can a Landlord Show Your Rental While You Still Live There?
A for sale sign in the yard does not suspend your tenancy. Here is how notice rules, allowed hours, and permitted purposes limit showings while you are still living in the unit.
Jill Stradley · August 6, 2026 at 12:33 PM ET 
What Is the Maximum Late Fee in California?
California never prints a maximum late fee. It applies a reasonableness standard instead, and a fee that fails it is not collectible at all. Here is how the test works and how to write a clause that survives it.
Jill Stradley · August 5, 2026 at 11:54 AM ET 
When a Tenant Abandons the Unit: What a Landlord Can and Cannot Do
A quiet unit is not proof of abandonment, and acting too soon can turn a landlord into the wrongdoer. Here is how to tell real abandonment from a tenant who is simply away, and the safe way to reclaim the unit.
Paul Oak · August 4, 2026 at 12:16 PM ET 
Georgia Sublease Agreement: Rules and What to Put in Writing
Georgia tenants hold a usufruct they cannot hand off without the landlord's consent. Here is how consent works, why you stay liable for the rent, and what your sublease has to say.
Jill Stradley · August 3, 2026 at 12:32 PM ET