There’s different laws in different states. I’m only familiar with NY, NJ and PA...and in these states, landlords should have a basic rule of thumb: in court, the judge will invariably side with the tenant, period.
Assume that you the landlord are liable, even if it’s clearly written in the lease that the tenant must not have parties or whatever he did that led to him suing you.
No waiver, no hold-harmless clause will protect you.
Nothing will protect you when the judge is inclined to decide in favor of the tenant. (See rule of thumb.)
Don’t have tenants. Have alligators, pythons, wolves...don’t have tenants.
[[[Don’t have tenants. Have alligators, pythons, wolves...don’t have tenants.]]]
NY is on the verge of passing a version of statewide rent control. Also a “good cause” regulation where you have to even show “good cause” for simply not renewing a lease for an existing tenant. It will have the effect of lifetime rental agreements with the landlord virtually unable to get an existing tenant out even when the property is sold. We are still under a statewide no evict due to COVID until the fall.
Moronic regulations like this will cause a statewide housing shortage worse than what is happening now due to city flight as landlords simply stop renting property and new rental properties not being built.