Standard lease agreements can work when enforcing a landlord's rights, like in the case of an eviction. But enforcement is not the only goal. The lease agreement can be a deterrent -- and prevent the actions that give rise to evictions in the first place. For the...
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Rental Property Management Tips
5 Easy-to-Fix Tenant Screening Mistakes
Make tenant screening as stress-free and effective as possible by avoiding these easy-to-fix mistakes: 1. Demanding cash rather than check for rent deposits or application fees. Some landlords prefer cash for application fees or rent and security deposits. The theory...
Small Landlords Battle Tenant Relocation Fees
A couple from Oakland, California are taking on that city's new eviction ordinance that required them to pay $6,500 to a tenant for the right to move back into their primary residence. For many local landlords, that amount will be higher. Oakland is one of several...
Nightmare Tenant Leaves Behind Trash, Starving Dogs
A landlord in Ontario is reeling after he evicted his tenant for failing to pay rent and then found two abandoned dogs and heaps of trash inside the apartment. According to a news report, the landlord estimates he is out $20,000 in lost rent and property damage. The...
Tenant Wants to Pay Cash: 4 Reasons for Landlords to Worry
A rental applicant who offers to pay in cash may seem like the dream tenant. No worries over bounced cheques. In reality, cash payments are a red flag. Rather than streamlining the leasing process, a landlord needs to use extra vigilance when screening these...
Why Standard Tenancy Agreements Fall Short
The idea of a standard one-size-fits-all rental lease is appealing in theory, but it rarely works out that way in practice. Simply stated, standard leases are too generic to do the job. Another flaw in some standard tenancy agreements is an underlying misconception...
Tenant Evicted for Smoking Marijuana Claims Discrimination
A landlord who brought an eviction action against a tenant whose marijuana smoking was disturbing other tenants now must face a human rights action for discrimination. According to Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario records, the landlord initially filed for dispute...
Is Your Applicant Lying About Income?
Is your rental applicant telling the truth about employment and income? It's a question every landlord needs to ask. And with tenant fraud on the rise, it's information that must be independently verified. Private landlords aren't the only ones who struggle with...
Nightmare Tenant Remodels, Sublets Rental Home
Landlords in Connecticut are picking up the pieces after their tenant added extra bedrooms to their single-family rental home, sublet the property on Airbnb, and then stopped paying rent. Neighbors say those nightly visitors included a 40-person party. According to a...
U.S. Rental Market Surges
The demand for rental housing spiked this summer, climbing to a five-year high, according to real estate technology and analytics firm RealPage, Inc. While summer is primary leasing season, demand this year is up 11 percent over the same period last year. RealPage...