Landlord Responsibilities in Alabama

Basic Duties

• The general responsibilities of landlords in Alabama coincide with those of other states. Landlords must maintain a safe and livable property for tenants. They must ensure that tenants know the terms of rent, including how to make payments, when to make payments and how to pay the deposit. Landlords must return the deposit at the end of the lease term, unless the lease agreement states otherwise. Landlords cannot evict tenants unless they violate the terms of the lease or violate the law in some way, unless the lease itself specifies that the landlord can do so without notice.

2006 Revisions

• In 2006, the laws that govern Alabama landlords were changed, and some new additions make Alabama's laws different from those of other states. Among the changes, tenants are now able to break the lease with 14 days' notice, if a health problem persists that the landlord doesn't fix. In addition, a landlord cannot enter a tenant's property without two days' prior notice, unless an emergency warrants immediate entry. Landlords also must return the deposit to a tenant within 35 days, unless repairs need to be done.

Exceptions

• Whereas the Alabama tenant--resident laws govern relations between the two, some buildings and tenants are excepted from the laws. Fraternity houses, hotels and motels are not covered by these laws and may have stricter rules. In addition, a landlord's employees who live on-site do not have the same governing laws. Condos and agricultural buildings also have many exceptions as well. All of the exceptions can be found in the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.

Key Terms

• The responsibilities for landlords, outlined in Alabama's laws, have a lot of fine print. When the laws refer to a "person," they apply to persons, groups or organizations that occupy a unit. The term "day" on leases used to refer to a business day, but it now refers to a calendar day. In addition, "landlord" refers to the owner, manager or workers of a facility. The laws also require landlords to uphold all "building and housing codes," which refers to any laws, codes or regulations that govern residential buildings.