Concerned Parents, Coaches, and Players of Holt Lacrosse:

As an attorney practicing in California, I am often asked questions regarding legal agreements. Most questions relate to misunderstandings about legal agreements, and what they mean. In this blog post, I thought it would be fitting to connect the idea of legal agreements with a youth sport you are all familiar with- lacrosse. Sometimes in youth sports, especially youth lacrosse, parents and players may not understand the rules. Furthermore, the rules are not always explained to them in a way that they can understand and apply. With this analogy in mind, I invite you to imagine the California Association of Realtors’ month-to-month rental agreement as a box of rules for the parents, players, and coaches of Holt Lacrosse. Just as lacrosse rules are important for the players to follow, agreements with landlords are important to follow too.

What is a Month-to-Month Rental Agreement and How Does It Benefit You?

For those who are unaware, a lease or rental agreement is a document that states where a person will live and the legal financial obligations associated with that living space. A month-to-month rental agreement is fairly common, and allows someone to live in an apartment or house without being locked into a long-term lease. It’s like trying out a lacrosse stick for size, and testing to see if it works for you. The beauty of a month-to-month rental agreement is that you can sign a new agreement each month, or decide one month to terminate the agreement. It is flexible, and if you do not like where you are living, you have options. In California, the California Association of Realtors’ Rental Agreement is one of the most commonly used documents for renting a room, apartment, or house on a month-to-month basis.

The Importance of Legal Documents in the Real Estate Market

When it comes to renting apartments and houses, there are many individuals looking for good places to rent. Whether you are a landlord or a potential tenant, there are many parties looking for a place to live. One piece of information to consider is that laws in the state of California are fairly tenant-friendly, and most leases contain benefits for the individual renting an apartment or house. The rental agreement also benefits the party renting the property because it clearly sets out what the property owner or property management is responsible for, and what the tenant is responsible for. For example, the party renting the apartment is not responsible for the mortgage on the property, and the rent is a lot cheaper than the amount a mortgage is on a property. Furthermore, if the heater is broken in the winter, the property owner must fix it – it is not the responsibility of the tenant. Just like in a game, both parties have their responsibilities, and it is important for each party to know what their responsibilities are.

It Is Important to be Prepared for Your Apartment Agreement

Just like you would prepare for a lacrosse game, you must be prepared for a rental agreement as well! With the rental agreement, you must know your rights and obligations to your home or apartment, as well as know the rights and obligations your landlord must uphold. For instance, you should make sure that you have and make sure that they are working, things like: smoke detectors, a carbon monoxide detector, and a light in the stairwell. This is similar to knowing the equipment on the lacrosse field, such helmets, mouthguards, and shoulder pads. For the team to work properly, everyone must be equipped with the proper safety gear. On the advice of a youth coach, I hope that speaking this way will help the team adhere to the guidelines set forth in the rental agreement, as much as possible.

The Terms in the Rental Agreement

Both players, parents and coaches of the Holt Lacrosse Team understand the game plan when it comes to Saturday morning games. We all understand the basic rules so that they can play as a team and win the game. Similarly, you understand what you are agreeing to when you rent a home or apartment. For example, some of the most common terms in a rental agreement include: Just like in the game, both sides must know the rules. However, the rules must also be understood by both sides. In the rental agreement, the “game plan” must be spelled out so both the landlord and tenant can agree to follow them.

The Importance of Understanding the Rental Agreement

As I mentioned earlier, parents, players and coaches may not fully understand the rules that apply to youth lacrosse. In fact, apart from simply watching the game, some parents and players may not even know the rules at all. Like youth lacrosse, teaching your child how to read and understand a rental agreement means preparing and equipping them for the event. Moreover, it is important to explain the importance of this agreement to your child. If you are renting a house or an apartment, this agreement will communicate the legal remedies available to both landlord and tenant, especially in the event of a rental agreement dispute.

The Rental Agreement Can Keep You Out of Conflict

Just as the referee on the lacrosse field outlines the rules so that everyone is on the same page, the agreement is there to keep parties from going to court over unnecessary conflicts. For example, if a rental agreement states that both parties agree to meet once a month to discuss any issues, both landlord and tenant are legally bound to do the meetings. In fact, if they skip out on the meetings, they could be held in breach of contract. If both parties come to the meetings, then issues can be worked out, and the landlord can avoid going to court. Similarly, in youth lacrosse, if players and parents come to the meetings organized by Holt Lacrosse, conflicts will not arise. The same logic applies to the rental agreement. The Agreement states exactly how the parties should approach conflict resolution before going to court.

The Importance of Communication to the Agreement

On a final note, what you may be wondering while reading this post is how the communication of rental agreements connects to youth lacrosse. I’ll start with the age of the player. Just because your child is a teenager, does not mean you cannot explain the rental agreement to him or her. Communication is useful for teaching predictive behavior and a teenager is likely to have questions. For example, if they would like to rent their own apartment when they turn eighteen, the rental agreement is a great way to teach them how to enter a rental agreement for the first time. Keep in mind that the same issue of communication is necessary on the lacrosse field. As a coach, you often ask the players if they have any questions about something that was just spoken about in practice or at a meeting. The same is true when it comes to a rental agreement. A person must understand the agreement before they apply their signature to the bottom of the document. As parents, players, and coaches, I hope you found this information as beneficial to you as I found writing it! Go Holt Lacrosse!

Posted in Uncategorized