One hundred five. That's the total number of cats rescued from a two-bedroom apartment in Guelph last week. The tenant voluntarily surrendered the animals to the Guelph Humane Society after she was evicted from the apartment for causing an estimated $20,000 in damage,...
Category
Tenant Screening
California Landlords Must Accept Section 8 Vouchers
California is among at least 15 other states and over 100 cities that have passed prohibitions against source of income discrimination. This month, California broadens its rules to include rental applicants using Section 8 vouchers. Several California cities already...
City’s Anti-Crime Ordinance May Be Illegal
The Department of Justice announced last month that it is suing the city of Hesperia, California, along with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, for enforcing a nuisance ordinance that it says violates the Fair Housing Act. According to the complaint, the...
Are You Missing These Opportunities to Screen Your Tenants?
Stop tenant fraud, and you'll prevent the resulting income loss. A little detective work early in the tenant screening process can expose a would-be nightmare tenant. But in the rush to fill a vacancy, some landlords miss important opportunities to screen tenants:...
What Landlords Need to Know for 2020
Now is the time to get ahead of recent trends and start your new year off on the right foot: Sticking Landlords with the Affordability Problem Tenant screening restrictions Affordable housing -- or the lack of it -- is the prevalent issue in many metro areas today....
Kansas City Passes “Tolerable” Tenant Rights Bill, Tenant Screening Restrictions
In a move that is being touted as historic, Kansas City, Missouri City Council has passed a much anticipated tenant bill of rights. For landlords, it's not as bad as it could have been. Tenant rights have been in the forefront for some time in this city which is...
The 3 Fundamentals of Property Management
Whether you're a first-time landlord or a property-management veteran, success depends upon the commitment to actively manage the rental property. These three fundamentals form the backbone of property management strategy: Tenant Screening Leaves Less to Chance It's...
Cities Seek to Ban Criminal Background Checks on Tenants
Berkeley, California City Council is moving forward with a proposed ordinance which would prohibit landlords from inquiring about a rental applicant's criminal history, including violent crimes. Several other cities -- Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis to name a few --...
HUD Targets Fraudulent Companion Animal Requests
Most landlords understand that there are circumstances when they must allow a tenant with a disability to keep a companion animal. But for some landlords, each companion animal request raises the same nagging question: what if this is a scam to avoid fees or to keep a...
Court Revives Seattle’s First-In-Time Ordinance
Seattle's controversial "first-in-time" ordinance, requiring landlords to accept the first qualified renter, has been reinstated by Washington's Supreme Court. Previously, a lower court had ruled that the ordinance violates landlords' constitutional rights by denying...