Terms Used In Indiana Code > Title 32 > Article 31 - Landlord-Tenant Relations

• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• applicable offense: refers to any of the following:

  Indiana Code 32-31-9-3

• applicant: means an individual who applies to a landlord to enter into a lease of a dwelling unit. See Indiana Code 32-31-9-4
• Attorney: includes a counselor or other person authorized to appear and represent a party in an action or special proceeding. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• Clerk: means the clerk of the court or a person authorized to perform the clerk's duties. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• Clerk of court: An officer appointed by the court to work with the chief judge in overseeing the court's administration, especially to assist in managing the flow of cases through the court and to maintain court records.
• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• cooperative housing association: means a consumer cooperative that provides dwelling units to its members. See Indiana Code 32-31-3-2
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Decedent: A deceased person.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• dwelling unit: means a structure or part of a structure that is used as a home, residence, or sleeping unit. See Indiana Code 32-31-5-3
• dwelling unit: has the meaning set forth in IC 32-31-5-3. See Indiana Code 32-31-9-5
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Executor: A male person named in a will to carry out the decedent
• exempt property: means personal property that is any of the following:

  Indiana Code 32-31-4-1

• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• Forbearance: A means of handling a delinquent loan. A
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Intestate: Dying without leaving a will.
• Judgment: means all final orders, decrees, and determinations in an action and all orders upon which executions may issue. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• landlord: means :

  Indiana Code 32-31-3-3

• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• minor: means a person less than eighteen (18) years of age. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• Month: means a calendar month, unless otherwise expressed. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• Mortgagee: The person to whom property is mortgaged and who has loaned the money.
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• owner: means one (1) or more persons in whom is vested all or part of the legal title to property. See Indiana Code 32-31-3-4
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• perpetrator: means an individual who:

  Indiana Code 32-31-9-6

• person: means an individual, a corporation, an association, a partnership, a governmental entity, a trust, an estate, or any other legal or commercial entity. See Indiana Code 32-31-3-5
• Personal property: includes goods, chattels, evidences of debt, and things in action. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Probate: Proving a will
• Property: includes personal and real property. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• protected activity: means any of the following actions taken by a tenant:

  Indiana Code 32-31-8.5-2

• protected individual: means a tenant or applicant:

  Indiana Code 32-31-9-7

• real property: include lands, tenements, and hereditaments. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Remainderman: One entitled to the remainder of an estate after a particular reserved right or interest, such as a life tenancy, has expired.
• rent: includes all payments made to a landlord under a rental agreement except a security deposit, however denominated. See Indiana Code 32-31-3-6
• rental agreement: means an agreement together with any modifications, embodying the terms and conditions concerning the use and occupancy of a rental unit. See Indiana Code 32-31-3-7
• rental premises: includes all of the following:

  Indiana Code 32-31-7-3

• rental premises: includes all of the following:

  Indiana Code 32-31-8-3

• rental premises: has the meaning set forth in IC 32-31-7-3. See Indiana Code 32-31-8.5-3
• rental unit: means :

  Indiana Code 32-31-3-8

• residential landlord-tenant statute: refers to any of the following:

  Indiana Code 32-31-2.9-2

• retaliatory act: means any of the following actions taken by a landlord in response to a tenant's engaging in a protected activity:

  Indiana Code 32-31-8.5-4

• security deposit: means a deposit paid by a tenant to the landlord or the landlord's agent to be held for all or a part of the term of the rental agreement to secure performance of any obligation of the tenant under the rental agreement. See Indiana Code 32-31-3-9
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• storage facility: means any location approved by a court for storage of a tenant's personal property under section 2(e) of this chapter. See Indiana Code 32-31-4-1.5
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• tenant: means an individual who occupies a rental unit:

  Indiana Code 32-31-3-10

• Testator: A male person who leaves a will at death.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• United States: includes the District of Columbia and the commonwealths, possessions, states in free association with the United States, and the territories. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• Verified: when applied to pleadings, means supported by oath or affirmation in writing. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
• Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5