While a good landlord-tenant attorney will properly educate you on the basics of landlord-tenant law, among other things, it would not hurt to enlighten yourself on some of the important terms you should know regarding your current contract. Here are some of them:
Lease is the contract or agreement where one party (landlord) agrees to rent a property to another (tenant) for a fixed period of time.
Lessor is another term for landlord, or the person who lets property to another person.
Lessee is another term for tenant, or the person who rents the property for a fee.
Sublease is the lease of the property by an existing tenant to a new party (subtenant). This is not allowed in all lease agreements, so it is best to check the relevant contract clauses on re-renting.
Security Deposit is the amount paid to the landlord upon the start of the tenancy to guarantee that the tenant will abide by the terms of the lease agreement, and that the rental property will be kept in good condition up until the end of the lease.
Eviction is the act of removal of a tenant from the rental property. Usually, this results from non-payment of rent, but generally, the court must order and is not solely decided by the landlords themselves.
Warranty of Habitability is the guarantee and responsibility on the part of the landlord that the property being rented is in compliance with living, health, and safety standards. This need not be explicitly stated in the lease agreement; it can be an unstated guarantee for the tenant.