An Oregon jury has awarded a tenant over $20 million after he fell through a catwalk that connected two buildings in an apartment complex. Nearly the entire award is for punitive damages. The verdict was entered against the owners and managers of a 600-unit apartment...
Category
Rental Property Management Tips
What Landlords Need to Know About Tenant Files
While paperwork is never the best part of any job, when it comes to property management, it is a necessary evil. Tenant files are used for: Screening tenants; Day-to-day management; Evictions; Winning tenant disputes; Debt collection; and Sale or financing of the...
Tenancy Agreements: 4 Common Misconceptions That Hurt Landlords
Tenancy agreements can be complicated. Toss in local tenancy laws and individual landlord policies, and things can get downright confusing. Unfortunately, misconceptions about the lease may lead to a false sense of security and, ultimately, to income loss. Don't be...
Toronto Star Wins Bid for More Transparency in Ontario Tribunals, Landlord and Tenant Board
The Toronto Star Newspapers Limited has won a legal victory in its bid to gain more transparency in Ontario tribunals, including the Landlord and Tenant Board. The court ruling resolves a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of tribunals that withhold records...
How to Show Your Rental Property Like a Pro
Attracting the right tenants improves short-term cash flow. It also enhances the value of the rental property in the long term. It's a given that a landlord wants tenants who not only pay rent, but also care for the property. The best tenants, in turn, want a property...
How to Take the Guesswork Out of Tenant Screening
Nightmare tenants don't start out that way. They seem nice -- at first. Before they stop paying rent or start making threats. It's extremely difficult to flag someone who is being dishonest, especially in the 45 minutes to an hour that a landlord typically spends with...
Landlords: 3 Things Your Lease Can’t Do
A lease agreement is a powerful tool, but when it comes to managing rental properties, the lease can't do it all: The lease can't prevent tenants from paying late -- at least not alone. Standard lease agreements provide a due date, along with a grace period -- usually...
Seattle Landlords Battle Restrictions on Criminal Background Checks
Small landlords in Seattle are taking on the city's new tenant screening restrictions, one ordinance at a time. In March, a court handed landlords a victory by declaring the city's first-in-time ordinance unconstitutional. Now, the Pacific Legal Foundation has filed a...
Adult Adoption Ruling Highlights Perils of Rent Control
A 67-year-old woman will continue to reside in a two-bedroom New York City apartment at the rate of $100 a month, after a housing court ruling recognizing her adoption by the former tenant one month before he died. The woman, who previously lived in another unit in...
Landlords: Are Tenants Calling Your Bluff?
It seems every time you read a newspaper there's another story about a tenant who trashed a rental property. And it seems that behind every landlord nightmare story, there's a manipulative tenant -- someone who pretended to be qualified, then stopped paying rent and...