Question I have a tenant that moved from California and my belief is that he brought bedbugs with him. He reported that he started seeing little bugs soon after moving in and that they bit him. I immediately went in and inspected the apartment and could not find anything. I asked him if he could […]

Question I am a relatively new landlord and wondered what is considered to be the most effective way to advertise my rental condo. Answer The most effective way to advertise vacant rental units can depend on the type of property, the location of the property, the current market conditions, and sometimes several other factors. It […]

Lease Agreements – Part 8 In Part 7 of this series we covered some of the special lease issues related to owner associations. In this Part 8 we’ll discuss some aspects of and issues related to commercial property lease agreements. Importance of Leases The value of an income property is affected by the leases for […]

Fair Housing Laws Fair Housing Laws and fair housing-related Presidential Executive Orders promote equal opportunity for individuals to seek, obtain, and hold housing without discrimination. The most familiar of the fair housing laws is the federal Fair Housing Act. The month of April celebrates Fair Housing Month, honoring the anniversary of the passage of the […]

Question 1 Can I allow a 17-year-old sign a lease? Answer 1 In general, a person who can write an X can sign a lease agreement or any other type of contract. However, a person who is less than the age of maturity under the law of the particular state or who does not have […]

A Landlord Pet Policy Pet ownership is growing throughout the country. Market and consumer trends point to a continuing increase in the numbers of pet households. Pets have become a more important issue for landlords because more tenants wish to have them than was the case some years ago. While there are no available statistics […]

Expenditures – Part 8 In this article we continue our “Expenditures” series of articles with some discussion regarding capital expenditures. Capital Expenditures You must capitalize, rather than deduct, some costs. These costs are a part of your investment in your business and are called “capital expenditures.” Capital expenditures are considered assets in your business. There […]

Question A tenant moved out leaving a large unpaid water bill. The deposit was not nearly large enough to cover it, but the owner has to pay to continue getting water service to the property. I am considering two possible actions: 1. Turn the bill over to a collection agency; 2. File a case in […]

Are there any reasons why I might not want to have Section 8 tenants? Answer Section 8 has both advantages and disadvantages. The main theoretical advantage is that the government guarantees the rent. However, in practice there are many ways in which this can become untrue. For example, if the tenant originally qualifies for 100 […]

Question Do you have the forms I need to file for an eviction? Answer A landlord cannot file a complaint for eviction with the court until expiration of the required period after serving the tenant with the appropriate notice. The period varies among states – it can vary from 3 to 30 days, depending on […]