cotenants

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Cotenants are two or more tenants who rent the same property under the same lease or rental agreement. Each cotenant will have a rental agreement with the landlord and are therefore 100% responsible for carrying out the rental agreement. This includes making sure the landlord has the total amount for rent even if one tenant doesn’t pay their share of the rent and being financially responsible for any damage another cotenant does to the property. 

A cotenant typically has the right to use the entire premises without interference from another cotenant. If one cotenant restricts access to the cotenant’s occupancy, the cotenant who has been excluded will have legal recourse and can sue the other tenant for exclusion. 

[Last updated in June of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]