landlord

American  

[land-lawrd] / ˈlændˌlɔrd /

noun

landlords plural

1. a person or organization that owns and leases apartments to others.

2. a person who owns and leases land, buildings, etc.

3. a person who owns or runs an inn, lodging house, etc.

4. a landowner.

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landlord British  

/ ˈlændˌlɔːd /

noun

1. a man who owns and leases property

2. a man who owns or runs a lodging house, pub, etc

3. archaic the lord of an estate

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• landlordry
  noun
• landlordship
  noun
• landlordly
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• landlords
  plural

Etymology

Origin of landlord

before 1000; Middle English; Old English landhlāford. See land, lord

Explanation

If you lease an apartment, the person to whom you pay rent is your landlord. A landlord owns a house, building, or property and rents it out to other people. Many people have landlords they call when their drains are clogged and mail their rent checks to on the first of each month. Business owners often have landlords too, who own their retail or office spaces. Men and women can both be landlords, although you can also call a female landlord a landlady. The concept of a landlord goes back to feudalism — the lord part comes from "Lord of the Manor."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

landlord landlords

It turns out that this amount of rent is now close to what the typical Portland landlord charges without any subsidy.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

"But last night our landlord said we could not stay in her house," the 27-year-old said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

In one instance, a landlord reported to RealPage that they increased rents after just a week of using the company’s software.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

The semi-retired pub landlord from Lindley in Huddersfield has booked tickets with his partner Sarah to watch what could be England's last 16 fixture in the competition if they progress through the round of 32.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

When they got married Laura told Shadow that she wanted a puppy, but their landlord had pointed out they weren’t allowed pets under the terms of their lease.

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman

Social landlords and private-sector companies have both said it currently takes too long to get permission to develop properties.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

Between 1991 and 2024, a dozen studies concluded that many more people could benefit if the money were spent on rental vouchers, which let consumers, rather than the government, decide which landlords get tax subsidies.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

Multiple sources told the BBC the landlords were informed by the brewery that they had broken policies and were dismissed with immediate effect.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

Department of Justice sued RealPage, a Texas-based software company, alleging it gathered private data from landlords to set rent prices and make it difficult for property managers to deviate from these price recommendations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

To judge from modern parallels in the Middle East and elsewhere, it is unlikely that the natives approved of having foreign interlopers for neighbors or absentee landlords.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

Related Words

• property owner
• proprietor