Free Nebraska Room Rental Agreement Template

A Nebraska room rental agreement is the written contract for renting one bedroom in a shared home. Deposits are governed by section 76-1416 of the Nebraska Revised Statutes, part of the state’s Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.

Two things about that section stand out: the cap is drafted to catch every label a deposit might be given, and the return deadline is short.

That is the whole window. On termination of the tenancy, money held as prepaid rent and security may be applied to the payment of rent and to the damages the landlord has suffered by reason of the tenant’s noncompliance with the rental agreement or with the tenant’s statutory duties.

The balance, if any, together with a written itemization, must be delivered or mailed to the tenant within fourteen days after the date of termination of the tenancy. For anyone used to the thirty or forty-five day deadlines common elsewhere, that is a genuinely tight turnaround, and it starts running whether or not anyone has thought about it.

Where the tenant gives no mailing address or instructions, the landlord must mail the balance and the written itemization by first-class mail to the tenant’s last-known mailing address. If that mailing comes back undeliverable, or the balance stays outstanding for a year, it is treated as abandoned property to be reported and paid over to the State Treasurer under the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act.

The limits on what a Nebraska room rental agreement may collect are drafted tightly.

One Month, However You Label It

A landlord may not demand or receive security, however denominated, in an amount or value exceeding one month’s periodic rent. That phrase, however denominated, is the operative one: renaming part of the money a cleaning deposit or a key deposit does not create room above the ceiling.

One Exception, for Pets

A pet deposit not exceeding one-fourth of one month’s periodic rent may be demanded or received when appropriate. That sits on top of the one-month figure rather than inside it.

Who the Cap Does Not Reach

The cap does not apply to housing agencies organized or existing under the Nebraska Housing Agency Act.

Tip: Because the clock runs from termination rather than from the day a forwarding address arrives, a tenant who wants the money back quickly should hand over an address on the way out rather than afterwards. Amounts and deadlines are statutory and can change, so confirm the current text before relying on one.

For a Nebraska room rental agreement, the terms worth adding are:

• The deposit amount, kept inside the one-month ceiling whatever it is called
• Any pet deposit, stated separately and within its own quarter-month limit
• The address the itemization and balance should be sent to
• Which room is private and which areas are shared
• How utilities are divided between housemates