An insurance policy provision stating that if an excluded peril (such as flood) and a covered peril (such as wind) combine to cause damage, the entire loss is excluded from coverage.
Citation: HO-3 Section I Exclusions; Couch on Insurance § 153:96
A transaction where the original tenant transfers their entire remaining leasehold interest and contractual obligations to a new incoming tenant for the full balance of the term.
Citation: Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA) § 4.101
Related:
Sublease Agreement Privity of Contract Novation
A Legal & Title
Attornment
An agreement by a tenant to acknowledge and recognize a new property owner or foreclosing lender as their lawful landlord under the existing lease terms without disruption.
Citation: Restatement (Second) of Property, Landlord & Tenant § 15.1
Related:
Estoppel Certificate SNDA Holdover Tenant
B Accounting
Base Rent
The minimum fixed monthly amount owed by a tenant for occupying a rental property, excluding variable utility reimbursements, parking fees, pet rent, or late surcharges.
An occurrence where a landlord's action or failure to act makes the rental premises uninhabitable or unfit for occupancy, legally justifying the tenant vacating and terminating lease obligations without penalty.
Citation: Restatement (Second) of Property § 6.1; N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b
Related:
Warranty of Habitability Notice to Repair Retaliatory Eviction
C Legal & Rights
Covenant of Quiet Enjoyment
An implied or express contractual guarantee that the tenant will have peaceable, undisturbed possession of the rental property free from recurring interference by the landlord or superior title holders.
Citation: Cal. Civ. Code § 1927
Related:
Notice of Entry (24-Hour) Constructive Eviction
D Operations
Defensibility Protocol
An institutional operating system designed to produce immutable, timestamped audit trails of all notices, inspections, deposit itemizations, and communications to withstand judicial scrutiny in small claims or eviction court.
Citation: Federal Rules of Evidence Rule 803(6) (Business Records Exception)
A certified engineering document (FEMA Form FF-206-FY-22-152) that records the exact elevation of a building relative to the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) in high-risk flood zones.
A dedicated fiduciary bank account established to hold funds on behalf of another party—such as tenant security deposits, prepaid rent, or property tax reserves—isolated from operational business funds.
Citation: Fla. Stat. § 83.49; N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-103
A federal law (Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968) prohibiting discrimination in residential leasing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability.
Citation: 42 U.S.C. §§ 3601–3619
Related:
Tenant Screening Criteria Disparate Impact
G Leasing
Grace Period (Rent)
A contractual or statutory period following the formal rent due date during which a tenant may pay rent without incurring late fees or being served with a formal notice to pay or quit.
A tenant who continues to occupy a rental unit after their lease agreement has expired without executing a renewal and without the explicit consent of the property owner.
Citation: URLTA § 4.301
Related:
Unlawful Detainer Month-to-Month Tenancy
I Accounting
Itemized Deduction Receipt
A formal statutory accounting statement delivered by a landlord to a departed tenant specifying every item deducted from their security deposit, complete with receipts and contractor invoices.
Security Deposit Wear and Tear (Normal) Treble Damages
J Leasing
Joint and Several Liability
A legal doctrine in multi-tenant leases specifying that each individual cotenant is independently responsible for the entire lease obligation, including 100% of the rent and all damages.
Citation: Restatement (Second) of Contracts § 289
Related:
Co-Signer Master Lease
L Compliance
Late Fee Statutory Cap
State or municipal statutory restrictions dictating the maximum dollar amount or percentage of rent that landlords may charge for delinquent rent payments.
The legal obligation imposed on landlords to take commercially reasonable steps to re-rent a vacant property after a tenant breaches the lease and vacates prematurely, rather than allowing damages to accumulate.
A written advance notification delivered by a landlord to a tenant specifying the date, approximate time window, and legitimate purpose of an upcoming entry into the leased premises.
A formal statutory demand requiring a tenant to either remedy a lease breach (such as non-payment of rent) or vacate the rental property within a specified countdown period (e.g. 3, 5, or 10 days).
An adjusted rent calculation charged to a tenant when their tenancy commences or terminates mid-cycle, based on the exact number of days of actual occupancy during that calendar month.
Citation: URLTA § 1.401
Related:
Base Rent Move-In Inspection
R Accounting & Utilities
Ratio Utility Billing System (RUBS)
A formula-based methodology for allocating master-metered utility expenses (water, gas, trash) across multi-family tenants based on square footage, occupant count, or fixture counts.
Citation: 16 Tex. Admin. Code § 24.281
Related:
Base Rent Ancillary Fee
S Compliance
Security Deposit Statutory Cap
Statutory ceilings on the maximum amount a landlord may demand as a security deposit at the execution of a residential lease.
Citation: Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5; N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-108
Related:
Escrow Account Itemized Deduction Receipt
T Legal & Penalties
Treble Damages
A statutory remedy allowing a court to award triple the actual compensatory damages suffered by an injured party as a punitive consequence for willful or bad-faith statutory violations.
The formal summary legal proceeding through which a property owner seeks a judicial writ to recover physical possession of real estate from an occupant who remains without lawful authority.
Citation: Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §§ 1159–1179a
Related:
Notice to Quit Holdover Tenant Writ of Possession
W Tenant Rights
Warranty of Habitability
An implied legal covenant in all residential leases establishing that the landlord must maintain premises fit for human habitation, including weatherproofing, potable hot and cold water, working heat, and sanitary conditions.
Citation: Green v. Superior Court, 10 Cal. 3d 616 (1974); Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act § 2.104
Related:
Constructive Eviction Notice of Entry (24-Hour)
W Property Maintenance
Wear and Tear (Normal)
The natural and gradual physical degradation of property fixtures, paint, and flooring that occurs as a result of normal, careful residential use over time.