27 V.S.A. § ___ § 1337
Waiver prohibited
Operative Text
No lease or rental agreement, oral or written, shall contain any provision by which the tenant prospectively waives any of his or her rights under this subchapter. Any such waiver shall be deemed contrary to public policy and shall be unenforceable and void. (Added 1985, No. 175 (Adj. Sess.), § 5.)
Vermont law under 27 V.S.A. ch. 15 § 1337 prohibits any lease or rental agreement—whether spoken or written—from including a clause that causes a tenant to give up in advance any rights granted by the residential rental subchapter. If such a clause exists, it is treated as against public policy, meaning it carries no legal weight and cannot be enforced by either party.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under 27 V.S.A. ch. 15 § 1337, compliant landlords review their lease templates to ensure no clause purports to have tenants surrender statutory rights before any dispute arises. Provisions that attempt to limit tenant protections established by Vermont's residential rental subchapter are automatically void, so including them offers no practical benefit and may signal a problematic lease overall. Property managers generally work with qualified legal counsel familiar with Vermont landlord-tenant law when drafting or updating rental agreements.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 1337 of 27 V.S.A. ch. 15 means that even if a lease you signed contains language asking you to give up rights provided by Vermont's residential rental subchapter, that language is legally void and unenforceable. Tenants who believe a landlord is attempting to rely on such a waiver clause may raise the provision as a defense in a dispute, since the statute explicitly declares such clauses contrary to public policy. Vermont Legal Aid and local tenant-rights organizations can help tenants understand which rights fall under this subchapter and what general options exist when a landlord invokes an unenforceable lease term.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 18, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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