A Vermont rental agreement is a legal contract between a landlord overseeing a rental property and a tenant using the property. Vermont landlord-tenant law governs and regulates these agreements.
Vermont Rental Agreement Types
A Vermont roommate agreement is a legal contract between two or more people (“co-tenants”) who share a rental property according to rules they set, including for things like splitting the rent. This agreement binds the co-tenants living together, and doesn’t include the landlord.
Vermont Required Residential Lease Disclosures
- Flood Zone Notice (required for some leases) – Vermont leases located in a certified FEMA flood zone must provide a disclosure of flood risk to incoming tenants.
- Lead-Based Paint Disclosure (required for some leases) – Landlords must provide an EPA-approved disclosure and informational pamphlet to tenants renting any property built before 1978.
To learn more about required disclosures in Vermont, click here.
Vermont Landlord Tenant Laws
- Warranty of Habitability – Vermont landlords can only rent out habitable property. This means providing certain basic health and safety features like heat, plumbing, and electricity. Landlords must repair any issues within a “reasonable” time after proper notice, usually up to 30 days. Failure to repair lets a tenant end the rental agreement, ask a court to order repairs or compensation, withhold rent, or (for minor issues) repair and deduct. Tenants also can recover reasonable attorney fees.
- Evictions – Vermont landlords may evict tenants for reasons including rent default, lease violations, and illegal acts. Landlords must provide tenants with different amounts of notice, depending on the type of eviction. Most evictions in Vermont take somewhere from a few weeks to a few months. Properties covered by the federal CARES Act are entitled to a minimum 30 days of advance notice before eviction for nonpayment of rent or fees. Landlords also must file a certification of CARES compliance before such evictions.
- Security Deposits – Vermont does not limit the amount of a security deposit. When a lease ends, the landlord must return any unused portion of a tenant’s deposit within 14 days.
- Lease Termination – Vermont tenants may end a month-to-month lease with 30 days of advance notice. Terminating a fixed-term lease early usually requires active military duty, landlord harassment, unit uninhabitability, or domestic abuse.
- Rent Increases and Fees – Vermont does not limit the amount of a rent increase. Before a rent increase, the tenant has the right to at least 60 days of advance notice (or more, in certain local areas). Vermont landlords may only charge late fees equal to the actual costs created by a late payment.
- Landlord Entry – Vermont landlords may enter rental property for reasonable business purposes like inspections, maintenance, and services. Except in emergencies, the landlord must provide at least 48 hours of advance notice, and enter only between 9:00 AM and 9:00 PM.
- Settling Legal Disputes – Vermont lets small claims courts hear landlord-tenant disputes, as long as the value in controversy is under $5,000. The state does not allow eviction cases in small claims.
To learn more about landlord tenant laws in Vermont, click here.
Sources
- 1 Vt. R. Civ. P. 9.2
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(a) Applicability. This rule applies to all actions for eviction of a tenant of residential housing based solely or in part on nonpayment of rent.
(b) Notice of Termination of Residential Tenancy.
(1) A complaint in an action to which this rule applies must contain or be accompanied by a declaration showing either compliance with the 30-day notice requirement of the CARES Act, 15 U.S.C. § 9058(c), or that the dwelling from which the plaintiff seeks to evict the tenant is not located on or in a “covered property” as defined in the CARES Act, 15 U.S.C. § 9058(a)(2).
(2) The declaration must be in the form approved by the State Court Administrator and published on the Judiciary website.
(3) The court may dismiss a case filed without the declaration.
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