Anyone who rents a house, apartment, or mobile home is a tenant. Renting, also called leasing, is an arrangement by which a landlord gives a tenant temporary possession and use of property for rent. The tenant also agrees to pay rent and to return the property to the landlord at a future time. If a person rents a sleeping, motel or hotel room for four (4) weeks in a row or more, you are a “tenant” under law. The information provided here applies to private, as well as public housing (such as Lakota Homes, Section 8, and HUD housing) landlord/tenant relationships.