There can be many reasons why allowing tenants to do repairs is not a good idea. Depending upon the scope of work and the tenant’s skills and abilities, there could be issues related to legal responsibilities, quality of work, liability, possible worker’s compensation insurances, unemployment insurance, income tax liabilities, potential mechanic’s liens, and an unhappy […]

While the Fair Housing Act covers most housing, in very limited circumstances, the Act exempts owner-occupied buildings with no more than four units, single-family houses sold or rented by the owner without the use of an agent, and housing operated by religious organizations and private clubs that limit occupancy to members. The Act provides an […]

Tenant onboarding welcomes the new tenant to the rental unit by providing detailed information on rental policies, procedures, rules and regulations. The onboarding practice helps the tenant understand his/her legal obligations and duties by landlord-tenant statutes and by the lease terms and conditions. The goal of the onboarding session is to familiarize the tenant with […]

Tenant hoarding can affect the health and safety of the resident tenant, his neighboring tenants, and the landlord and his rental staff. Hoarding can create health and safety issues such as unsanitary living conditions, fire hazards, pest infestations, mold, plumbing failures, blocked entry/exit passages, trip and fall hazards, and potentially, structural damage to the rental […]

Depending upon your type of rental property, location of the property and applicable local ordinances and city/county codes, there are some common practices to help manage traffic flow in rental complexes. As example, you could consider: Traffic signs, the familiar STOP signs placed at intersections within the complex to require drivers to come to a […]

The Fair Housing Act requires all covered multifamily dwellings designed and constructed for first occupancy after March 13, 1991 to be accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. Covered multifamily dwellings are all dwelling units in buildings containing four or more units with one or more elevators, and all ground floor units in buildings […]

There are many issues that need to be researched before beginning a construction project. The following are just a few of the issues to consider. Scope of Work You should first define your project. A project description is the scope of work to be performed. The scope of work should identify specifically the work tasks […]

Tenant screenings are the tools to assess the applicant’s potential risk to the landlord’s business. Reference checking of the applicant’s current rental housing and his past rental history is an essential tenant screening. There is no better source of direct information regarding a tenant’s interactions with a landlord and neighboring tenants than reference checking with […]

Setting legally compliant occupancy standards requires careful analysis and understanding of applicable federal, state, and local law, municipal codes, and other published guidance. State and local regulations may differ in their compliance requirements and may be more or less restrictive than federal guidance depending on the circumstances. Landlords must develop occupancy policies that are legally […]

If a judgment debtor does not pay the judgment creditor voluntarily, the creditor will need to explore other ways to collect his judgment. The creditor must first discover whether the debtor has any assets that could satisfy the judgment. If a creditor does not have information about the debtor’s assets, the creditor may find it […]