Tenant Rights Legal Glossary: 75 Landlord-Tenant Terms Explained

Leases, notices and court papers use words that most renters never see anywhere else. This glossary explains 75 of the landlord-tenant terms you are most likely to run into, in plain English. Where a term has a deeper guide, a state-by-state table or a tool on this site, the definition links to it.

The exact meaning of many terms depends on your state’s statute, so treat these definitions as a starting point. Our tenant rights by state hub links the statutes for the most common rules.

Jump to: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Abandonment: When a tenant moves out and stops paying rent before the lease ends without telling the landlord. State law sets how a landlord can decide a unit is abandoned and what must happen to belongings left behind.
Addendum: A separate document added to a lease that changes or adds terms, such as a pet policy or parking rules. Once both sides sign it, it is part of the lease.
Answer: The tenant’s written response to an eviction lawsuit, filed with the court by the deadline on the summons. It is where the tenant raises defenses. See how the eviction process works.
Application fee: A charge a landlord collects to process a rental application, usually to cover a background or credit check. Some states and cities limit the amount or require a refund if no check is run.
Assignment: A transfer of the tenant’s entire remaining interest in a lease to a new tenant, who then deals directly with the landlord. Most leases require the landlord’s written consent.

B

Breach of lease: Failing to follow a significant term of the lease, such as paying rent or keeping pets out. A breach by either side can give the other side legal remedies.

C

Constructive eviction: A legal theory that a landlord has effectively forced a tenant out by making the unit unlivable, for example by cutting off heat or water. A tenant who proves it may move out and stop owing rent.
Cosigner: A person who signs a lease alongside the tenant and promises to pay if the tenant does not. Also called a guarantor, though some leases treat the two roles slightly differently.
Cure: Fixing a lease violation within the time a notice allows, such as paying overdue rent before a notice to pay or quit expires. A timely cure usually stops the eviction for that violation.

D

Default judgment: A court ruling against a party who did not respond or appear. In eviction cases, a tenant who misses the answer deadline or the hearing usually loses this way.
Demand letter: A written request that the other side pay money or take an action by a deadline, often sent before going to court. Our security deposit demand letter generator drafts one.
Duty to mitigate: A landlord’s obligation in many states to make reasonable efforts to re-rent a unit after a tenant leaves early, which reduces what the tenant owes. See breaking a lease by state.

E

Early termination fee: A charge set in some leases that lets a tenant end the lease early by paying a fixed amount. Whether it is enforceable can depend on state law and how large it is.
Essential services: Basic services a landlord must provide under the lease or the law, such as heat, running water, hot water and electricity. Many statutes give tenants special remedies when a landlord fails to supply them.
Eviction: The court process a landlord must use to remove a tenant. It ends with a judgment and removal by a law enforcement officer, never by the landlord personally. See the eviction process by state.
Eviction record: Court records of an eviction filing, which can show up on tenant screening reports even if the tenant won. Some states allow sealing; see how to seal an eviction record.

F

Fair Housing Act: The federal law that bans housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability and familial status (42 U.S.C. § 3604). Many states and cities protect additional groups.
Familial status: A protected class under the Fair Housing Act covering households with children under 18 and people who are pregnant. A landlord generally cannot refuse to rent to families with children, apart from qualifying senior housing.
Fixed-term lease: A lease that runs for a set period, such as 12 months, with rent and terms locked in until it ends. Compare month-to-month and fixed-term leases.
Forcible entry and detainer: The name some states use for an eviction lawsuit. Other common names are unlawful detainer and summary process.

G

Grace period: Days after rent is due during which the tenant can pay without a late fee. Some states set one by statute; see late fee laws by state.
Guarantor: A person who promises to cover a tenant’s rent and other lease obligations if the tenant fails to pay. Often used by students or first-time renters with little credit history.

