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Home > During the Tenancy > Just the Facts > Tenant Obligations > Rules in the Lease or Tenancy Agreement

Rules that You and the Tenant Agree to in the Lease or Tenancy Agreement

The lease or tenancy agreement is a contract between you and the tenant. The items that you agree to in the contract are called the terms of the contract.

The law incorporates some terms into the contract whether you included them or not. The law, however, does not cover all the possible matters that a landlord and tenant might agree to in a tenancy agreement. There are items that are not covered by the Residential Tenancies Act which you and the tenant can make an agreement about.

For example, although the Act states how a security deposit will be held and returned, it does not indicate whether there will be a security deposit charged, nor deal with responsibility for repairs. These are some of the terms that you and the tenant can agree to yourselves. Once agreed, you and the tenant must conduct your relationship according to these rules, unless you both agree to change the rules.

Once the contract is completed, both you and the tenant are legally bound by the contract. This means that if one of you breaks a rule that is set out in the contract, there is a risk that the other will take some action to end the contract or to recover compensation.

January 2006



Tenant Obligations:Rules Implied by LawRules in the Lease or Tenancy AgreementOffences under Residential Tenancies ActOne-time Fees