The Nebraska rental agreements are contracts between a landlord and a tenant. These documents outline the amount of the rent, duration of the tenancy, and other terms associated with the use of the property. All rental agreements are governed by the Nebraska state landlord-tenant laws.
Nebraska Rental Agreement Types
10
pages
8
pages
3
pages
8
pages
3
pages
12
pages
Nebraska Required Lease Disclosures
- Landlord’s Name & Address (required for all) – Every Nebraska lease must disclose the landlord’s name and address or that of an authorized agent in order to open communication if a legal notice or demand must be delivered.
- Lead Based Paint Disclosures (required for some) – Buildings built before 1978 are at risk for lead based paint, so Nebraska landlords are required to give notice of any existing hazards alongside a disclosure form as well as an Environmental Protection Agency-approved pamphlet outlining safety information.
To learn more about required disclosures in Nebraska, click here.
Nebraska Landlord Tenant Laws
- Warranty of Habitability – In Nebraska, a landlord must provide all tenants in their dwellings with proper plumbing, running water, air conditioning, electrical outlets, and more. Upon request, any of these amenities must be repaired by that landlord within 14 days. If they don’t do this, a tenant may have the right to withhold rent payments.
- Evictions – A Nebraska tenant may be evicted legally if they fail to pay rent (7-day notice), violated their lease terms (14-day notice), or commit a crime (5-day notice). With this in mind, most evictions in Nebraska can be wrapped up within 2 weeks.
- Security Deposits – A standard security deposit in Nebraska cannot be valued at more than 1 month’s rent. Also, any security deposits maintained by a Nebraska landlord must be returned to their tenant within 14 days of their lease ending.
- Lease Termination – In Nebraska, a month-to-month lease can be terminated early. To do this, a tenant must file a 30-day notice to their landlord. Early termination can also be granted for fixed-term leases for the following reasons: active military duty, landlord harassment, and unit uninhabitability.
- Rent Increases & Fees – In practice, landlords in Nebraska can raise rent whenever they want. At the same time, these increases only need to be accompanied by as much notice as a single leasing period (usually a month). Most all operational fees can also be charged, as long as they are in the lease agreement. Returned check fees are limited to $10 in value, though.
- Landlord Entry – A Nebraska landlord must always issue notice of their entry 1 full day in advance. Otherwise, a tenant has a right to deny entry. However, this notice requirement does not apply in emergency situations when permission cannot be prudently denied.
- Settling Legal Disputes – Nebraska’s small claims courts are limited in scope. They only accept cases valued at $3,500 or less that do not involve evictions. These cases must also fall within the statute of limitations (5 years for written contracts, 4 years for oral contracts).
To learn more about landlord tenant laws in Nebraska, click here.
