Get up to speed on the legalities of being a (good) tenant with these important rights and obligations.

• Your lease agreement should be signed by both the landlord and you as tenant. Landlords are required to give their tenants a copy of the signed agreement before they move in.
• Tenants are entitled to have the lease agreement translated into their language of choice. Both agreements – the original and the translated document – must be signed.
• Normally, the lease agreement isn’t longer than 24 months, but this can be negotiated.
• A tenant must pay the rent on, or before, the date it is due – as stipulated in the lease agreement.
• A full calendar month’s notice is required to terminate a lease agreement. This must be given in writing, and can be served by either the landlord or the tenant.
• The deposit cannot exceed two months’ rent, unless otherwise agreed to by the tenant and the landlord.
• Once the deposit, or a portion thereof, has been paid, an implied lease is considered to be in place.
• The landlord must keep your deposit in an interest-bearing account for as long as you remain their tenant.
• To increase the rental amount, an owner must give their tenant at least two months’ written notice.

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