Tuesday 27 May 2014

Terms In A Tenancy Program

By Wanda Rosner


The type of tenancy arrangement affects your rights and responsibility as a tenant. Your tenancy program will be guided by the terms contained in a tenancy contract that spells out your relationship with your landlord. It is therefore important that you understand some of the common terms that will appear in any typical tenancy contract.

You will find some standard terms which are usually required by law since they control the guidelines of a tenancy agreement and have to be incorporated in almost any tenancy contract. Whether these elements are incorporated or otherwise, they will be assumed to exist, and for that reason relevant just in case of disagreement. Always make sure you know these terms prior to signing any tenancy contract. You will find essential information on these terms in the residential laws and regulations regulating your state.

Your landlord is generally allowed by the state to obtain your credit information from any credit agency or credit reference bureau. However, you have the last say on this since the landlord must obtain your written consent as regards this matter. If you do not feel like divulging your credit information to your landlord, then he can choose not to enter into a tenancy agreement with you or renew your tenancy contract.

Landlords may include a clause in your tenancy agreement barring or restricting the amount of pets you may desire to have in your house. He is able to set some rules, which will restrict the existence of pets in specific parts of the building. This is important because some tenants may be allergic to some pets or may even be uncomfortable around some animals.

A common tenancy contract will also contain a clause regarding refundable and non-refundable fees that your landlord may charge you. Landlords are however prohibited from charging application fees or processing fees from their clients. Costs like the cost of keys, bank charges due to a cheque issued by a tenant bouncing and other necessary charges can be levied upon a tenant but within predetermined limits. The general rule is that a landlord charges no more than is necessary.

A tenancy contract is also likely to contain a clause regarding your privacy. For example, it may spell out situations that can necessitate a landlord to carry out a search in house of a tenant. The guiding principle is that a landlord cannot indulge himself into the private life of an individual for more than is necessary. What is necessary is a question to be determined by the courts of law.

The other term that may be obtained in a tenancy contract is usually whether your landlord can ask you for your social security number. Generally, your landlord may ask for your social insurance number if it is necessary for the purposes of identifying you or conducting a credit check. Landlords are not supposed to require their tenants to disclose personal information beyond what is necessary as condition of renting to them.

When dealing in the business of manufactured homes, a landlord may require a moving insurance cover. This is to ensure that there is a third party that can be held liable if there is any damage to the property in the course of the movement. You must be ready to prove it to your landlord that indeed you have an insurance before you can rent his property.




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