Articles of Interest

• When does lease-breaker's rent duty end?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: My wife and I bought a house after signing a lease a few months ago. We understand that we're responsible for the rent until the landlord gets new tenants. He took a security deposit from a prospective renter, but then the renter backed...
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• 3 steps to get deposit back after move-out

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I moved out of my apartment last month, leaving it clean and without any damage. But I have yet to receive my deposit back. I now live several hundred miles away in another state. Any suggestions on how to get that deposit...
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• 3 benefits of 'good landlord' licensing

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: Our city has just instituted a business license requirement for landlords, including those who, like me, have only one or two rentals. The city council says this will discourage "slumlords." But there are plenty of laws on the books now to deal with...
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• Know when 'house rules' violate lease

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: As a property manager, I am under contract with an owner to advertise and show his single-family rental. I recently chose new tenants and signed the lease. Since then, the owner has sent the tenants a nonsmoking policy, specifying that if any guests...
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• Using Facebook to screen tenants invites trouble

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I applied for a rental last month and thought I'd get the place -- I have an excellent record as a tenant, a stable job, and a string of happy landlords in my past. But I was rejected. A friend asked me...
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• Is your rent hike illegal?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: After weeks of trying to get our landlord to make a repair to the roof, we decided to withhold rent. We followed our state's rules, and the landlord got the idea -- he repaired the roof. But then he served us with...
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• A smoking ban that doesn't break rules

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We operate a fourplex and have decided to prohibit smoking entirely -- in common areas, such as the halls and lobby, as well as individual units. Current tenants who smoke say that's discriminatory. Would we be breaking the law if we implement this...
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• Find ex-tenants who owe you money

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: My tenant left me with a lot of damage that the security deposit won't cover, so I'd like to sue him in small claims court. But I don't know where he is -- he refused to leave a forwarding address. I thought...
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• Solve tenant disputes using social media

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We're facing a bit of a public relations nightmare, the result of a few disgruntled tenants whipping up a frenzy about our apartment complex. They claim it's mismanaged, and have used Facebook pages and groups, blogs, and countless tweets to spread the word...
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• Refund rules for prepaid vacation rental

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We prepaid for our vacation rental at the beach in New Jersey, which was to begin the day the governor issued mandatory evacuation orders for that area. Are we entitled to our money back? The landlord is being evasive. --Jack and Ellen A: When...
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• Should messy guests pay when next vacation rental tenants walk away?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I rent my vacation home to weekenders and weeklong residents on a regular basis. I collect a $250 deposit and allot five hours for cleaning between guest stays. Last month, the departing guests left the place so dirty and messy that the cleaners...
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• Ex-girlfriend has eviction rights

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I unwisely moved in with my now ex-boyfriend. I am not on the lease, although I have been contributing to rent and bills. The relationship has soured and now he has told me that he wants me out in three days. Can...
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• Breaking lease over barbecue smoke

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I rent an apartment in a large complex. My lease prohibits "outdoor cooking of any kind" except in the picnic areas near the pool and children's play areas. But this provision is routinely ignored by residents, many of whom have small barbecues on...
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• Sublet bedroom at your own risk

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I am a tenant of a single-family house, and I'd like to sublet one of the bedrooms. My landlord is against it, pointing to a clause in our lease that says, "Tenant may not sublet the premises or assign the lease without...
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• Charge tenant for furniture removal?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We advertised our rental home as furnished, and we made sure that the furnishings were in good shape and attractive. The tenant we chose said nothing about the furniture when he toured the house, but upon moving in he began asking us...
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• When 'carelessness' justifies lease termination

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: Our landlord deducted several hundred dollars from our security deposit after he saw the damage that resulted when we left a window open during a rainstorm (the rain damaged a hardwood floor and soaked a wall). We replenished the deposit as asked --...
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• Foreclosure rights without written lease agreement

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I am a tenant in a house I rented last summer, planning on staying a year, but soon after I moved in, the owner told me that he was having trouble making his mortgage payments. Last month the bank foreclosed and I...
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• Must-do's when renting to subtenant

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: My three roommates and I rented a house for the year. One roommate left for the summer and sublet his room to a friend, Max. Max has not paid his share of the rent, and we want to evict him. Can we...
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• Don't get stuck paying for tenant blight