H

Habitability: The condition of a rental being safe and fit to live in. The warranty of habitability makes it the landlord’s duty; see the warranty of habitability explained.
Holdover tenant: A tenant who stays after the lease ends. Depending on the state and whether the landlord keeps accepting rent, the tenant may become month-to-month or may be subject to eviction.
Housing code: Local or state rules that set minimum standards for rental housing, such as heat, plumbing, wiring and pest control. A code inspector can cite a landlord who violates them.

I

Illegal lockout: Changing the locks or otherwise barring a tenant from the home without a court order. It is unlawful self-help eviction in nearly every state.
Itemized statement: The written list a landlord must give showing each deduction taken from a security deposit and its cost. Most states set a deadline for it; see security deposit laws by state.

J

Joint and several liability: A lease term making each roommate responsible for the full rent, not just a share. If one roommate stops paying, the landlord can collect the whole amount from the others.
Judgment: The court’s final decision in a case. In an eviction, it can award possession of the unit to the landlord, money for unpaid rent, or both.
Just cause eviction: A rule, found in some states and many cities, that lets a landlord end a tenancy only for reasons listed in the law, such as nonpayment or a serious lease violation.

L

Landlord: The owner of a rental property, or the person who rents it out on the owner’s behalf. Statutes often call the landlord the lessor.
Late fee: A charge added when rent is paid after the due date or grace period. Several states cap it; see rent late fees explained.
Lead-based paint disclosure: A federal requirement that landlords of most housing built before 1978 disclose known lead paint hazards and give tenants an EPA pamphlet before signing (42 U.S.C. § 4852d).
Lease: The contract between a landlord and a tenant that sets the rent, the length of the tenancy and the rules. It can be written or, for short periodic tenancies, oral, though a written lease is far easier to prove.
Lease renewal: Extending a lease for another term, either by signing a new lease or under an automatic renewal clause. Rent can change at renewal, subject to state and local rules.
Lessor: Another word for landlord: the person or company that rents the property out under a lease.

M

Month-to-month tenancy: A rental that renews each month until either side ends it with proper notice. See month-to-month lease laws by state.
Move-in checklist: A written record of the unit’s condition when the tenant moves in, ideally signed by both sides and backed by photos. It is the best evidence against unfair deposit deductions later.

N

Nonpayment of rent: The most common reason for eviction. Most states require a written notice giving the tenant time to pay before the landlord can file in court.
Normal wear and tear: Ordinary deterioration from everyday living, such as minor scuffs or faded paint, which a landlord generally cannot charge to the deposit. See normal wear and tear explained.
Notice period: The time a notice must give before it takes effect, such as 30 days to end a month-to-month tenancy. Our notice deadline calculator works out the date.
Notice to cure or quit: A notice telling the tenant to fix a lease violation, other than unpaid rent, within a set time or move out.
Notice to pay or quit: A notice telling the tenant to pay overdue rent within a set number of days or move out. It is usually the first step in an eviction for nonpayment; see our eviction notice timeline.
Notice to quit: A written notice ending a tenancy and telling the tenant to leave by a certain date. Some notices give a chance to cure; an unconditional notice to quit does not.

O

Occupant: Someone who lives in the unit but did not sign the lease, such as a child or a partner. Occupants may have fewer rights and obligations than tenants named on the lease.

P

Periodic tenancy: A tenancy that renews automatically for the same period, such as week to week or month to month, until proper notice ends it.
Pet deposit: An extra deposit some landlords charge for pets. In some states it counts toward the overall deposit cap. Assistance animals for people with disabilities generally cannot be charged a pet deposit or pet fee.
Possession: The right to occupy and control the rental. An eviction case decides who has the right to possession.
Preemption: When state law blocks cities or counties from passing their own rules on a subject, such as rent control. See rent increase laws by state.
Prorated rent: Rent charged for part of a month, calculated by the number of days the tenant actually has the unit, usually at move-in or move-out.

