Black Hills State University: Can an unwritten private rental arrangement still bind a student for a school year?

DIRECT ANSWER

Retained Attorney General guide only; disputes depend on actual agreement/evidence. No declaration that every negotiation creates a lease or that a fixed term ends without required notice.

The retained consumer guide says oral rental agreements can be binding for up to one year, while written leases can run longer. If no lease fixes the rental period, the rent-payment interval establishes the periodic tenancy. Identify the actual agreed term before assuming an unsigned document means there is no rent commitment. Formation and duration of an oral arrangement differ from substituting a roommate or obtaining a written release of an existing lease.