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: My tenants incurred a fine from the city, which claimed that their poor housekeeping (really, their yard-keeping) was a violation of city codes. The ordinance says I'm responsible for paying the fine, too. I think that's unfair -- after all, I can't just...
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• Repair duties for commercial tenants

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I rent a small retail space in a large building. The sash windows are old and funky, and it's very difficult to raise them. I told the landlord several times over a period of weeks, but he never did anything about them....
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• Crafting a tenant buyout

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We rented out our family home when my husband was transferred to a branch office in another state. We thought the transfer would last two years, but after a year, he was told to return to his original office. Trouble is, we...
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• Breaking lease over bedbugs

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We've discovered a few bedbugs in our new apartment, crawling out of the seams along the floor. We're freaked out! The landlord says it's no big deal, and that he'll have an exterminator come by early next week. We haven't even unpacked; we're...
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• Move-out rights when foreclosure strikes

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I rented a condo last summer, planning to stay for a year. No formal lease was signed. The landlord told me in the winter that he was having trouble making his mortgage payments, and sure enough, the place was sold in April...
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• Rent obligation rules for early move-out

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I was renting month-to-month and decided to move in with my girlfriend. I gave written notice mid-month, which included an acknowledgment that I'd be responsible for a pro-rata portion of rent into the next month. But when I spoke with the manager, he...
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• Valid reasons to reject a rental application

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We have been renting out our home since we moved to another town where my husband took a job. We've got an applicant (a retired lawyer) who has seen our lease form but wants "at least three hours" to negotiate its terms....
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• Get out of lease with 'stop payment'?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: When I was transferred to another city, I went ahead to look for an apartment. Time was short, so I applied for the first place I saw. I gave them first month's rent and a deposit, and they said I'd get the...
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• Rules of withdrawing a rental offer

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We rent out a single-family house, and recently had rather lengthy discussions with a potential tenant. He wanted to get a pet; our lease says no pets. He wanted painting, but we were hesitant to go with his color scheme. He wanted an...
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• Most states protect tenants from retaliation

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I may be heading into a contested eviction, and wonder if I should settle. These tenants went to a local nonprofit agency that handles fair housing and accused me of discrimination. The nonprofit didn't pursue it, and I terminated the tenancy. Now they're...
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• Apply deposit toward rent in landlord foreclosure?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We have learned that our landlord is in foreclosure, but we don't know how quickly the bank will move. Meanwhile, she expects us to pay rent, but we seriously doubt that we'll ever see our security deposit. I asked if we could...
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• Why landlords frown upon prepaid rent

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We are moving from our home to a rental, the result of a job loss and foreclosure. The landlord, focusing on my unemployment, is concerned that we won't be able to pay the rent. We have enough savings; so I've offered to...
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• A painful lesson in co-signing lease

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I agreed to co-sign a lease for my nephew. He lost his job and fell behind on the rent, and eventually left the rental. But he owes two months' rent, and the landlord has demanded that I pay up. He's even threatening...
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• $300 smoking 'fine' crosses the line

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We recently rented a vacation house that had a "no smoking" policy. We honored it, but during an evening when we were away, our adult children did not. There was no damage, but you could smell the smoke. The owner "fined" us $300...
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• Contractor's sneaky strategy for limiting liability

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I have a single-family house that I use as a rental. I'm about to do some major renovation work, and was given a contract by the contractor. It's got a clause in it that I've never seen before, which reads, "For any...
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• Rules for suing over back rent, property damage

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We rented our single-family house in California to a family -- husband and wife and two children who were over 18. All of our dealings were with the wife, and she's the only one who signed the lease, though it was understood...
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• Who's to blame when renter falls on stairway?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: A tenant's guest is suing us for injuries she says she suffered when she fell on a staircase at our building. The staircase had been recently repaired; our resident manager had replaced three loose steps just a few days earlier. He didn't know...
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• Foreclosure complicates collection of back rent

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: Last month you answered a question by a rental property owner who bought his property from a foreclosing bank. The resident tenants hadn't paid the rent while the bank owned the home; the new owners wanted to collect it. Your answer indicated that...
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• Skip rent when secondhand smoke persists?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I live in an apartment building that I thought would be zealous in protecting me from secondhand smoke. My lease has a clause in which I acknowledge that secondhand smoke is a legal nuisance, and I promise to make sure that no...
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• Fight retaliation over 'repair and deduct'

