Renter's Rights in Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Residential Landlord and Tenant Act protects your rights as a renter, including the right to safe housing and the refund of your security deposit. The law also gives you the right to terminate your lease if your landlord doesn't live up to her responsibilities.
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Security Deposit
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While there is no limit on how much a landlord can charge you for a security deposit, he is required by law to keep your security deposit in a dedicated, federally insured bank account. Once you move, you have six months to send a written request to your landlord for the return of your deposit. Your landlord must refund your security deposit, along with an itemized list of deductions, within 30 days of receiving your written request. After six months, the landlord is no longer obligated to refund your deposit.
Maintenance and Utilities
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Landlords are responsible for maintaining building systems (such as heat and electricity) in good working order, unless you have a separate written agreement that makes you responsible for maintaining the building systems. Landlords of multiple-unit buildings are also responsible for keeping common areas clean and safe, and for providing trash cans and garbage removal, unless the city government provides this service.
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Lease Termination
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If your landlord does not meet his obligations, you can send him written notice advising of your plans to either terminate the lease immediately or terminate the lease within 30 days if repairs are not made. Landlords can only terminate your lease and have you evicted if your lease expires, you don't pay rent or you violate your landlord's rules. In each case, the landlord must give you written notice about the problem, as well as time to fix it, before filing an eviction case against you.
Flooding Notification
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If a landlord knows that a rental unit flooded during the past five years, he is obligated to notify you of this in the lease. In cases where your landlord has not notified you of recent flooding, you can sue the landlord for damages to your belongings.
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