Renting & Tenants
Leases, rent, screening, and tenant relationships.
Rental Pet Policies — Dos and Don'ts
A pet policy can add rent income and expand your tenant pool — but service animals and emotional support animals aren't pets under fair housing law, and treating them as pets triggers real liability.
Rent-to-Own Agreements Explained
Rent-to-own combines a lease with an option to purchase. Structured right, both sides benefit. Structured wrong, one side ends up out thousands with nothing to show.
Late Fees — How to Set Them Fairly
Late fees must be reasonable, disclosed in the lease, and comply with state caps. An unreasonable fee — even one the tenant signed off on — can be unenforceable in court.
How to Handle Tenant Noise Complaints
Document each complaint in writing, communicate with the noise source in writing, and reference the lease's quiet enjoyment clause. Written warnings before escalation give you an eviction path if it doesn't resolve.
Should You Allow Smokers in Your Rental?
A no-smoking policy is legal in most rentals and reduces damage costs and re-rent turnaround by weeks. But it must be in writing and enforced consistently to hold up.
How to Raise Rent Legally
A rent increase requires proper written notice with a state-specific number of days, must respect any rent control caps, and cannot violate the lease during the current term.
How to Handle a Bounced Rent Check
A bounced rent check means immediate nonpayment. Charge the late fee + NSF fee, document, and start the pay-or-quit notice clock — waiting hurts you.
Fair Housing Act — What Landlords Cannot Ask
The Fair Housing Act prohibits questions about race, religion, familial status, disability, and more. Certain "innocent" questions have gotten landlords into six-figure lawsuits.
How to Write an Eviction Notice
An eviction notice must state the reason, the required cure period, and consequences of non-compliance — using the wrong form or wrong wording restarts the entire process.
Emergency vs Non-Emergency Repairs
Emergency repairs (no heat in winter, flooding, gas leak) require same-day response. Non-emergency repairs typically get 3-7 days. Getting the category wrong costs money either way.
How to Screen a Tenant Without a Screening Service
You don't need a paid screening service to vet a tenant. A few direct calls — pay stubs, prior landlords, current employer, public eviction records — cover most of the same ground.
Rentometer vs Zillow Rent Estimate — Which Is Right?
Rentometer and Zillow's Rent Zestimate give different numbers because they use different data — comps vs. algorithm. Cross-check both, adjust locally.
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