Question: I am a tenant, and the owner of my apartment complex recently sent notification to the residents that we are required to have $100,000 renter's insurance coverage in case of damage to the apartment as a condition of our lease. We are also required to include the apartment complex as an additional insured and a vested party for reimbursement should there be any damages.  more...

Question: I have recently inherited a property from my deceased father and have uncovered that several of my tenants haven't been paying rent over the last few months. Also, the property manager who was supposed to be taking care of everything never bothered to do anything about it. We also discovered the property manager's assistant was stealing money from our account. We also believe they have been fraudulently billing us for contractor's work that hasn't been performed. What should I do?

Property manager Griswold replies:  more...

Question: I have been a tenant in a 30-unit apartment building for more than seven years. A few months back, I went to use my key in the front door of the lobby entrance to the building and the key got stuck in the lobby door. It could not be withdrawn, no matter how I wiggled it or how hard I tried. I was able to ring a friend and get in but I was concerned as no one else would now be able to enter the building with my key still stuck in the door. I could have propped the door open, but people will normally close the door due to security concerns.  more...

Question: My husband and I, along with our two small children and one dog, recently moved out of a townhome that we lived in for 2 1/2 years. The property manager is telling us that due to the use of a store-bought steam vacuum cleaner to clean up where the dog had an accident, the carpet in the entire house has to be replaced. He said it will cost us within the vicinity of $1,400-$1,800. We put down $600 for a deposit and $400 for the pet deposit.  more...

Question: We believe that there are illegal occupants living in an apartment that we own and manage. These occupants are not on the lease and we believe they are members of the tenant's family or friends. When we have asked about these people, we have been told that these people are visitors only. However, other tenants in the building also report seeing them at all hours and they are also quite disruptive to their neighbors. Our utility costs are out of control, particularly the water, which we unfortunately pay.  more...