US Tenant Rights & Lease Help — Coming to LeasePlain

How US Tenancy Law Works

In the United States, residential tenancy law is a matter of state — not federal — jurisdiction. Each state has enacted its own landlord-tenant statutes, and many cities have passed additional local ordinances. For example, New York City's rent stabilization rules operate on top of New York State law; Los Angeles has its own Rent Stabilization Ordinance layered on top of California's AB 1482.

Federal law has a limited role — primarily through the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits housing discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. But beyond anti-discrimination protections, each state sets its own rules for deposits, evictions, maintenance, and lease terms.

How US Leases Differ from Canadian Leases

• US tenancy law is governed at the state level — there is no national equivalent to Canada's provincial tenancy acts.
• Security deposit rules vary widely: some states cap deposits at 1–2 months' rent; others have no cap.
• Eviction procedures in the US are typically faster and less tenant-protective than Canadian province-level systems.
• Rent control is available in only a handful of US cities and states — most US renters have no rent increase protection.
• Unlike Ontario and Quebec, no US state requires a standard government lease form — leases are typically custom documents.
• US landlords may require renters' insurance as a lease condition more commonly than Canadian landlords do.

Browse by State

More states coming soon — Texas, Illinois, Washington, and others.