Whether you’re looking for a new apartment in PA, FL or TX, understand that any smart landlord will do an apartment background check for new tenants. They want to make sure they can trust you to pay rent on time and keep the place nice. ...
A Scottsdale, Arizona man made news last week after his wife died in her apartment and her landlord then refused to refund her security deposit. Many people were surprised to learn that according to most state’s landlord and tenant laws, landlords are legally allowed to retain a security deposit if a tenant passes away and essentially “breaks” their lease agreement....
The most important feature of these new laws is shared with changes in past years: most regulations and the changes to them are local, with a few done at the state level. This means you need to check in with each city in which you have units....
Much of the country is divided in their stance on gun control. As a landlord or property owner you have a right to set many rules regarding your rental property, but can landlords include a clause in your lease agreement that prohibits a tenant from having a gun?...
What rights and responsibilities do landlords and tenants have after a rental unit is damaged by fire? The answer to this will vary by location and insurance policies....
The Fair Housing Act prohibits landlords from discriminating any tenant based on race, color, sex, national origin, disability or familial status. However, it is within your rights as a landlord to decide what breed of pet is allowed to live on your property....
In 2009, a tenant was sued by her landlord for defamation after she complained about her moldy apartment on Twitter. A judge eventually threw out the case. However, in 2013, more companies are winning social media defamation lawsuits. This begs the question: Should landlords and tenants be more careful about what they say on social media?...
First of all, it’s essential that you find out the truth about someone’s status as a sex offender. Do a thorough criminal background check, which should include an exhaustive search through a national and/or state database of registered sex offenders....
If you’re a first-time landlord (or even if you’ve just always been a “do it yourself-er kind of guy or gal), you may want to get up to speed on your state’s laws in terms of how to handle a security deposit. In the United States, there are clear rules and regulations you have to follow… and if you don’t know what they are, you could get in a mess of hot water....