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I'm having rent hassles with my landlord. When he refused to replace a cracked window, claiming that I broke it, I had it fixed and deducted the cost from the next month's rent (I think it broke during a recent windstorm). Now...
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• Exposing rent payment histories for profit

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I've heard that landlords are starting to report on-time rent payments to credit reporting agencies, who will use this information in their credit reports and FICO scores. Is this true? Is it a good thing for tenants? --Amelia B. A: You heard right....
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• Unwanted visitors can get you evicted

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I am the resident manager of a large apartment community. The police have come to our property several times recently because of one tenant. She told me that she has had to call the police because her former husband insists on coming...
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• Collecting back rent on foreclosed home

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We purchased a foreclosure property. The tenants have not paid rent for the past 18 months while the bank was the owner. The tenants claim that because the rent was owed to the bank, only the bank is entitled to ask for...
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• Give up pet, get extra deposit back?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: When we moved into our single-family rental, we didn't have a pet. Our security deposit was below the legal limit in our state. When we told the landlord that we'd like to have a dog, the landlord said OK, but increased the...
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• Get reimbursed for tenant violations

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We own rental property in a college town, and have generally had good experiences with our student tenants. But this year we got a particularly rowdy bunch, and despite our pleas (and the intercession of the neighbors and the police), we were slapped...
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• Who foots bill for bedbug removal?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I moved into my current apartment a couple of months ago, after moving out of a building that I later learned had a bedbug problem. The owner of the first building knew that a few apartments were infested, but took ineffective steps...
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• Applying 'law of fixtures' to rentals

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We recently moved into a single-family rental. The owners had lived there before us, and when we saw the house and rented it, they were still there. So were a central vacuum system, drapes and a large chandelier over the dining room table....
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• Mobile app oversimplifies real estate rental contracts

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I visited an apartment today and liked what I saw. The landlord asked me to sign up on the spot; he created a lease on his phone, walked me back to the office, and printed it. I'm all for creative online apps,...
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• No escape from roof repairs?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I rent out the home that I inherited from my aunt. I cleaned the place after she passed and rented it out right away, but after a few months into a yearlong lease, the tenant told me about a serious roof leak....
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• REO buyers flex eviction rights

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: My wife and I recently purchased a single-family house at a foreclosure sale. The tenants in the house showed us a lease signed a month ago, in which the former owner not only gave them a three-year lease (they had been month-to-month), but...
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• Offer your roommate a buyout

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: My girlfriend moved in during the middle of my lease. After about a month, the landlord found out and immediately gave me a notice to get her out or be evicted. But my "girlfriend" won't move out (we aren't so close anymore;...
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• Rent protections for illegal units

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I've been renting a cottage that sits behind my landlord's house (my landlord is a lawyer). We have rent control, and I challenged the owner when he raised the rent to a level that I thought was illegal. I went to the rent...
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• Protect Your Real Estate Investment - Screen Your Tenants

• Marv Steier, President, TVS Tenant Verification Service Inc.  |  TVS News
•   Successful Real Estate Investing requires a diligence process called *tenant screening*, this will minimize the risk of renting to Individuals who use landlords as a revolving line of credit. High Risk Tenants or tenants from hell can turn real estate investing into a bad experience...
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• Avoid Tenant Discrimination!

• Claes Bell  |  TVS News
•   http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/pf/20070817_tenant_screening_2.asp   *Preface to article*: Read the article and the comments below by Marv Steier The process of finding the perfect rental house or apartment can range from hectic to nearly impossible. But it could be worse: Picture yourself locating that long sought-after apartment or town house...
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• 'Rent acceleration' unfair in most states

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: Several months ago I signed a yearlong lease, but now I need to move to take a job out of state. My standard-form, 10-page lease says that if I leave early, "all rent due under the lease will become due." This means...
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• Attracting Good Tenants

• By Marv Steier, President, TVS Tenant Verification Service Inc.  |  TVS News
•   The key to maximizing profitability and minimizing risk as a landlord has a lot to do with choosing the right tenant. It starts with advertising, and there are a few tricks to creating effective advertisements to help find the best tenants for your properties....
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• Federal tax bill's impacts on landlords

