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 --...

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...

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...

Landlords face a growing risk of tenant fraud. Providing false information in the rental application is the main source of this fraud, which can lead to significant income loss for landlords. Tenant fraud can impact any landlord, but smaller rental businesses and...

In a tight rental market, landlords need to tighten their tenant screening practices as well. Tenants who never gave a second thought to late rent payments or property damage now can find themselves unable to qualify. So, they get creative. Social media makes it easy...

While lawmakers are looking for ways to accommodate more renters, like California's new push to license in-law suites, many property owners are taking advantage of the hot market and renting out their homes rather than selling. And that means more people are becoming...

A Los Angeles landlord has agreed to pay a local fair housing agency $15,000 and undergo anti-discrimination training after denying companion animal requests. The fair housing agency sent six testers to the properties to pose as rental applicants with disabilities who...

A landlord who struggled for months to evict a professional tenant says he has learned a lesson: it's easy for scammers to take advantage of the law. After investigation, a news report details this tenant's history with at least three landlords where he failed to pay...

With social media so prevalent today, it's easy to see why landlords would turn to these platforms to get an insider's look at prospective tenants. But social media research has its drawbacks, and landlords may want to rethink changing up their tried-and-true tenant...

Before vacating a property because her unauthorized pet sparked a noise complaint, a tenant poured cement into the drains and washing machine and glued the dryer door shut. Prior to moving, she demanded her deposit back before allowing an inspection. Another tenant...

Minneapolis City Council has passed an ordinance that seeks to prohibit landlords there from rejecting tenants based on criminal history, prior evictions, or low credit scores. The contentious measure, dubbed the Renter Protection Ordinance, is similar to a tenant...

Seven landlords in the Washington, D.C. area are now facing a lawsuit over online rental ads they placed on Facebook. The social media platform earlier was sued by housing advocates over allegations it enabled race, gender and family discrimination by allowing...