How a Landlord Agreement Works

Whenever a landlord agrees to rent a property to a tenant there will be a number of terms and conditions that are made. Landlords have responsibilities to provide a service for a tenant that goes beyond simply renting out a property. Landlord agreements can cover a wide variety of obligations and requirements in respect to the property and the tenant.

Tenancy Contracts

A tenancy contract between a landlord and a tenant will be a legally binding agreement regardless of whether the contract was made in writing or by verbal agreement. Even if no actual written contract exists, and it is always a wise move to make a written contract, the agreement will still stand. All of the agreements that were made between the landlord and the tenant will be known as the terms and conditions of the contract, and if either party breaks any of the terms and conditions then they can be charged with breach of contract.

The Terms and Conditions

Usually a landlord will have a standard contract that will contain a list of requirements, obligations and expectations. A landlord will agree to provide the property in exchange for a rental price, usually paid weekly or monthly. But on top of simply providing accommodation there will be a number of landlord agreements regarding the service he or she provides.

Common Landlord Agreements

There are a number of terms that will be standard but a landlord can make a number of his or her own provisions in the contract. As long as these provisions do not take away any of the tenant’s rights, and they have been agreed by both parties then it is quite feasible for any number of requirements to be made. These can include:

• Agreements on repairs to the property.
• Agreements on a period of notice.
• Agreements on whether or not to allow pets in the property.
• Agreements on whether or not to provide television licences.
• Agreements on rental prices.
• Whether to furnish the property or not.
• The right for the tenant to sublet a room.
• The right for a tenant to buy the property.
• Agreement on the type of tenancy contract.

This is not a definitive list of agreements, and many more can be placed into the tenancy contract at the request of either the tenant or the landlord. As long as the terms and conditions are clearly defined, understood, and agreed by both parties then the contract will be legally binding. The tenancy contract can then be used as a point of reference if there are any disputes over any of the landlord’s agreements in the future.

Rent Increase Agreements

A common legal requirement of certain types of tenancy contracts will be that rent cannot be increased; this will be one of the landlord’s agreements. This will only be the case if the tenancy type was an assured shorthold or fixed term tenancy. If the contract expires then the tenancy can be renewed with an increase in the rent. As this was an original clause in the tenancy contract any enforced rent increase may result in legal action on behalf of the tenant, and financial damages can be claimed.

Breach of Contract

If a landlord breaks any of the terms and conditions that were used in the original contract then he or she will be in breach of contract. By doing this the landlord will have effectively broken the agreement they have made with the tenant and there could be legal consequences for this action.

Landlord agreements are legally binding and they give assurances to the tenant that is paying rent on a property. The tenant is required by law to be treated fairly by the landlord as set out in the tenancy contract. But the landlord must also agree to abide by laws that were set out specifically to protect a tenant’s rights. Failure to do so could be deemed a criminal offence, and there could be severe consequences if any of these rights are broken and legal action is taken.