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I've heard that the new tax bill signed by President Obama in late September 2010 affects landlords -- that we will have to file 1099s when we pay contractors over a certain amount. Is this so? What a pain! --Chris F. A: You...
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• New bedbug protections for renters

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I'm moving to New York City and I'm really worried about moving into an apartment that has bedbugs -- there have been so many articles about New York City being the "bedbug capital" of the country. Is there any way that I...
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• Avoid giving rental rights to guests

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I'd like to offer temporary housing to people in the neighboring town whose houses have been burned by a natural gas explosion. I have a vacant rental unit that could be used, but I would not collect rent, and I'd expect that...
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• Pit bulls get the boot in lease renewal

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We rent a cottage behind our landlord's house. We have two pit bull dogs that are there with the landlord's consent, and we have a lease that's up in a few months. Although the dogs have caused no problems, the landlord has told...
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• Beware of security deposit alternative

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: The rental property I'm thinking of living in has offered me an alternative to a security deposit. I pay for a bond, whose premium is less than a full security deposit, but even if I leave owing no rent and no damage,...
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• Landlord drops 1-year lease bomb

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I have a friend who has been renting for two years under successive one-year leases, and now his landlord is threatening to evict him if he does not agree to sign a third one-year lease (my friend wants to go month-to-month). I thought...
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• Resolving beef with Section 8 tenants

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I have a problem with the apartment building next door. All eight apartments are full of Section 8 tenants who are breeding and raising pit bulls. This activity is causing major problems for me, with dog waste in my yard. When I complained,...
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• Crying foul over rental screening fee

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I was rejected by a landlord after I gave him a tenant screening fee and went through two interviews. I later learned that the owner was looking for someone who would commit to a two-year lease (I can't do that). Had I...
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• 'Room for rent' rules to live by

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I own my home and have been recently widowed. I would like to rent an extra bedroom to a roomer, who will share the kitchen, living room and other common areas of the house. I want to make sure that when I...
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• Bedbug problem bites at tenant

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: One unit in our fourplex has a bedbug problem. The landlord hired an exterminator, who found a bug in two other units, so he recommends treating the entire building. We're going to have to take time off from work to prepare our apartment,...
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• Renter liable for fall on stairs?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I work at home and regularly receive UPS deliveries of material. Last week, the deliveryman slipped on the front stairs, hurting himself. Those stairs have been in bad shape for years, and I've asked for repairs, but to no avail. I imagine that...
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• Whose credit check counts?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We're looking for a place to rent in a tight rental market, and have filled out several rental applications. Each of them asks for a credit-check fee, from $25 to $35, which covers the cost to order a credit report. We have our...
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• Protect deposit from distressed landlord

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We rent a single-family home from an individual who collected two months' rent -- $9,000 -- as a deposit. We've gotten several letters for her from a bank, and last week a representative from the bank arrived with some legal papers for the...
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• Can landlord tap rent when damages exceed deposit?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: The rental market in my city is tight, and it's common for applicants to offer many months' prepaid rent as an incentive for landlords to rent to them. I accepted six months' rent from a couple who signed a year's lease, then left...
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• Make sure 'companion animal' request is legit

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: One of my tenants has asked for permission to keep a dog as a "companion animal." He gave me a letter from his doctor, but it's so poorly written that I suspect it's fake, even though it's on a letterhead. This guy...
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• Avoid discrimination in tenant safety rules

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I manage an apartment complex, where we have many families with children. We have large parking lots where kids often ride their bikes. This is an obvious safety hazard, so I've posted a sign saying "Children may not ride bikes in the parking...
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• Weighing religious freedom vs. rental alterations

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: My tenants have asked for permission to place a large, conventional religious symbol on their front door. They'd need to screw it into the wood. My leases prohibit alterations without my consent, and I don't want the door disfigured like this. But they...
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• Who pays contractor when renter skips out?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We rent a single-family house to tenants who have been there for several years. We gave them permission to build a new backyard fence and do some landscaping; they agreed to pay for it. The work was done and finished a month...
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• Creative penalties for late rent stir debate

