Terms Used In Vermont Statutes > Title 9 > Chapter 137 - Residential Rental Agreements

• Actual notice: means receipt of written notice hand-delivered or mailed to the last known address. See
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Benefit: means any abatement, loan, or grant awarded to the business as enumerated in subdivision (2) of this section. See
• Business: means any individual, partnership, corporation, or other entity that has been granted a tax abatement pursuant to the provisions of Title 24, or has been granted a loan or a grant by any board, commission, or program established under the provisions of Title 10 or 24, or under the provisions of this title. See
• Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Taxes. See
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract for sale: includes both a present sale of goods and a contract to sell goods at a future time. See
• Counterclaim: A claim that a defendant makes against a plaintiff.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Dwelling unit: means a building or the part of a building that is used as a home, residence, or sleeping place by one or more persons who maintain a household. See
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• equity security: when used in this chapter means any stock or similar security; or any security convertible, with or without consideration, into such a security, or carrying any warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase such a security; or any such warrant or right; or any other security that the Commissioner of Financial Regulation shall consider to be of similar nature and consider necessary or appropriate, by such rules and regulations as he or she may prescribe in the public interest or for the protection of investors, to treat as an equity security. See
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Landlord: means the owner, lessor, or where applicable, the sublessor of a residential dwelling unit or the building of which it is a part. See
• Lawsuit: A legal action started by a plaintiff against a defendant based on a complaint that the defendant failed to perform a legal duty, resulting in harm to the plaintiff.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Month: shall mean a calendar month and "year" shall mean a calendar year and be equivalent to the expression "year of our Lord. See
• Municipality: shall include a city, town, town school district, incorporated school or fire district or incorporated village, and all other governmental incorporated units. See
• Normal wear and tear: means the deterioration that occurs, based upon the reasonable use for which the rental unit is intended, without negligence, carelessness, accident, or abuse of the premises or equipment or chattels by the tenant or members of his or her household or their invitees or guests. See
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Person: shall include any natural person, corporation, municipality, the State of Vermont or any department, agency, or subdivision of the State, and any partnership, unincorporated association, or other legal entity. See
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Premises: means a dwelling unit, its appurtenances and the building, and the grounds, areas, and facilities held out for the use of tenants generally or whose use is promised to the tenant. See
• Program: means the Market Vermont Program created by this subchapter. See
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Protected tenant: means a tenant who is:

• Qualified period: means a period of five years after the initial grant of a benefit or a time period set forth in any agreement executed by the State subsequent to the effective date of this subchapter. See
• Rent: means all consideration to be made to or for the benefit of the landlord under the rental agreement, not including security deposits. See
• Rental agreement: means all agreements, written or oral, embodying terms and conditions concerning the use and occupancy of a dwelling unit and premises. See
• said: when used by way of reference to a person or thing shall apply to the same person or thing last mentioned. See
• sale: means barter and exchange. See
• seal: shall include an impression of the official seal made upon paper alone or by means of a wafer or wax affixed thereto. See
• Secretary: means the Secretary of the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets or his or her designee. See
• State: when applied to the different parts of the United States may apply to the District of Columbia and any territory and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Tenant: means a person entitled under a rental agreement to occupy a residential dwelling unit to the exclusion of others. See
• Town: shall include city and wards or precincts therein; "selectboard members" and "board of civil authority" shall extend to and include the mayor and aldermen of cities; "trustees" shall extend to and include bailiffs of incorporated villages; and the laws applicable to the inhabitants and officers of towns shall be applicable to the inhabitants and similar officers of all municipal corporations. See
• trademark: as used in this subchapter includes any word, name, symbol, or device, or any combination thereof, adopted and used:

• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• weight: as used in this chapter in connection with any commodity shall mean net weight. See
• Weights and measures: means all weights and measures of every kind, instruments and devices for weighing and measuring, and any appliances and accessories associated with any or all such instruments and devices including electric vehicle supply equipment available to the public, as defined in subdivision 2730(a)(14) of this title, but not including meters for the measurement of electricity, gas (natural or manufactured), or water when they are operated in a public utility system. See
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.