House Rules

House Rules:  

   House rules or apartment regulations are usually a part of the lease even though they aren't printed on the lease form itself. Before you sign the lease, ask for a copy of the rules. If the rules haven't been written down, ask the landlord to write them down and to sign and date the document. Having written rules will prevent the landlord from changing the rules in the middle of your lease. In general, most house rules are enforceable as long as they don't illegally discriminate. See " Discrimination." Rules may be unenforceable if they are completely unreasonable. If you feel the landlord's rules are unreasonable, it may be safer to follow them temporarily and move rather than attempt to challenge them unless you have an attorney or tenant organization to assist you. See "Overview." 

   Note that a landlord can decide not to renew a lease for almost any reason and , if the landlord has given proper notice of nonrenewal pursuant to the lease, a court will likely uphold that decision. In fact, the landlord isn't obligated to give a reason for nonrenewal of a lease. Similarly, a landlord may terminate a month-to-month lease by providing a 30-day notice of nonrenewal. There are some exceptions. Further, a landlord cannot refuse to renew a lease based on a tenant's race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, or disability. For example, a lanlord can't refuse to renew a lease in retaliation for a tenant requesting repairs. See "Termination and Moving out" and " Exceptions to failing to Renew or Terminating a Month- to- Month."