Array

Landlord, I'm baaaaaaaaaack!

By Robert Griswold, Wednesday, September 24, 2008.

Q: I lived at an apartment community for many years, but my lease was not renewed because I was falsely accused of breaching my lease. I have found another rental home that is OK, but I miss my neighbors and regret that I had to move. Recently in a casual conversation with my new landlord I was surprised to learn that my prior landlord actually gave me a good reference. I would really rather live at my original community with all my friends. It was only a verbal reference, but can I use that positive referral and go back to the prior apartment community? more...

Tenant doomed after pest-control accident

By Robert Griswold, Wednesday, September 10, 2008.

Q: I recently caused a small fire and damage to my apartment by mistake. I was trying to get rid of some roaches and I didn't want to bother the landlord so I went to the store and bought some of those pest-control foggers. Something went wrong and they created an explosion that blew my patio doors off the hinges and shattered the master bedroom window. Luckily, no one was injured and there was only minor fire damage to a limited portion of the kitchen. But I did have to stay away from the apartment for five days for repairs. more...

Employer willing to buy out tenant's lease

By Robert Griswold, Wednesday, August 27, 2008.

Q: I have a tenant who recently signed a two-year lease for my rental home. She just contacted me indicating that she has been approached by her employer about transferring to another city for a promotion with the company. She wanted me to voluntarily let her out of the lease, but I declined, as the rental market here is not that strong and it took me three months to rent the house. more...

Can landlord abruptly declare 'no pets' policy?

By Robert Griswold, Thursday, August 14, 2008.

Q: I work for a local humane society and was wondering about the rights of tenants to have pets in their rental unit. We frequently receive calls from tenants with pets claiming that they received a 30-day notice to terminate their tenancy because they have violated the "no pets" policy at their rental property. This also has happened with tenants that claim they are just feeding stray animals in the neighborhood. more...

Tenant: Splitting cost of new floor is unfair
By Robert Griswold, Wednesday, July 30, 2008.

Q: I live by myself and have a large home. To help cover my mortgage I decided to rent out a couple of the extra bedrooms. My two roommates each have their own bedroom and bathroom, and we share the living room and kitchen and rest of the house. more...

Making repairs shouldn't be tenant's job
By Robert Griswold, Wednesday, July 16, 2008.

Q: I have four small rental homes that are older and are really starting to show signs of wear and tear. I am constantly receiving calls from my tenants about something that is broken or needs to be replaced. This is getting expensive and is cutting into my cash flow that I need to pay my own living expenses. more...

Dead landscaping to cost landlord thousands
By Robert Griswold, Wednesday, July 2, 2008.

Q: I am a landlord with one rental house. I have a problem with damage done to the landscaping by the tenants who recently moved out. The rental contract states, "The tenants agree to care for and adequately water the lawn, shrubbery and trees." I have always paid the water bill and there was no noticeable change in the monthly amount so I was very disappointed when I met them for their move-out inspection to find they let the trees, shrubbery and grass die. more...

Owners dispute duty to rent-free tenant
By Robert Griswold, Wednesday, June 18, 2008.
Q: I live in a 12-unit apartment building. When the previous owner died, his will provided an apartment "rent-free for life" to a friend of mine. The building was sold recently and the new owners are aware of the agreement and do not collect rent from this tenant. But an issue has come up and I am wondering who is legally responsible for the maintenance inside this rent-free apartment? more...

Don't withhold rent for slow repairs
By Robert Griswold, Wednesday, June 4, 2008.

Q: I am a renter and we have lived in the apartment for more than two years. At the end of March I informed the landlord that one of our kitchen drawers and the cabinet door below it were in need of repair. The landlord came by to take a look at the problem but did not take them away at that time. He came back a couple of weeks later and removed them. more...

Landlords say no-smoking rule is legal
By Robert Griswold, Wednesday, May 21, 2008.

Q: I work in a major university's housing referral office where we work with local landlords who want to offer housing options to our students. Recently a landlord came in to the rental office and wanted to list a house for rent with the stipulation of no smoking in the house or that only nonsmokers would be allowed in his rental house. Is this legal? What are the laws on smoking in a rented house, condo or apartment? more...

Broken washer, dryer no reason to withhold rent
By Robert Griswold, Wednesday, May 7, 2008.

Q: I live in an apartment building where the landlord has washers and dryers in the common area for the tenants to use. Unfortunately, the machines (all of them!) are routinely broken. Can I withhold my rent? Can I deduct the cost if I have the machines repaired? more...

When dorm opens, teen wants out of lease
By Robert Griswold, Wednesday, April 23, 2008.

Q: Several weeks ago my 18-year-old niece signed a one-year lease contract to room with several students at a privately owned rental condo and gave them the first month's rent and a portion of the security deposit. A few days later she changed her mind and doesn't actually want to move in because our local university informed her that a dorm facility right on campus was available. more...

Longtime tenant not happy paying market rent
By Robert Griswold, Wednesday, April 9, 2008.

Q: I have been a renter for many years and I have noticed a recent trend among the larger local management companies where they are now seeking to renew a long-term tenant's lease at the market rate rather than continuing to give them some sort of price break compared to brand-new tenants. Is this a new strategy that is being implemented throughout the country or just my imagination? more...

Can landlord refuse to rent to ex-convicts?
By Robert Griswold, Wednesday, March 26, 2008.

Question: We have several multifamily units with moderate turnover and we run a full credit check on everyone wishing to apply. Sometimes we get applicants where their income and basic credit info is marginal, but they do meet our minimum economic rental criteria so we go ahead and rent to them. We are now seeing that some of these applicants that meet our minimum requirements also have served time for convictions for violent crime, drugs or something pretty serious. more...

Property manager's right to keep late fees questioned
By Robert Griswold, Thursday, March 13, 2008.

Question: I own a 20-unit rental property and have a property management company. One of my renters is having difficulty paying rent on time and I have just noticed that the property manager is keeping the late fees as opposed to passing the fees on to me. Her response is that this is standard practice, but I am sure that my previous manager forwarded the fees to me. What is the proper procedure in these cases?

Property manager Griswold replies: more...

Columnists