A North Dakota residential lease agreement (“rental agreement”) is a legal contract between a landlord overseeing a residential property and a tenant who wishes to rent it. A residential lease may, on or before move-in, additionally require a security deposit from the tenant as assurance against future property damage.
These disclosures are required for all residential lease agreements in North Dakota:
| Disclosure | Applicable To |
|---|---|
| Move-In Checklist | All Units |
| Lead Paint | All Units Built Before 1978 |
Applicable to all North Dakota rentals.
North Dakota landlords must provide a move-in checklist to inventory existing property damage, when the tenant takes possession of the rental property. This enables accurate deductions from the security deposit upon move-out. Both the landlord and tenant should sign the inventory, to confirm they agree on the condition of the property.
Applicable to any North Dakota rentals built before 1978.
For any property built before 1978, federal law requires that a North Dakota residential lease must contain a lead-based paint disclosure. This requires landlords to do the following:
The following lease agreement disclosures and addenda are not required by North Dakota law in residential lease agreements, but assist with tenant management and help limit landlord liability.
| Optional Disclosure | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Asbestos | Informs tenants about any asbestos hazards related to the property. Tenants can take precautions to reduce asbestos hazards by avoiding any disturbance of asbestos fibers. |
| Bed Bugs | Informs tenants whether the property or an adjacent unit has a history of suspected bed bug infestation, and reminds the tenant of the obligation to report suspected infestation immediately. |
| Landlord’s Name and Address | Specifies the name and address of the landlord or authorized agent. This enables smooth communication of any important legal notice. |
| Late/Returned Check Fees | Specifies late fees or returned check fees related to the lease. North Dakota does not regulate late fees and caps returned check fees at $40 per check. [2] |
| Medical Marijuana Use | Informs tenants about policy related to medical marijuana use on the rental property. Some state laws allow landlords to restrict marijuana usage to non-smoking methods only, or allow use only in designated smoking areas. |
| Mold Disclosure | Informs tenants about actual or suspected mold contamination on the property, along with any remediation efforts, to help limit landlord liability. |
| Non-Refundable Fees | Charges not agreed by the tenant in the lease may be refundable upon lease termination. For North Dakota landlords to charge a non-refundable fee, it must be disclosed and agreed as such in the lease. |
| Shared Utilities Arrangements | Discloses how charges are billed to individual tenants, when multiple rental units share a utility meter for the whole building or property. This ensures tenants receive fair charges and understand what uses contribute to their bill. |
| Smoking | Informs tenants of designated smoking areas that do not interfere with the quiet enjoyment of other tenants. |
Mandatory disclosures outline important health, safety, and property information for both landlord and tenant safety. A landlord who fails to provide federally or state-mandated disclosures could face legal consequences or monetary penalties, either from a tenant lawsuit or from state officials.
Failure to comply with the federal lead-based paint hazard disclosure risks fines of tens of thousands of dollars per violation.
A landlord shall provide the tenant with a statement describing the condition of the facilities in and about the premises to be rented at the time of entering a rental agreement. The statement shall be agreed to and signed by the landlord and tenant. The statement shall constitute prima facie proof of the condition of the facilities and the premises at the beginning of the rental agreement.
In addition to the criminal penalty, the person is liable for collection fees or costs not in excess of forty dollars which are recoverable by the holder of the check, draft, electronic funds transfer authorization, or order or by the holder’s agent or representative. If the holder of the check, draft, electronic funds transfer authorization, or order or the holder’s agent or representative uses the automated clearinghouse network to collect the collection fees or costs, that person shall comply with the network’s rules and requirements. If the state’s attorney or holder determines the person identified as the issuer of the instrument did not make, draw, utter, or deliver the instrument in violation of this section but instead is the victim of fraud, that state’s attorney or holder shall provide the holder or the holder’s agent or representative written notice of the fraud and upon receipt of the notice that holder or the holder’s agent or representative may not collect fees or costs under this subdivision…
How Long Can a Residential Lease Be in North Dakota? Depending on circumstances, in North Dakota it’s usually possible to have a lease of any length of time, as long as the length of the lease term is specific and agreed in writing by the landlord and tenant. Oral leases can almost never be for a term of more than one year. Read more » Is a Contract to Lease Binding in North Dakota? Yes, a contract to lease is legally binding in North Dakota. To be valid, a contract to lease may have to be written, especially for a fixed term over one year. Oral leases may be valid in some cases (especially when both parties later behave as though there’s an enforceable oral lease), but often have strict limitations on enforceability for things like length of the lease term. Read more » Do Lease Agreements Need to Be Notarized in North Dakota? No, lease agreements do not need to be notarized in North Dakota. A notary helps establish the identity of the people signing the lease, if there’s a claim of fraud, but a notary isn’t necessary for a lease to be valid. Read more » Can a Lease Automatically Renew in North Dakota? Yes, a lease can automatically renew in North Dakota. Most rental agreements will automatically renew when the initial tenancy period is over. Past this point, without specific language about renewal, the lease becomes a month-to-month rental agreement, with the same basic terms and conditions otherwise as the original lease. In some cases, such as if rent is being paid weekly, the lease may become a week-to-week lease. Read more »
