Rental agreement and (ambiguous) month notice.

[barabba]

My jurisdiction is: The Netherlands

Hello there!

I am terminating a room rental contract, and I would like to know how would you interpretate the following clause:

"The Owner or Tenant may terminate this agreement at any time subject to notice of termination of one calendar month. In case the Owner wants the agreement to be terminated he has to sent the Tenant a letter at least a month before the end of this agreement. The tenant also has to make sure the owner gets a letter at least one month before the end of this agreement. In case the Tenant does not terminate the agreement, it will just continue with no end date and will still have the one month notice." (sic, including the underlining)

I seem to understand that the term "calendar month" refers to a month from the 1st to the last day on the calendar. But just the word "month" is used in the following sentences.

Is my interpretation of "calendar month" correct?
Is the fact that the word "month" is then by itself worth anything?

This is the only clause in the whole contract regarding termination notice, and the contract is in English even if I'm living in the NL because I'm an international there.

Thank you veeery much, and merry festivities!

 

[Gail_in_Georgia]

Yes; the month involves a calendar month. Likely because most folks will start a new lease on the first day of a month.

Gail

 

[barabba]

so the fact that after the first sentence the word "month" is used by itself doesn't actually generate ambiguity, in your opinion?

 

[Gail_in_Georgia]

No and it is unlikely that it would in a court of law should it come to that.

For example, some state laws use the term "one month" for issues such as how long a landlord has to return/notify a former tenant in regards to their security deposit (my state happens to use the term "one month" as opposed to, say "30 days").

Gail

 

[barabba]

thanks!