Free Vermont Room Rental Agreement Template

A Vermont room rental agreement is the written contract for renting one bedroom in a shared home. Deposits are governed by section 4461 of title 9 of the Vermont Statutes, part of the Residential Rental Agreements chapter.

Vermont is one of the few states that expressly hands part of this subject to towns, so the state statute is the floor rather than the whole answer.

The statute says so directly. A town or municipality may adopt an ordinance governing security deposits on dwellings.

The limits on that power are set out too. The ordinance must be supplemental to and not inconsistent with the minimum protections of the state section. It may not limit how a security deposit is held. It may authorize the payment of interest on a deposit. And it may provide that a housing board of review hears and decides disputes about deposits where a landlord or tenant asks for a hearing, with the board’s actions reviewable.

The practical consequence for anyone renting a room is that two identical arrangements, one in a town with an ordinance and one without, can carry different obligations. Checking the municipality before signing is worth the five minutes.

The state floor under a Vermont room rental agreement is short and unforgiving on timing.

Fourteen Days

A landlord shall return the deposit along with a written statement itemizing any deductions within 14 days. The clock runs from the date the landlord discovers the tenant vacated or abandoned the unit, or from the date the tenant vacated where the landlord received notice from the tenant of that date.

Sixty Days for a Seasonal Let

There is one extension. In the case of seasonal occupancy and rental of a dwelling unit not intended as a primary residence, the deposit and written statement are returned within 60 days instead.

Miss the Fourteen Days and Keep Nothing

If a landlord fails to return the deposit with a statement within 14 days, the landlord forfeits the right to withhold any portion of it. That is absolute, and it does not depend on whether the deductions were justified.

How It Must Travel

The landlord complies by hand-delivering or mailing the statement and any payment to the tenant’s last known address.

Tip: Fourteen days is among the shortest deadlines in the country and it can start from the landlord merely discovering the room is empty. Deadlines are statutory and can change, so confirm the current text before relying on one.

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

• Whether a municipal ordinance applies, and what it adds
• The date the tenant will vacate, given notice in writing
• The last known address the statement and balance should go to
• Whether the arrangement is seasonal or a primary residence
• Which areas are shared, and how they are kept