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Landlord-Tenant Brochure        Landlord-Tenant Facts        Landlord-Tenant Handbook        House Bill 287

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Alabama's New Landlord-Tenant Law Highlights

Effective 1/1/2007

Landlord Obligations

Under the law, a landlord must:

Keep the dwelling in a “habitable” condition, a term not defined in the law. Because it is not defined, courts will have broad latitude in evaluating specific problems with a rental unit.

Follow all building codes.

Keep common areas clean and safe.

Maintain electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning and other systems the landlord supplies in good working order.

Provide garbage removal, although the lease can require the tenant to do this.

Provide running water, hot water and heat, although the lease can leave this responsibility with the tenant.

Tenant Obligations

A tenant must:

Keep his dwelling clean and safe.

Keep the plumbing free of blockage.

Not damage the premises or allow anyone else to do so.

Not disturb neighbors

Renters’ Law Highlights

Highlights of Alabama’s new landlord-tenant law, which takes effect Jan. 1:

Requires landlords to make sure rental property is habitable, with working heat, electricity and water.

Allows a tenant to break a lease after 14 days’ notice when a landlord doesn’t correct a major health and safety problem, such as a heating system not working.

Allows a landlord to break a lease with seven days’ notice for not paying the rent and with 14 days’ notice for other lease violations.

Standardizes eviction procedures throughout the state.

Speeds up the eviction process for landlords by giving cases priority in district court.

Provides that security deposits can’t be more than one month’s rent, with the exception of additional risk-related charges, such as pet deposits.

Requires landlords to return security deposits within 35 days after a lease ends or provide an accounting of why money was taken out of the deposit for repairs.

Says landlords must give two days’ written notice before entering rental property, except in an emergency.

Says landlords are under no obligation to pay interest on security deposits.

Requires tenants to notify their landlords when they are going to be away for two weeks or longer.

Requires landlords to provide a garbage receptacle and requires tenants to dispose of their garbage properly.

Printable Forms - Adobe Format

Landlord-Tenant Brochure        Landlord-Tenant Facts        Landlord-Tenant Handbook        House Bill 287