Similar to property inspections to ensure the physical property is kept in good condition, business policy reviews are essential to ensure legal compliances, business protection insurances, risk reduction measures, and property management standards provide best practices coverages to protect the landlord’s business entity and rental operations. Legal Compliances Landlords conduct business under multiple levels of […]

The lease agreement is a legal contract between landlord and tenant that sets out the terms and conditions of the landlord-tenant relationship. The lease agreement must be compliant with landlord-tenant statutes and applicable laws of all relevant jurisdictions and sufficiently detailed regarding landlord and tenant rights, obligations, duties and responsibilities. A lease agreement should incorporate […]

A traditional rental policy of collecting a security deposit in the amount as allowed by statute may help protect the landlord’s business to a great degree. The tenant has an obligation to take good care of the rental unit and pay rent as agreed in the lease contract. The tenant has a vested interest to […]

Few landlords would argue against the value of tenant screenings to protect their business. Selecting a tenant may be the most important business decision a landlord makes. Tenant screening is the assessment of the applicant’s potential future risk of financial or material default of lease terms and conditions. A landlord’s number one concern is late […]

Evaluating business risk and implementing best practices to control business risk underlies the selection of a new tenant. The beginning of a new calendar year gives opportunity to review your business rental policies and practices and to determine whether those policies and practices have been good for your business. Your best practices for the coming […]

A good beginning for a new tenancy starts with the tenant’s clear understanding of the tenant’s obligations under landlord-tenant statutes and the landlord’s lease agreement. Both landlord and tenant have legal rights, responsibilities and duties. There can be no assumption on the landlord’s part that a new tenant fully understands his tenant duties and responsibilities. […]

Whether the landlord or the tenant will be responsible for snow removal may depend upon the language in the lease agreement and/or state statutes and local ordinances that address the issue. The location of the rental property, the type of property, and the number of units in a multi-unit property may also determine landlord or […]

Unless prohibited by statute, your lease agreement should require the tenant to provide you advance notice of the tenant’s plan to be absent from the rental unit for a period of time expected to be longer than XX number of days. In some states the issue of tenant absence from the premise is specifically addressed […]

A Winter Newsletter is a good way to provide tenants with helpful winter safety and maintenance tips that can help keep the rental premises in good condition and more energy efficient. The newsletter might provide tips such as having the tenant: Inspect the rental unit for blocked or closed vents in living spaces. A heating […]

How a landlord responds to a caller regarding an ad for a rental vacancy or welcomes a visitor to an open house showing can make a difference in the prospect’s interest in moving forward to the application stage. The caller’s or visitor’s answers to a few crucial screening questions can help the landlord determine if […]