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I have come up with a way to motivate people to pay their rent on time, and I'm wondering if it's legal. In addition to my late fee, I'd like to say that tenants may not use the laundry facilities or the...
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• Subtenancy rules curb unethical profits

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I rent a three-bedroom house to my tenants, a couple. A while ago, they asked if they could sublet two of the bedrooms, and assured me that they would carefully choose the tenants. The subtenants are fine -- but I've just learned that...
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• Blowing the whistle on harassment

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I'm feeling increasingly uncomfortable about the dynamics I'm witnessing at my apartment community. The manager is constantly hitting on my neighbor in public settings (like the pool), even to the point of insisting that she accept his "back rubs." She hates it and...
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• Using Facebook as a screening tool

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: When I screen potential tenants, I talk to their current landlord and their employer, ask for references, and order a credit report. Some of the landlords in town are also regularly looking on the Internet, to see if the applicant blogs, has a...
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• Is $1,000 late-fee charge illegal?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: Last September, I was unable to pay my rent ($1,000 per month), and incurred a late fee of $100. I paid all of October's rent, and every month's rent from that time onward, but I wasn't able to pay September's rent until...
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• Putting a price on odor problem

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: When our tenants moved out, we inspected their apartment for damage. We discovered that all of the draperies and curtains, as well as the rug, smell strongly of cooking spices (I think it's curry). These tenants must not have used the kitchen fan...
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• Asset protection for landlords

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: My husband and I are going to rent out my parents' home, which I have inherited. How can we best protect our personal assets from lawsuits or other claims that might arise during our landlording business? --Fred and Delia J. A: The best...
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• Couple ditches lease for military service

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: My tenants, John and Alice, an unmarried couple, have just informed me that they are breaking their lease. John joined the military and has been transferred to Texas, and Alice intends to go with him. I know that the law requires me to...
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• No renters insurance, no brain

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: While my son and his girlfriend were visiting us over the holidays, a water main in their apartment burst and flooded their apartment. All of their possessions -- clothes, furniture, everything -- were ruined by the water or the resulting mold. Is the...
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• Higher risk, higher deposit for tenant?

• <span class="">Janet Portman</span>  |  Real Estate
• Q: I teach piano lessons in my rented duplex. When I told my landlord about it, he said OK, but insisted that the presence of my students would increase his exposure to lawsuits. So now he's asking me to pay an additional deposit. Can...
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• Consumer Reporting Agency Settles FTC Charges

• Marv Steier  |  TVS News
• A consumer reporting agency that failed to properly screen prospective customers and, as a result, sold at least 318 credit reports to identity thieves, has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it violated federal law. Under the settlement, the company and its...
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• Unsigned lease affords rights

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I have a tenant whose one-year lease expired last spring. I gave him a new, yearlong lease then, but he never signed it. When I asked him for it, he said he misplaced it. He did pay the new, increased rent, and...
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• Foreclosure risk: the writing's on the wall

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: Our daughter found a notice of default on her front door last week, telling her that foreclosure was imminent. She called the owner, who straightened things out with the bank, but we're really worried that our daughter will eventually be displaced by a...
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• Landlord goes 'Sherlock' on recycling

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I own and live in a fourplex apartment building, renting out the other three units. I want my property to participate in our city's recycling programs, and have clauses in my leases that obligate tenants to use the recycling containers (including a container...
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• Despite death, rent must go on

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We're facing a situation that's pretty unbelievable. My mother-in-law passed away in her apartment on the day rent was due. My wife found her that day, and notified management immediately. We cleaned out the apartment within a few days, and were shocked to...
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• Landlord, the beehive's in your court

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I rent a single-family home. A beehive under the eaves has grown quite large and active, and it makes me nervous every time I pass by. Who is responsible for removing it: me or the owner? --Cynthia C. A: Your question presents two...
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• Beware of 'stacked' late fees

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: My landlord and I are having a dispute over the timeliness of my rent payment several months ago. I gave it to the manager on time; the manager claims he got it a day later, and charged the fee. I refused to...
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• Challenging a lease termination notice

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: Our family has just received a termination notice from the landlord, for bogus reasons. He claims that we're committing criminal acts on the property because my son was in a fight with a neighboring boy. It's true that there was a fight, but...
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• Foreclosure rights lost in fine print

