Legal Definitions - quiet enjoyment

Quiet enjoyment is a legal term that means the right to use or live in a property without being disturbed. This is especially important for tenants who rent a home or apartment. It protects them from their landlord or neighbors interfering with their use of the property.

For example, in California, quiet enjoyment protects tenants from not only their landlord, but also their neighbors who are under the same landlord. This means that if a neighbor is causing a disturbance that significantly interferes with a tenant's use of the property, the tenant can take legal action.

There are laws in each state that protect a tenant's right to quiet enjoyment. For instance, in New Hampshire, a commercial lessee's right to quiet enjoyment was breached when the landlord blocked partial access to the property due to construction. This interference was significant enough to deprive the lessee of the beneficial use of the property.

It's important to note that quiet enjoyment is different from the warranty of habitability. The warranty of habitability protects tenants from defects in the property that make it unfit for living.