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Alabama Room Rental Agreement

Alabama doesn’t require a written lease for rentals that last less than a year. However, the problem with oral agreements is that it’s difficult to prove who said what. If you want to prevent it from becoming a “he said, she said” situation, then draw up an Alabama room rental agreement. However, always ensure you include the necessary legal terms and conditions.

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Alabama Room Rental Agreement

A room rental is a legal document between a lessor and a lessee detailing how the lessee will rent a room in the lessor’s house. It can be a shared house or the landlord’s private residence. This agreement outlines how the house-share will work with the landlord and their family or the other tenants.

As such, you must include specific legal terms. These terms ensure a healthy landlord-tenant relationship and a healthy relationship between the lessee and other occupants. Alabama’s Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (AURLTA) oversees these agreements.

Access to the Room

  • Lessors must provide notice at least two (2) days (48 hours) to enter the lessee’s room. However, they can only enter for legitimate reasons, such as maintenance, inspections, and repairs.
  • Lessees can’t unreasonably withhold their consent for the landlord to enter the room. However, lessors also can’t misuse this privilege to harass the tenant.
  • Access to common areas can differ depending on the lease. While renting a room isn’t the same as a boarding house or rooming room, we can use its laws as a base. This means that occupants require access to at least one bathroom containing a toilet, wash basin, and bath or shower area. Tenants must also have a place where they can prepare their food.

Guest & Pets Policy

  • In Alabama, guests can stay for up to 30 days at a place before they’re considered tenants. However, landlords can implement a limit on overnight stays, though they can’t ban guests altogether.
  • The main thing to remember is that lessees must always respect other occupants, as everyone staying there has the right to Quiet Enjoyment of the dwelling.
  • Landlords have the sole right to decide whether to allow pets on the property. Generally, as the tenant shares the premises with other occupants, they’ll prohibit pets. 
  • Should the lessor allow lessees to keep pets, they can request a pet deposit and require behavioral rules.
  • Service animals are exempt from the regulations for normal pets. Lessors can’t charge a pet deposit for them or prohibit them. However, if a service animal shows consistent, unruly behavior or otherwise threatens the safety and health of the other occupants, the landlord can refuse them.

Security Deposit Regulations

  • A lessor can charge up to one (1) month’s rent as the security deposit.
  • The tenant must receive their security deposit within 60 days of vacating the property after the rental ends. The same timeline applies to security deposits with deductions, but an itemized statement of deductions must accompany the deposit.
  • If the lessee doesn’t cash the check or accept the security deposit within 180 days, then the lessor can keep the security deposit.
  • Landlords who violate the security deposit terms might have to pay twice the amount they originally should have paid.