Vermont Statutes Title 9. Commerce and Trade, § 4451. Definitions

(1) “Actual notice” means receipt of written notice hand-delivered or mailed to the last known address. A rebuttable presumption that the notice was received three days after mailing is created if the sending party proves that the notice was sent by first-class or certified U.S. mail.

(2) “Building, housing, and health regulations” means any law, ordinance, or governmental regulation concerning health, safety, sanitation, or fitness for habitation or concerning the construction, maintenance, operation, occupancy, use, or appearance of any premises or dwelling unit.

(3) “Dwelling unit” means a building or the part of a building that is used as a home, residence, or sleeping place by one or more persons who maintain a household.

(4) “Landlord” means the owner, lessor, or where applicable, the sublessor of a residential dwelling unit or the building of which it is a part.

(5) “Normal wear and tear” means the deterioration that occurs, based upon the reasonable use for which the rental unit is intended, without negligence, carelessness, accident, or abuse of the premises or equipment or chattels by the tenant or members of his or her household or their invitees or guests.

(6) “Premises” means a dwelling unit, its appurtenances and the building, and the grounds, areas, and facilities held out for the use of tenants generally or whose use is promised to the tenant.

(7) “Rent” means all consideration to be made to or for the benefit of the landlord under the rental agreement, not including security deposits.

(8) “Rental agreement” means all agreements, written or oral, embodying terms and conditions concerning the use and occupancy of a dwelling unit and premises.

(9) “Sublease” means a rental agreement, written or oral, embodying terms and conditions concerning the use and occupancy of a dwelling unit and premises between two tenants, a sublessor, and a sublessee.

(10) “Tenant” means a person entitled under a rental agreement to occupy a residential dwelling unit to the exclusion of others.