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by Nicholas Sova |
| When one thinks of powerful jaws, many different images may come to mind. Many a person's primal fear is tapped imagining a great white shark, with a mouth full of rows of flesh shredding teeth clamping down like a vise on their soft bodies. One may envision a Nile crocodile ambushing and dragging a wildebeest calf, driven by unbearable thirst to the murky water's edge, down to its watery demise. Or perhaps a hyena, which jaws are capable of snapping even the largest of bones and possessing extremely acidic digestive fluids enabling them to dissolve the teeth and hooves of its prey. Yet most forward thinking persons would not even consider ants. The trap-jaw ant was recently anointed the king of jaws after its mandibles were clocked at a closing speed of up to 145 miles per hour and generating an acceleration rate of 100,000 times greater than the force of gravity. The average time of the trap-jaw's predatory strike is roughly 2,300 times faster than the blink of an eye making it the fastest known in the animal kingdom. Great white sharks, crocodiles, hyenas and even the trap-jaw ants still pale in the comparison to the icy death grip of the powerful jaws of a lease. |
A lease's lethality is trumped only by its complete lack of compassion. A lease does not care if the tenants are engaged in some perverse bastardization of the game of Jenga. Instead of expertly crafted wooden blocks, the game pieces are parcels of garbage stacked on top of one another until they begin to ascend from the confines of the trash receptacle, forming a garbage pyramid rivaling those at Giza. It takes surgeon steady hands to add to the apex. As the flies and stench increase proportionately, so do the nerves and adeptness to keep the game alive. Eventually, gravity will enforce its universal laws in disgust, leaving the loser to clean up the filthy fallout and take out the trash. A lease does not care if the sight of a roommate ignites an internal inferno of rage inside the pit of your stomach because they used up all the toilet paper. A lease does not care if a one time sweetheart now turned bitter ex brings over revenge flings to torture you with sounds of loveless carnal fornication while you try to sleep on the couch. A lease only cares that the stipulations of the contract are upheld.
So what exactly is this heartless contrivance which we call a lease? There are two kinds of tenancy; tenancy-at-will and leases. Tenancy-at-will is a month to month agreement, which does not have to be in writing, allowing a tenant to occupy a unit. The rent can increase at any time so long as the landowner provides a notice of one full rental period. Tenancy may also be terminated with the issuance of a notice of one full rental period. A lease is a written agreement signed by both the tenant and the landowner which creates contractual terms for the rate and duration of tenancy. A lease may contain any number of clauses which further detail the conditions of tenancy. These terms are fixed unless both tenant and landowner agree to such changes of the lease. A lease is simply a signed agreement by the tenant and landowner outlining the clauses of tenancy.
The appeal of the terms and conditions being unchangeable unless agreed upon by both parties can make for some hasty and less than well thought out brash decisions. Entering a lease is fraught with both benefits and risks and the verbiage of the lease should be thoroughly reviewed. Make sure to read and fully understand every clause and only sign if you agree to all of them. Some of the more pressing items to consider are: renewal terms, vacancy notices, subletting rules, landowner entry rights and fuel and tax escalation clauses. Some states protect a lessee from unconscionable clauses so even if dubiously led into signing, a court may find the lease void if such a clause were present. Most states offer a guide to aide would be lessees and make them privy to certain state specific laws and the landowner's obligations. To find out if your state has such a guide, go to your favorite search engine and enter the name of your state followed by tenant handbook. Even when armed with all this information, make sure you get everything in writing because verbal agreements have proven to almost never hold up in a court of law.
A lease's binding nature is exacerbated as the number tenants increases. If unlivable situations arise with other tenants, subletting is an option as well as another person taking over the lease. Although having another person take over a lease usually entails signing a new lease which may have different terms such as higher rent. This may seem akin to signing a prenuptial agreement, and undoubtedly, new couples and roommates alike probably only imagine flourishing and prosperous living arrangements of baking cookies and laughing and kittens but those deep seated fears of disastrous outcomes which lurk in the dark recesses of the human brain should be heeded. Even if never spoken of, a contingency plan should be formulated by all involved parties.
There are many enticing aspects of leases that may lure you to them like a siren's call. The irresistible beckoning of three scantily clad women is quite appealing, but the perils they mask can lead to some very tumultuous situations. This especially holds true when more than one lessees are involved. Whether it's a significant other or roommate, one should definitely be sure they completely contemplate the decision of with whom they throw themselves into the jaws of a lease.
Nicholas M. Sova is an aspiring writer originally from the suburbs of Philadelphia Pennsylvania and now resides in North Hollywood California. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science and is presently employed by a very big social networking internet site. In his spare time, he enjoys playing guitar, piano and disc golf.
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