Leases and rental agreements
Deposits that never come back, rent that moves on the landlord's say-so, repairs that quietly become yours, and entry rules that are not rules at all.
10 traps
Every trap Redline looks for
Whoever controls the deduction decision taxes the tenant on exit: regulators document routine deductions for fair wear, pre-existing damage, flat 'cleaning' and 'admin' charges; fixed sums…
A 12-month lease broken in month 3 produces a 9-month rent claim pursued via collections and credit reporting; a single late payment converts into a lump-sum claim plus eviction (double…
Missing the window binds the tenant to a further year through inertia; for fixed terms no notice is legally needed to leave, so the clause manufactures a penalty; tenants waiting on a…
Every pre-existing scuff becomes a deposit deduction and repair claims are pre-empted by the tenant's own 'acknowledgement'; a boiler or roof failure becomes the tenant's bill; burst pipes…
The tenant carries a full-term commitment and exit penalties while the landlord keeps a free option; forced moves cost deposits and disruption; 'при продаже договор прекращается'…
Fees quickly exceed the cost of late payment and become a profit centre; NCLC found late fees reaching 50-100% of rent and fee-on-fee cycles ending in eviction; many leases exceed…
It threatens what is a criminal act in most jurisdictions, and tenants who believe the clause leave or pay under duress; in RU it is used to hold belongings hostage for 'penalties'; the…
Fees add tens to hundreds per month absent from the listing and surface at signing or first invoice (Greystar's fees cost renters hundreds of millions); the landlord earns commission on…
It negates exclusive possession and privacy, enables harassment and surprise viewings; restrictions on private life become pretexts for fees or eviction; blanket assignment bans lock the…
Rent is the core price; a variation right turns a fixed term into a one-way option for the landlord while the tenant stays bound and pays exit penalties; one-sided index clauses have been…
What it looks like in a contract
Redline matches these phrases against your document verbatim. Drafters rarely invent new wording — they copy it, which is why the same sentences turn up across unrelated contracts.
- non-refundable depositDeposit easy to withhold
- liable for rent for the remainder of the termFull-term rent on early exit
- automatically renewLease auto-renewal trap
- tenant acknowledges that the premises are in good and habitable conditionRepairs shifted to tenant
- landlord may terminate this lease at any timeLandlord exits free, tenant locked in
- late fee of $Daily compounding late fees
Is it enforceable where you are
In the US, deposit deadlines and entry notice are set state by state; in England and Wales the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the deposit protection schemes apply, and in the EU national tenancy law sits on top of Directive 93/13.
- Cited
- FTC v. Invitation Homes
- 93/13 Annex 1(d)/(e)/(m)
- BGB 551
- décret 2016-382
- Directive 93/13
- loi 89-462 art 22
- CMA
- CRA 2015 Sch 2 para 16
- Housing Act 2004
- Tenant Fees Act 2019
- ГК ст. 381.1
- ст. 15
- ст. 333
- ст. 56 ГПК
Check your own contract
A lease hides different things from a loan agreement, and a privacy policy hides different things again. Pick the document on your desk and see what usually goes wrong in it.