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: The question you recently answered about a long-term tenant surviving the foreclosure of his home (because his lease predated the mortgage) was welcome reading to us, because that is our situation, too. Our landlord hasn't been foreclosed on yet, but it's imminent. Still...
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• Lifting 'no pets' policy backfires

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: Six months into my tenant's one-year lease, which specified "no pets," she got a dog. She assured me it was housebroken, so I said she could keep it. Then I discovered that the dog had urinated all over the carpet. I had...
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• Tenants take beefs to the tweets

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I live in a large apartment complex near my university. Management is very poor here: they don't respond to repair requests; they close the laundry and pool facilities regularly; and they don't keep the common areas clean. When the tenants have bad experiences,...
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• Nonrefundable rental deposits stir debate

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We listed our rental on craigslist, which listed key terms, including a provision that the pet and cleaning deposits were nonrefundable. A couple contacted us and visited the rental, and we agreed orally, (and) with a handshake, to lease to them. It was...
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• A foreclosure protection strategy?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: My landlord, who's been a great guy, told me that he thinks he's probably going to lose the property to foreclosure. My lease runs out in a couple of months, and I was hoping to stay here for at least another year....
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• Rules for charging 'pet rent'

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I'm interested in a rental that describes the rent in an odd way: First, the advertisement lists the rent, then it adds "pet rent." Is this legal? --Rigoberto R. A: It's perfectly OK for an ad to specify that if a tenant has...
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• Tenant to take fall for bath damage?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: While on a visit, my tenant's father slipped when getting out of the bathtub. He fell back against the faucet, injuring his back, though fortunately not badly. The tub, however, which is a one-piece fiberglass shower/tub unit, is ruined. Who is responsible for...
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• Tenant turnover doesn't add up

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: We hired a management company to find tenants and collect rent at our rental in a nearby town. Over the past two years we've had four sets of tenants; one broke the lease and we had to file evictions on two of...
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• Becoming a Successful Landlord

• Marv Steier  |  TVS News
• *Introduction* Ken Roth is a second-generation landlord, a real estate attorney and a former leasing agent. He's been letting properties and dealing with the headaches that inevitably result for over 20 years. Test your knowledge of landlord-tenant relations with the SLAT-- The Successful Landlord Aptitude Test,...
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• Fees target lease-breaking renters

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: My tenant of several months moved out, breaking his year's lease with seven months left on it. The lease has a termination-fee clause in which he agreed to pay 1 1/2 month's rent if he moves out early. I took that money...
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• Negotiating a lease buyout

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: One of my tenants would like to get out of his yearlong lease, which has eight months left. I understand that he remains liable for the whole rent until I re-rent the unit, but he's approached me with a different proposition. He wants...
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• Would-be tenants play 'religion' card

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: During an interview with a potential landlord, we were asked some odd questions that, on reflection, seemed designed to find out if we are religious. She asked me where we got married (not just the city, but the site), and how we liked...
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• Is tenant monkeying with disabilities law?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: My apartment complex specifies "no pets." A tenant has just asked for permission to keep a monkey -- no, she didn't even ask, she announced -- that the monkey would be living with her. She claims she needs it as a service...
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• Is my landlord 'rent skimming'?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: The property I'm renting was lost in foreclosure in April 2009. The landlord told me he just wasn't able to keep up with the payments, but it sure seems to me that he's been living pretty well recently -- he's got a...
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• Canceling rental will cost landlord

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I'm in a bit of a bind. I own a unique, lovely duplex (we live upstairs) that I easily rented in our town of few rentals and high demand. I signed a one-year lease with the new tenants, then learned that my...
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• 'Oddball' move-in fees questioned

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I'm looking to rent at an apartment complex that imposes some oddball fees when tenants move in. In addition to the security deposit, they impose a one-time "initiation fee" (for showing a new tenant around, I guess), a "key fee," and a "lock...
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• Not all violations warrant eviction

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I have attempted, and failed, to evict a problem tenant. This person constantly demanded repairs, complained about our policies, and bad-mouthed management to other tenants. Finally, he did something that was prohibited in the lease -- he parked in another person's parking place...
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• Tenant suspects manager of illegal entry

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: My sister has lived in a rent-controlled apartment for 16 years. Over the past month there has been evidence that someone has been entering her apartment. Little things are disturbed, such as a picture on the floor that's moved to the computer and...
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• Hoping for a renters' insurance miracle

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: When my tenants moved out leaving the place a mess, I hired a handyman to do some cleaning and repairs. While doing the work, he fell through the floor, which had become spongy with rot. Apparently, the pipes had been leaking for some...
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• Who pays when renter skips out?

