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Plain English
A letter from a landlord, an employer or a collector is usually readable except for three or four words — and those words are doing all the work. Here is what each one means, and what your record needs if the term is in play.
Definitions only. These pages don’t say whether anyone broke a term, or what can be claimed if they did.
- noun
Quiet enjoyment
Quiet enjoyment is a tenant's right to use the place they rent without the landlord interfering with it — and despite how it sounds, it has nothing to do with noise.
Read the term → - phrase
Exempt vs non-exempt
Exempt and non-exempt describe whether the federal overtime rules apply to a job: non-exempt means the job is covered by them, exempt means it is not.
Read the term → - noun
Misclassification
Misclassification is being treated as an independent contractor when the working relationship looks like employment.
Read the term → - noun
Debt validation
Debt validation is asking a collector, in writing, to show that the debt is yours and that they are entitled to collect it.
Read the term → - noun
Mechanic's lien
A mechanic's lien is a claim registered against a property by someone who worked on it and says they were not paid.
Read the term →
More terms go up as the letters that use them come in. If a word in a letter you’ve been sent isn’t here yet, it is the kind of thing this section exists to add.