How to become a landlord in Vermont

Before signing, tell the tenant in a separate written document whether any part of the premises is in a FEMA-mapped special flood hazard area. For rental housing built before 1978, give approved tenants the Department of Health's approved written materials on lead hazards and a copy of your most recent RRPM (renovation, repair, painting and maintenance) compliance statement before entering the lease. The federal lead-based paint disclosure rules also apply to older housing and were not read for this page (9 V.S.A. § 4466(a); 18 V.S.A. § 1759(d)(1)).

• Owners of pre-1978 rental housing must file an RRPM compliance statement with the Department of Health and follow its rules on lead-based paint maintenance and tenant notices, unless the property is exempt because a licensed inspector-risk assessor's written report found all accessible surfaces free of lead-based paint and the Department has reviewed it (18 V.S.A. § 1759(c), (e)(1)).
• The lead rules cover dwellings built before 1978, except units with no bedroom and units in buildings reserved for older adults or people with disabilities, unless a child aged six or younger lives or is expected to live there. A rented room in a home where the owner lives is outside the rental rules unless such a child lives or is expected to live there, and so is a transient stay of 30 days or less in a hotel, motel or other lodging (18 V.S.A. § 1751(41), (46)).
• All paint in housing covered by the lead rules is presumed to be lead-based, and unsafe removal methods such as open-flame burning, dry scraping or sanding and powered tools are banned unless the Department authorizes them (18 V.S.A. § 1760).
• After a sale, the new landlord must give tenants actual notice of its name and address and that it holds the deposit (9 V.S.A. § 4461(f)).See Landlord name and address on the Vermont page

Chapter 137 has no general rule requiring you to give the tenant your name and address or a manager's contact details. When your interest in the unit ends, the new landlord must give the tenant actual notice of the new landlord's name and address with a statement that the deposit has been transferred (9 V.S.A. § 4461(f); 9 V.S.A. ch. 137).

Before entering a rental agreement, disclose whether any portion of the premises offered for rent is in a special flood hazard area mapped by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Give the notice to the tenant at or before signing, in a separate written document substantially in the form the Department of Housing and Community Development prescribes (9 V.S.A. § 4466(a), (b)).

• This requirement took effect June 17, 2024 (9 V.S.A. § 4466).

Vermont's alarm statute covers single-family dwellings. Whoever builds one must install photoelectric or UL 217 compliant smoke alarms near the bedrooms and on each level and one or more carbon monoxide alarms near the bedrooms, and a single-family dwelling sold or exchanged must contain them. The statute does not require an owner or occupant to maintain or use an alarm after installation. Fire safety codes for rental and multi-unit buildings were not read for this page (9 V.S.A. § 2881; 9 V.S.A. § 2882).

• In a newly built single-family home with electric service, the alarms must run on the building's power with battery backup (9 V.S.A. § 2882(a), (b)).
• At closing, the seller of a single-family dwelling certifies to the buyer that the required alarms are installed (9 V.S.A. § 2883(a)).

Chapter 137 has no general rule on locks or on rekeying between tenants. A protected tenant (a victim of abuse, sexual assault or stalking, or a parent, guardian or caretaker of one) may ask you to change the locks within 48 hours, based on a fear of imminent harm or a sexual assault on the premises within the previous six months. If the person to be kept out is also a tenant, the request must include a court order requiring that person to leave (9 V.S.A. § 4473(1), (2); 9 V.S.A. ch. 137).

• If you change the locks, give a key to each tenant except the person under the court order. If you do not, the tenant may change them without your permission, using locks and installation at least as good as the originals, notify you within 24 hours and give you a key (9 V.S.A. § 4473(3), (4)).
• Unless you agree otherwise, the tenant pays for the new locks (9 V.S.A. § 4473(5)).
• You may not unreasonably refuse a protected tenant's request, made at least seven days ahead, to install extra security such as an alarm system or camera. The tenant pays for installing and running it and is liable for damage the installation causes (9 V.S.A. § 4473(6)).

Chapter 137 sets no statewide maximum security deposit; local rules can add limits. Any advance, deposit or prepaid rent that is refundable when the tenancy ends counts as a security deposit, whatever it is called, and its purpose is to secure the tenant's duties to pay rent and keep up the unit (9 V.S.A. § 4461(a); 9 V.S.A. ch. 137).

• A town or city may adopt its own security deposit ordinance. It must add to, and not fall below, the state's protections, it may require interest on deposits, and it may not limit how a deposit is held (9 V.S.A. § 4461(g)).See Where the deposit is held and interest on the Vermont page
• When a tenant with a disability makes reasonable modifications at the tenant's own expense, you may, if reasonable, require the unit to be restored afterward, but you may not require an additional security deposit for this (9 V.S.A. § 4503(a)(9)).
• Burlington has a separate published deposit limit, permitted pet-payment category and interest requirements. See the dated city-specific review under Local rules before collecting a deposit there (Burlington Code § 18-120(a)).

Chapter 137 does not say where a security deposit must be kept and does not require interest on it. A town or city ordinance may authorize interest, but such an ordinance may not limit how a deposit is held. Burlington's deposit section is reviewed below; other local deposit rules remain unverified, so check the town where the home is (9 V.S.A. § 4461(g); 9 V.S.A. ch. 137).

• A local deposit ordinance may let a housing board of review hear deposit disputes at the request of a landlord or tenant (9 V.S.A. § 4461(g)).

Chapter 137 does not require a move-in checklist or condition report. Deposit deductions cannot cover normal wear and tear, which the statute defines as deterioration from reasonable use without negligence, carelessness, accident or abuse by the tenant, household members or guests, so a dated record of the unit's condition at move-in helps show what changed (9 V.S.A. § 4451(5); 9 V.S.A. § 4461(b)(2); 9 V.S.A. ch. 137).

• The warranty of habitability applies from the day you deliver the unit, not only after move-in problems are reported (9 V.S.A. § 4457(a)).See Repairs and habitability on the Vermont page

You may not charge anyone a fee to apply to rent a home in Vermont. To run a background or credit check, you must accept any unexpired government-issued identification (the original or a copy), an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number or a Social Security number, and you may not require a Social Security number or refuse an application because it lacks one (9 V.S.A. § 4456a).

• The identification and Social Security number rules took effect July 1, 2025 (9 V.S.A. § 4456a(b)).
• Fair housing law also bars refusing to rent because a person receives public assistance (9 V.S.A. § 4503(a)(1)).See Fair housing on the Vermont page