Renting a house

Renting is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good or property owned by another person or company. The owner of the property may be referred to as the lessor and the party paying to use the property as the lessee or renter. Typically an implied, explicit, or written rental agreement or contract involved to specify the terms of the rental.

Housing tenure refers to financial arrangements under which someone has a right to live in a house or apartment. The most frequent forms are tenancy, in which rent is paid to a landlord, and owner occupancy. Mixed forms of tenure are also possible.

The basic forms of tenure can be subdivided, for example an owner occupier may own a house outright, or it may be mortgaged. In the case of tenancy, the landlord may be a private individual, a non-profit organisation such as a housing association, or a government body, as in public housing.

Real estate rental
A rental agreement is often called a lease, especially when real estate is rented. In addition to the basics of a rental, a real estate rental may go into much more detail on these and other issues.

Who - The parties involved in contract, the lessor and the lessee (renter or tenant) are identified in contract. A housing lease can specify if a renter is living alone, with family, children, room-mate, visitors. A rental may delineate rights and obligations these. For example, a sub let to a stranger might not be permitted without permission of the landlord. This also applies to whether or not pets may be kept by the renter. On the other hand, the renter may also have specific rights against intrusions by the landlord, except under emergency circumstances. A renter is in possession of the property, and a landlord would be trespassing upon the renter's rights if entry is made without proper notice and authority.
What - Rented real estate may include all or part of almost any real property, such as an apartment, house, building, business office(s) or suite, land, farm, or merely an inside or outside space to park a vehicle, or store things. The premises rented may include not only specific rooms, but also access to other common areas such as off-street parking, basement or attic storage, laundry facility, pool, roof deck, balconies, etc. The agreement may specify how and when these places may be used, and by whom. There may be detailed description of the current condition of the premises, for comparison with the condition at the time the premises are surrendered.
How much - Rent can be payable monthly, annually, or in advance, or as otherwise agreed. A typical arrangement for tenancy at will is first and last month's rent plus a security deposit. The last month's rent is rent that has yet to be earned by the landlord. The security deposit is often handled as an escrow deposit, owned by the tenant, but held by the landlord until the premises are surrendered in good condition. In some states, a landlord can provide a tenant with a name and account number of the bank where a security deposit is held, and pay annual interest to the tenant. Other regulations may require the landlord to submit a list of pre existing damage to the property, or forfeit the security deposit immediately.
When - term of the rental may be for a night, weeks, months, or years. There can be statutory provisions requiring registration of any rental that could extend for more than a specified number of years in order to be enforceable against a new landlord.
A typical rental is either annual or month-to-month, and the amount of rent may be different for long-term renters. Leaving a long-term lease before its expiration could result in penalties, or even the cost of the entire agreed period. If a tenant stays beyond the end of a lease for a term of years, then the parties may agree that the lease will be automatically renewed, or it may simply convert to a tenancy at will at the pro-rated monthly cost of the previous annual lease. If a tenant at will is given notice to quit the premises, and refuses to do so, the landlord then begins eviction proceedings. In many places it is completely illegal to change locks on doors, or remove personal belongings, let alone forcibly eject a person, without a court order of eviction. There may be strict rules of procedure, and stiff penalties for violations.

Other considerations
Rent to own - If parties are willing, a rental could be structured as a rent to own, whereby some or all periodic payments of rent are counted toward an agreed purchase price. Once the price is reached, the tenant becomes the owner.
Improvements - A tenant is in possession of the property, but the landlord retains ownership. If a tenant makes permanent improvements to the property, the general rule is that they become the property of the owner when they are attached. A tenant would be wise to obtain compensation agreement from a landlord before making major improvements. Contrarily, a landlord may view unwanted improvements as damage and require a tenant to remove them or pay to have premises returned to original condition.
Maintenance - Landlords can be required to provide heat, hot water, roofing, security, and sanitation to meet local health codes, and any failure to maintain those services could give the tenant a right to withhold rent. Beyond that, parties could agree on what minimum maintenance is required, and what additional upkeep the landlord might desire in exchange for possible rental credit.
For rural properties with agriculture (e.g., crops, fruits, forest), there should be some agreement as to who is responsible for work and supplies, whether a tenant has grazing rights, and how much of the harvest proceeds go to the landlord. Similarly for mining and water sources.
Easements - There may be potentially conflicting rights held by others on the property or adjacent to the property possessed by the tenant, and these should be understood and respected. For example: shared driveway access or parking, beach access, view, sun or light, recreational users of the woods, historical or conservation limitations, co-tenant farmers or loggers, underground or overhead utilities, common areas in apartments, condos or housing associations might all be occupied partially by others. Also, neighbors in dense urban areas may have the right to enter adjacent land to maintain structures such as fences, gutters, garages, paths, prune shrubs, and so forth.

Examples include:

Renting real estate for the purpose of Housing tenure, parking a vehicle(s), storage, business, agricultural, institutional, or government use, or other reasons. When renting real estate, the person(s) or party who lives in or occupies the real estate is often called a tenant, paying rent to the owner of the property, often called a landlord. The real estate rented may be all or part of almost any real estate, such as an apartment, house, building, business office(s) or suite, land, farm, or merely an inside or outside space to park a vehicle, or store things. The rental agreement for real estate is often a lease.

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