Table of Contents......Page 10
Your Landlord Companion......Page 18
1. Screening Tenants: Your Most Important Decision......Page 20
Avoiding Fair Housing Complaints and Lawsuits......Page 21
How to Advertise Rental Property......Page 22
Renting Property That’s Still Occupied......Page 23
Dealing With Prospective Tenants and Accepting Rental Applications......Page 24
Checking References, Credit History, and More......Page 31
Choosing—And Rejecting—An Applicant......Page 41
Finder’s Fees and Holding Deposits......Page 43
2. Preparing Leases and Rental Agreements......Page 48
Which Is Better, a Lease or a Rental Agreement?......Page 50
Clause-by-Clause Instructions for Completing the Lease or Rental Agreement Form......Page 52
About Cosigners......Page 72
3. Basic Rent Rules......Page 82
Rent Control......Page 83
When Rent Is Due......Page 86
Where and How Rent Is Due......Page 88
Late Charges and Discounts for Early Payments......Page 89
Partial or Delayed Rent Payments......Page 90
Raising the Rent......Page 91
4. Security Deposits......Page 94
Purpose and Use of Security Deposits......Page 95
How Much Deposit Should You Charge?......Page 96
Last Month’s Rent......Page 97
Interest and Accounts on Deposits......Page 99
How to Increase Deposits......Page 100
Handling Deposits When You Buy or Sell Rental Property......Page 101
5. Discrimination......Page 102
Legal Reasons for Rejecting a Rental Applicant......Page 104
Sources of Antidiscrimination Laws......Page 107
Types of Illegal Discrimination......Page 110
Valid Occupancy Limits......Page 123
Managers and Discrimination......Page 128
Unlawful Discrimination Complaints......Page 129
Insurance Coverage in Discrimination Claims......Page 130
6. Property Managers......Page 134
Hiring Your Own Resident Manager......Page 136
How to Prepare a Property Manager Agreement......Page 141
Your Legal Obligations as an Employer......Page 142
Management Companies......Page 149
Your Liability for a Manager’s Acts......Page 151
Firing a Manager......Page 155
Evicting a Manager......Page 156
7. Getting the Tenant Moved In......Page 158
Inspect the Rental Unit......Page 159
Cash Rent and Security Deposit Checks......Page 165
Organize Your Tenant Records......Page 168
Organize Income and Expenses for Schedule E......Page 169
8. Cotenants, Sublets, and Assignments......Page 172
Cotenants......Page 173
What to Do When a Tenant Wants to Sublet or Assign......Page 179
When a Tenant Brings in a Roommate......Page 185
Guests and New Occupants You Haven’t Approved......Page 187
9. Landlord’s Duty to Repair and Maintain the Premises......Page 190
Your Duty to Keep the Premises Livable......Page 192
How to Meet Your Legal Repair and Maintenance Responsibilities......Page 194
Avoiding Problems With a Good Maintenance and Repair System......Page 198
Tenant Updates and Landlord’s Regular Safety and Maintenance Inspections......Page 204
Tenant Responses to Unfit Premises: Paying Less Rent......Page 207
Tenant Responses to Unfit Premises: Calling Inspectors, Filing Lawsuits, and Moving Out......Page 215
Minor Repairs......Page 218
Delegating Landlord’s Responsibilities to Tenants......Page 221
Tenants’ Alterations and Improvements......Page 224
Cable TV Access......Page 226
Satellite Dishes and Antennas......Page 229
10. Landlord’s Liability for Tenant Injuries From Dangerous Conditions......Page 234
How to Prevent Injuries......Page 235
Liability and Other Property Insurance......Page 239
Your Liability for Tenant Injuries......Page 242
If a Tenant Was at Fault, Too......Page 247
How Much Money an Injured Tenant May Recover......Page 249
11. Landlord’s Liability for Environmental Health Hazards......Page 250
Asbestos......Page 252
Lead......Page 254
Radon......Page 262
Carbon Monoxide......Page 263
Mold......Page 264
Bedbugs......Page 267
Electromagnetic Fields......Page 270
12. Landlord’s Liability for Criminal Activity......Page 272