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I'm the owner of an apartment complex near a large hospital. The hospital regularly brings in traveling nurses, who stay for three months. The nurses work for an agency, and the agency provides housing for each nurse by renting an apartment from me....
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• Pay-or-quit notice comes with fee

• Janet Portman  |  Real Estate
• Q: I understand that I will have to pay a late fee if I pay my rent late. But what about legal fees? I guess my landlord got his lawyer involved in my pay-or-quit notice, because the lawyer sent the notice, but then...
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• The Fraud Rental Game

• Marv Steier  |  TVS News
• Delinquent Tenant habits: what they do   Owning or managing a rental property can be a full time job and a full time headache if your landlord business does not have a fraud prevention program, particularly if you get a tenant that has previously played...
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• Avoid Tenant Discrimination!

• Marv Steier  |  TVS News
• Tenant screening could cost you rental- by Claes Bell (source) *Preface to article: *Read the article and the comments below by Marv Steier The process of finding the perfect rental house or apartment can range from hectic to nearly impossible. But it could be worse: Picture...
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• Landlords Affected in Tough Economic Times

• Marv Steier  |  TVS News
• Tough economic times affect every consumer that includes tenants and it has become quite evident recently with the global financial meltdown that many consumers/tenants have overspent and incurred more debt than they are able to handle financially. So when consumers default on their financial obligation...
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• Would You Let This Tenant Break the Lease?

• Marv Steier  |  TVS News
• *Employer Willing to Buy Out Tenant’s Lease* by Robert Griswold, Inman News *Q*: I have a tenant who recently signed a two-year lease for my rental home. She just contacted me indicating that she has been approached by her employer about transferring to another city...
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• Avoiding Rental Property Discrimination Complaints

• Marv Steier  |  TVS News
• If you're in the rental housing business for long, you'll hear about six-figure or larger legal awards against rental property owners for violating fair-housing laws. Problems often arise when investment property owners are unaware that their policies or practices are discriminatory. Families, children, and folks...
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• Equifax Credit Bureau requires site inspection for all End Users

• Marv Steier  |  TVS News
• On June 1st/2008 new Equifax Policy stipulates that all End Users (Landlords) must have a site inspection of their Office whether home based or not by a Certified Inspector, (generally a Realtor in your area) to determine if the Office, meets the criteria that...
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• New Nigerian Rental Scam!

• Marv Steier  |  TVS News
• It should be noted that this scam is running all over North America and likely Europe and other parts of the world as most Nigerian scams do. People need to be aware of these types of scams. When you read the email from the...
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• So You Want to Be a Landlord?

• Marv Steier  |  TVS News
• By Motley Fool Staff June 5, 2007 So you want to be a landlord? You're not alone. You could be attracted by the idea of having money just roll in from tenants every month. We spoke with a bunch of people who have owned...
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• Top Ten Legal Mistakes That Can Sink Your Landlord Business

• Marv Steier  |  TVS News
• By Janet Portman, managing editor, Nolo *Know the laws in your state before you rent out space*. Being a successful landlord requires lots of practical know-how, business moxie, and familiarity with the market. Until about 30 years ago, the law didn’t have much to...
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• Reporting tenant pay habits monthly will enhance your landlord business

• Marv Steier  |  TVS News
• *Landlords… *now have the opportunity to report tenant pay habits[tenant-pay-habits.php] on a *monthly basis*; this will have a positive impact on reducing rental income loss and reducing the problem of late rent payments. The ability to *report tenant pay habits on a monthly basis* benefits...
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• Report Tenant Pay Habits

• Marv Steier  |  TVS News
• TVS Tenant Verification Service Inc. one of the premier tenant screening services in the Industry has developed a program that allows landlords to report tenant pay habits on a monthly basis. This is important for a number of reasons: Major Credit Bureaus do...
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