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And your here, through your entire rental search.

Uninstall when your done unpacking.

Conscionable.

The term unconscionable.  What does it mean, and more importantly when and where does it apply.

Synonyms for the term are unscrupulous, unreasonable, inordinate, and excessive.  The term unconscionable is defined as  "not right or reasonable" and alternatively "unreasonably excessive."    Many state statutes, URLTA as well have enacted restrictions on conditions or a clauses in a lease.

Urlta and your state if URLTA has been adopted does not permit a provision in a lease that requires a tenant to pay legal fees for the landlord, and a landlord retaining your deposit as a penalty has been ruled unconscionable in some states.  Excerpt from Florida Landlord Tenant Law 83.47 - "A provision of a lease the purports  to preclude any of the rights or remedies or to limit landlord’s liability to tenant 'under law' is unenforceable.  A party may recover any actual damages as a result to such provision."

If by chance that or any of the other "unlawful" provisions are in your lease they are considered unconscionable under the law, and more than likely will not be upheld in court.   The term itself has a great value to the rights of tenants.  It protects you from provisions and circumstance that have already been decided by lawmakers and appellate courts are not right.  It's important for you to know what protects you as a tenant and to know what looks like a good lease to offer a tenant can have a soured effect.

Basics.

We are continuing or series A-Z Advice, and in this article we are going to highlight a few basic terms used in leases and identify some often used and misunderstood conditions that you may have in your lease.

• Lessor-That's your landlord
• Lessee- That's you the tenant
• Lease Term or Lease Period- The length of your lease, often 12 months or one year.
• Lease Provision or Clause- A condition or rule in a lease eg. no pets or no parking in front of the dumpster.
• Deposit or Securities- Money required by a landlord used to offset damages if any, held in Escrow.
• Escrow- A bank account held by the landlord to hold securities until the end of a lease.
• Month to Month- A lease that is renewed monthly and may end by either party with a 30 day notice.
• Perpetual Lease- a lease that automatically renews with the same terms after each period
• Month to Month Renewal- a lease that after the initial term renews on a month to month basis.
• Access or Entry- A term used for a landlord to enter the premises.
• Due Date- The date of each month your rent is due, many jurisdictions have a grace period of 2 to 4 days after the due date that do not incur fees or penalty. eg. the 3rd or 5th of the month.
• Forfeiture- a waiver or agreement to give up something. eg. property, rights, obligation etc.  Not a beneficial clause if you are a tenant, and in some cases are unlawful.
• Amendment- A condition or clause that is modified in a lease, sometimes added in the margin of a lease and initialed by agreeing parties.
• Written Notice- a letter in written from

It's a good practice to be mindful of what we've highlighted when signing a lease.  Other basics we wanted to touch on are some general tips about filing out applications and having your lease prepared.  It's best to retain copies of any documents that you sign and are presented with during your application process and when signing your lease.  Never leave blank spaces in your lease, that aren't identified, for example deposit, amount of rent, start date\ end date etc.