Meaning & use
rent abated
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraselegalformal
Rent that has been officially reduced, often because the property is in poor condition or the tenant has a legal right to pay less.
Grammar: Used as an adjective or in passive sentences: 'The rent was abated.' Not used as a verb phrase on its own.
Patterns
- rent abated by something
- rent abated for a period
- have rent abated
After the heating broke, the tenant asked for the rent to be abated.
The court ruled that rent abated during the months the building was unsafe.
They negotiated a rent abated by 20% until repairs were finished.
Common combinations
- rent abated by
- The rent was abated by 15% due to the noise.
- rent abated for
- Rent abated for the winter months while the roof was fixed.
- seek rent abatement
- The tenants sought rent abatement after the flood.
- grant rent abatement
- The landlord agreed to grant rent abatement for two weeks.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rent reduction
- A general term for any lowering of rent, not necessarily legal or due to poor conditions.
- rent remission
- More formal and often means the rent is forgiven entirely, not just reduced.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: rent abated or rent rebated?
rent abated vs rent rebated
This means rent that is paid back to the tenant, not reduced in the first place.
Practice
The tenant asked for the rent to be ______ after the landlord failed to fix the broken elevator.
Choose one answer.
'Abated' means reduced, which fits the context of poor conditions. 'Rebated' means paid back, which is not the same. 'Abetted' means encouraged, often in wrongdoing, and 'abated from' is not a standard phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rent abated”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.