The Longest Rental Agreement/Lease
On a past podcast, the guest had a long (maybe 30+ pages) rental agreement for potential renters. Does anyone have a copy? Would anyone like to share his/her experience with lengthy leasing contracts. Personally, I would like to try it out because I want renters like me-- I would not mind a lengthy agreement; the more explained upfront, the less ambiguity after moving in.
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- Real Estate Broker
- Cody, WY
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It's a free country. If he feels safer with 30 pages, more power to him. But I would have a very serious question for anyone using a really long contract: is the community seeing more conflicts between Landlords and Tenants, or fewer?
I would argue we're seeing more despite the fact that lease agreements are probably 5x longer, on average, than they were 40 years ago.
You can't possibly cover every contingency. Even if you did, Tenants can't possibly understand/follow every single rule every single time.
My lease is seven (7) pages long, well spaced, no fine print. I have never been sued, I have never lost an eviction, and it is extremely rare that something happens that isn't covered in the contract. I don't know what he crams in those other 23 pages but I suspect he's no better protected than I am. But it's his business and it makes him feel good, so more power to him!
- Nathan Gesner
