A lease spells out the details of a tenant's unit and living situation. It outlines the terms of the lease. This includes the specific date the lease begins and when it ends. Lease agreements also include the rental rate a tenant pays every month. It also outlines if the landlord requires security deposits, if they allow pets and if the tenant pays any other costs such as utilities or parking.
Most lease agreements are written as a fixed-term lease. A fixed-term lease means a tenant will rent a property until a specific date and the rent will remain the same for the lease period until the lease expires. Most lease agreements are written for one year, so if a tenant signs a lease starting on August 1, it would end on July 31 of the following year.
A fixed-term lease is different than a month-to-month lease agreement. There are pros and cons to a fixed-term lease versus a month-to-month lease.
A tenuous landlord-tenant relationship does not mean a tenant or the landlord can break a lease. Whether it's a fixed-term lease or a month-to-month lease doesn't matter. Personality clashes aside, once a property manager and tenant lock into a lease agreement, regardless of lease type, you must pay rent and abide by the state laws or the law of your tenancy until the term lease ends.
Unless other arrangements happened at the time you signed the lease, tenants must pay their rent every month during the duration of their tenancy. This is the case with a fixed-term lease and a month-to-month lease.
Term lease agreements vary. And while often the landlord decides the type of leases offered to tenants, both parties have to agree to the terms. If a tenant is unsure about a job opportunity or has an emergency and needs a more flexible living arrangement or term length, the tenant may request a rental agreement.
A healthy landlord-tenant relationship begins with good communication. It's best to discuss issues in advance and agree on the specified terms before signing anything.
Usually, a lease term end date is 12 months from the start date. But lease terms can vary based on a number of circumstances. A property owner, for example, may seek to sell an apartment building in six months. He'll do this so the lease terms are shorter than one year. Prospective tenants might want a longer lease if their job requires them to be in place for a while. They'd prefer to lock in a lease without any rent increases for that specified period of time. A landlord may agree to a longer fixed-term lease. It means guaranteed occupancy and the landlord won't need to find a replacement tenant during that lease term.
The best lease to choose is based on your current needs. If you know you're going to be in one place for a while, it's smart to lock in a good rate by signing a fixed-term lease. If school, work or family are unpredictable, a month-to-month lease is better so you're not locked into a lease.
