Blog Laws and rules
Laws and rules
The rules landlords have to follow. Plain explanations of fair housing, notices, and the laws that trip people up.
Posts
46 posts-
Key clauses every lease agreement needs
Most leases cover rent and the term and then go quiet on the things that actually cause disputes. Twelve clauses, what each one has to say, and the three that get written badly most often. Laws and rules -
Is an electronically signed lease legally binding?
Yes, under a federal statute that has been in force since 2000, with two conditions worth understanding and one important carve-out that catches landlords by surprise: some notices under a residential rental agreement are excluded. Laws and rules -
Is checking social media part of tenant screening?
Legal in most places, and still a bad trade. A public profile hands a landlord exactly the information they are not allowed to decide on, with none of the accuracy protections a real screening report carries. Laws and rules -
A tenant texts that they are leaving. Is that notice?
What counts as valid notice to end a tenancy, how long it has to be, why a fixed-term lease and a month-to-month work differently, and the five things a landlord should do the day a notice arrives. Laws and rules -
A tenant breaks the lease early. Can you keep the deposit?
Not automatically, and not as a penalty. An early departure creates a claim for actual losses, which the deposit can be applied against once those losses exist and are documented. Here is the difference, and the duty that shapes the whole calculation. Laws and rules -
Both of you sign. Here is what to do when the tenant will not
Who signs a condition report, what a signature on one actually means, how it works with multiple tenants, whether a typed name counts, and the procedure that keeps the report useful when nobody signs it back. Laws and rules -
How to require renters insurance in a lease, and make it stick
A requirement nobody verifies is a sentence, not a rule. The four things the clause has to specify, the difference between additional insured and additional interest, and what to do at renewal when the policy quietly lapses. Laws and rules -
Rent grace periods, explained
A grace period does not move the day rent is due. It moves the day a fee attaches, and confusing the two is how landlords end up with a tenant who genuinely believes rent is due on the sixth. Laws and rules -
What to do when a tenant stops paying rent
The first two weeks decide how this ends. A landlord who finds out why, writes it down, and sets a date recovers more money than one who sends four reminders and then files. Laws and rules -
How to write a late rent notice
There are two documents here and they do different jobs. One is a reminder that gets most rent paid. The other is a statutory notice that starts a legal clock, and it fails on details like which days you are allowed to count. Laws and rules -
Adverse action notices: what landlords must send
The obligation is wider than a denial. A bigger deposit, a co-signer requirement, or a higher rent can all trigger it, and the notice is required even when the report was not the main reason. Here is what goes in one and when it goes out. Laws and rules -
The tenant disagrees with your move-out condition report
A contested condition report is a different problem from a contested deduction, and it arrives earlier. Here is how to handle the disagreement while the unit is still empty, and what to do when the tenant simply will not sign. Laws and rules