Q

Quiet enjoyment: The tenant’s right to use the home without unreasonable interference from the landlord, such as repeated entries without notice or harassment. It is implied in nearly every lease.

R

Reasonable accommodation: A change in a rule, policy or service that a person with a disability needs to use the housing, such as allowing an assistance animal in a no-pet building (42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B)).
Reasonable modification: A physical change to the unit that a tenant with a disability needs, such as grab bars or a ramp. The Fair Housing Act requires landlords to allow it, usually at the tenant’s expense (42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(A)).
Rent control: A law that limits how much or how often rent can rise. It exists in only a few states and in cities that state law allows; see how much a landlord can raise rent.
Rent escrow: Paying rent into a court or a neutral account instead of to the landlord until repairs are made. Only states with a statute allow it; see repair laws by state.
Rent increase notice: Advance written notice a landlord must give before raising rent on a periodic tenancy. Our rent increase checker shows the rule for your state.
Rent stabilization: A form of rent regulation that allows yearly increases but caps them, often tied to inflation. It usually applies only to certain buildings or cities.
Rent withholding: Holding back rent because the landlord has not made serious repairs. It is legal only where the state allows it, and only if the tenant follows the required steps.
Renter's insurance: Insurance covering a tenant’s belongings and personal liability. The landlord’s policy covers the building, not the tenant’s property. Some leases require it.
Repair and deduct: A remedy in some states that lets a tenant pay for a necessary repair after notice to the landlord and subtract the cost from rent. See what to do when your landlord won’t make repairs.
Retaliation: A landlord’s punishing response, such as raising rent or filing an eviction, to a tenant who used a legal right. Most states ban it; see landlord retaliation.
Right of entry: The landlord’s limited right to enter the unit for repairs, inspections or showings, usually after advance notice. See landlord entry notice by state.

S

Section 8: The federal Housing Choice Voucher program, which pays part of an eligible tenant’s rent directly to a private landlord (42 U.S.C. § 1437f). See how Section 8 works.
Security deposit: Money a tenant pays at move-in that the landlord holds to cover unpaid rent or damage beyond normal wear and tear. See security deposit law basics.
Self-help eviction: Any attempt by a landlord to force a tenant out without a court order, such as changing the locks, removing doors or shutting off utilities. It is illegal in nearly every state.
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act: A federal law that, among other protections, lets servicemembers end a residential lease after entering active duty or receiving qualifying orders (50 U.S.C. § 3955).
Small claims court: A simplified court for money disputes below a set limit, where people usually represent themselves. Deposit disputes often go here; see how to sue your landlord in small claims court.
Sublease: An arrangement where a tenant rents all or part of the unit to someone else while staying responsible to the landlord under the original lease. Most leases require the landlord’s consent.
Summons: The court paper that notifies a tenant of an eviction lawsuit and states when to respond or appear. Ignoring it usually leads to a default judgment.

T

Tenancy at sufferance: The status of a tenant who stays after the right to occupy has ended, without the landlord’s agreement. The landlord can usually start an eviction.
Tenancy at will: An arrangement with no fixed end date that either side can end with the notice state law requires, often used for informal rentals.
Tenant: A person who rents a home and has the right to occupy it under a lease or rental agreement.
Tenant screening report: A report on a rental applicant’s credit, rental history, eviction filings and criminal records. Federal law gives applicants the right to dispute errors; see tenant screening reports explained.

U

Unlawful detainer: The name many states, including California, use for an eviction lawsuit.

W

Writ of possession: A court order, issued after the landlord wins an eviction, that authorizes a sheriff, marshal or constable to remove the tenant and return the unit to the landlord.

How we wrote these definitions

Each definition is our own plain-English summary, reviewed in November 2026. Where a term depends on a specific federal statute, we cite it. State definitions vary, so confirm the meaning in your state’s statute before relying on it.

Related guides and tools

This page is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your situation, talk to a licensed attorney or a local legal aid office. See our disclaimer.