An act relating to creating reciprocal rights to landlord-tenant attorney’s fees and expenses

This bill would require written rental agreements that include clauses awarding attorney's fees to landlords to also include reciprocal clauses awarding those fees to tenants. The change applies to any lease containing provisions for enforcing the agreement or evicting a tenant, automatically adding protections for tenants in the same way landlords currently have them. If a tenant prevails in a legal dispute over the rental agreement, they would be eligible to recover their legal costs just as landlords are under current rules. The law would take effect on July 1, 2024, and directly affects residential rental agreements in Vermont.