While tenant protection laws are robust, a lease agreement also grants a landlord a set of essential rights and prerogatives necessary to protect their property and manage their business effectively. These rights ensure that a landlord can maintain their investment, enforce the rules of the tenancy, and, when necessary, legally reclaim their property. A professional landlord understands how to exercise these rights fairly and in accordance with the law, balancing their own interests with their responsibilities to the tenant.

The most fundamental right of a landlord is the right to collect rent in a timely manner as stipulated in the lease agreement. This is the core of the business relationship. When a tenant fails to pay rent, the landlord has the right to begin the legal process of eviction. However, this right is strictly governed by legal procedure. A landlord cannot engage in “self-help” measures like changing the locks, shutting off utilities, or physically removing the tenant’s belongings. Doing so is illegal and can result in severe penalties. The legal eviction process typically requires the landlord to first serve the tenant with a formal written notice, such as a “Pay Rent or Quit” notice, giving the tenant a specific number of days to either pay the rent owed or vacate the property. If the tenant does neither, the landlord must then file a lawsuit and obtain a court order to legally remove them.