Comply With All State and Local Laws on Security......Page 274
Keep Your Promises About Security......Page 275
Prevent Criminal Acts......Page 276
Protect Tenants From Each Other......Page 283
Deal With Drug-Dealing Tenants......Page 285
If You Are Sued......Page 289
13. Landlord’s Right of Entry and Tenants’ Privacy......Page 292
General Rules of Entry......Page 294
Entry in Case of Emergency......Page 295
Entry to Make Repairs or Inspect the Property......Page 296
Entry to Show Property to Prospective Tenants or Buyers......Page 299
Entry by Others......Page 301
Other Types of Invasions of Privacy......Page 303
What to Do When Tenants Unreasonably Deny Entry......Page 305
Tenants’ Remedies If a Landlord Acts Illegally......Page 306
14. Ending a Tenancy......Page 308
Changing Lease or Rental Agreement Terms......Page 309
How Month-to-Month Tenancies End......Page 310
How Leases End......Page 315
If the Tenant Breaks the Lease......Page 318
When a Tenant Dies......Page 324
Condominium Conversions......Page 325
15. Returning Security Deposits and Other Move-Out Issues......Page 328
Inspecting the Unit When a Tenant Leaves......Page 330
Applying the Security Deposit to the Last Month’s Rent......Page 334
Deductions for Cleaning and Damage......Page 335
Deductions for Unpaid Rent......Page 338
Preparing an Itemized Statement of Deductions......Page 340
Security Deposits From Cotenants......Page 346
If a Tenant Sues You......Page 347
If the Deposit Doesn’t Cover Damage and Unpaid Rent......Page 350
What to Do With Property Abandoned by a Tenant......Page 352
16. Problems With Tenants: How to Resolve Disputes Without a Lawyer......Page 358
Negotiating a Settlement: Start by Talking......Page 359
When Warning Notices Are Appropriate......Page 361
Understanding Mediation......Page 363
Representing Yourself in Small Claims Court......Page 365
How to Avoid Charges of Retaliation......Page 367
17. Terminations and Evictions......Page 370
The Landlord’s Role in Evictions......Page 371
Termination Notices......Page 372
Late Rent......Page 373
Other Tenant Violations of the Lease or Rental Agreement......Page 376
Tenant’s Illegal Activity on the Premises......Page 377
How Eviction Lawsuits Work......Page 378
Illegal “Self-Help” Evictions......Page 383
Stopping Eviction by Filing for Bankruptcy......Page 384
18. Lawyers and Legal Research......Page 386
Finding a Lawyer......Page 387
Types of Fee Arrangements With Lawyers......Page 390
Saving on Legal Fees......Page 391
Resolving Problems With Your Lawyer......Page 392
Doing Your Own Legal Research......Page 393
Where to Find State, Local, and Federal Laws......Page 394
How to Research Court Decisions......Page 396
A. State Landlord-Tenant Law Charts......Page 398
State Landlord-Tenant Statutes......Page 400
State Rent Rules......Page 401
State Rules on Notice Required to Change or Terminate a Month-to-Month Tenancy......Page 403
State Security Deposit Rules......Page 406
Required Landlord Disclosures......Page 415
State Laws in Domestic Violence Situations......Page 425
State Laws on Rent Withholding and Repair and Deduct Remedies......Page 429
State Laws on Landlord’s Access to Rental Property......Page 431
State Laws on Handling Abandoned Property......Page 433
State Laws on Prohibiting Landlord Retaliation......Page 434
State Laws on Termination for Nonpayment of Rent......Page 436
State Laws on Termination for Violation of Lease......Page 439
State Laws on Unconditional Quit......Page 441
State Small Claims Court Limits......Page 446
Landlord’s Duty to Rerent......Page 449
Consequences of Self-Help Evictions......Page 451
B. How to Use the Landlord Forms Library CD-ROM......Page 454
Using the Word Processing Files to Create Documents......Page 455
Using EPA Forms......Page 456
Files on the CD-ROM......Page 457
Index......Page 460
Web Resources......Page 0
Related Products......Page 480