Remember to Read Carefully: The Importance of Understanding your Lease.

It’s a document that is easy to skim through, and even easier to forget about. As long as the cost of rent is in line with their expectations, most people don’t think twice before signing their lease. But the consequences of not reading carefully can be dire, and can lead to unexpected evictions from a place you once called home.

If you’re preparing to begin your rental journey, here’s what you need to know on understanding your lease to protect your rights and your peace of mind.

Why it is Important

A lease is a binding contract between you and your landlord. It contains a lot of important information other than the cost of rent. Therefore, if there is anything you disagree with in your lease, you must not sign it. Nothing in a lease can be changed after you sign it. It must be examined before you rent an apartment. Not looking through your lease before you sign can lead to potential eviction if a landlord decides you have broken your lease agreement. Furthermore, it can prevent you from leaving an apartment should you choose to.

Key Things to Look out For

Remember that your lease must contain everything you and your landlord agreed to ahead of time. Other than the cost of rent and the security deposit, here are some other things to look out for when reading through your lease:

• When your landlord has to tell you before taking you to court

• Who pays the bills for gas, lights, and water

• What you have to pay if the landlord sues you

• Who can live there and for how long

• Whether you’ll be charged if you move out early

• Whether you’re responsible for garbage or yard work

• Whether you can have pets or not

• Whether you have to make any repairs yourself

• Any other rules for living there

In addition to these specifications, remember to look out for any clauses in your lease that seem illegal. This can include instances when the landlord “indemnifies” themselves for liability, meaning they deny any responsibility for wrongdoing done to you and prohibit you from suing them. If the lease contains any suspicious language that seems prohibited or illegal, call Eviction Right to Counsel.

Rest assured that a court will not enforce these illegal "prohibitive or "unconscionable" clauses should you accidentally sign it.

Special Circumstances for Breaking a Lease and Moving out Early

Although it is not common or easy, there are some instances when it is legal to break a lease without paying penalty fees or additional months of rent. Some of these special circumstances can include the following:

• Cases of domestic violence

• If the housing unit was damaged by flood, fire, or another natural disaster 

• If your landlord refuses to make repairs

If these do not apply to you and you are still thinking of breaking your lease, please call Eviction Right to Counsel, as penalties will most likely be enforced.

Things to Remember before your Lease Ends

As best practice, it is important to read your lease again halfway into the term to remind yourself of anything you might have forgotten. There are often automatic renewal clauses in there you need to look out for. You must give your landlord a written notice either 30 days, 60 days, or 90 days in advance of your lease end date. 

Remember to always keep a paper trail by making a copy for yourself!

If You or Someone You Know is Facing Housing Discrimination, Call:

AMAC Hotline: 615-988-6460

Nashville Hispanic Bar Association: 615-701-7957

Visit www.amactn.org/tenant-rights-nashville to access free resources in 8 different languages, including Arabic, Kurdish, Somali, and Spanish.

Need Help Understanding Your Lease?

Whether you’re looking for help with breaking your lease, your landlord is breaking your lease, you are concerned with legality of your lease agreement, or you’re simply navigating rent support programs like the ERTC, AMAC is here to support you and your family.

Knowledge is power—know your rights, protect your home.