Inquilino

Inquilino is a noun used in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian to denote a person who rents a dwelling or other property from an owner. The inquilino uses the premises under a lease or rental agreement and typically pays periodic rent. The term is gendered in these languages, with inquilino as masculine and inquilina as feminine.

In legal and everyday contexts, the inquilino enters into a lease (contrato de arrendamiento, contrato de alquiler, or contratto di locazione) that specifies the term, rent, deposits, and the rights and obligations of both parties. Typical duties include paying rent on time, maintaining the property, reporting needed repairs, and complying with occupancy rules. The landlord, or arrendador/locatore, generally must ensure habitable conditions and may be required to provide notice for entry or eviction, depending on jurisdiction. The inquilino has rights such as quiet enjoyment of the dwelling and protection against unlawful eviction and excessive or improper rent increases.

Regional usage and synonyms vary by country. In Spain, the term is commonly used alongside arrendatario; in Portugal, arrendatário or locatário is common; in Italy, inquilino is standard, with locatario or affittuario also found. In Brazilian Portuguese, locatário is more commonly used, though inquilino is understood.

Etymology: the word derives from Latin inquilinus, meaning a person who dwells in the house of another, and has been transmitted into the Romance languages as inquilino.