A lease spells out the relationship and requirements for a tenant and landlord.
Because the landlord generally chooses what the lease will say, it usually favors the landlord. If the tenant disagrees with some part of the lease, it should be discussed and may be modified or deleted by mutual agreement. Any change, addition, or deletion to a contract should be initialed by both the landlord and the tenant(s). Generally, nothing said or agreed upon orally will change any part of the written lease unless it is in writing and signed by both parties. While under certain circumstances an oral lease can be enforceable, in the event of dispute issues of evidence and proof with an oral lease are extremely problematic, and a written agreement protects both parties.
If you do not agree to the entire written lease document, do not sign it. Your signature will bind you to fulfill the terms of the agreement exactly as it is written and/or pay significant financial penalties. There are no time-outs, second chances, or fresh starts. Landlords will use the courts or threats of legal action to enforce leases, and tenants should be equally prepared to exercise their rights under contracts and through the courts if necessary.
Everyone who signs a lease should receive a copy, with signatures, to serve as a record of the lease and each party's responsibilities under the terms of the lease.
A lease is a contract between you and the landlord. It describes a legal agreement in which you are given possession of an apartment owned by the landlord in which to live for a specific length of time. A lease also specifies what you are to do (and not do) to receive or retain possession of the apartment.
Contracts can be long or short, simple or complex. Enforcing a contract generally means asking a court for a judgment that would force one or both parties to do—or not do—what the contract specifies. Legal actions to enforce a lease usually are brought to the district magistrate but could be brought to another court depending on what is being charged or what relief is being sought.
