A Practical Guide for Tenants & Landlords Dear Friend: This booklet is designed to inform tenants and landlords about their rights and responsibilities in rental relationships. It serves as a useful reference—complete with the following: › An in-depth discussion about rental-housing law in an easy-to-read question- and-answer format; › Important timelines that outline the eviction process and recovering or keeping a security deposit; › A sample lease, sublease, roommate agreement, lead-based paint disclosure form, and inventory checklist; › Sample letters about repair and maintenance, termination of occupancy, and notice of forwarding address; and › Approved court forms. Whether you are a tenant or a landlord, when you sign a lease agreement, you sign a contract. You are contractually obligated to perform certain duties and assume certain responsibilities. You are also granted certain rights and protections under the lease agreement. Rental-housing law is complex. I am grateful to the faculty and students of the MSU College of Law Housing Law Clinic for their detailed work and assistance in compiling the information for this booklet. Owners of mobile-home parks, owners of mobile homes who rent spaces in the parks, and renters of mobile homes may have additional rights and duties. Also, landlords and renters of subsidized housing may have additional rights and duties. It is my pleasure to provide this information to you. I hope that you find it useful. MSU College of Law Housing Law Clinic (517) 336-8088, Option 2
[email protected] www.law.msu.edu/clinics/rhc This informational booklet is intended only as a guide— it is not a substitute for the services of an attorney and is not a substitute for competent legal advice.