Question: My tenants pay their rent late almost every month but do not include the late fees as required under their lease. I regularly contact them in writing asking for late fees and insisting that they pay on time. They respond and acknowledge that they owe the late fees but they always have some excuse and tell me they will have to pay them later. I contacted a local governmental agency that I was referred to and they advised me that while the late charges I am seeking were very reasonable, I should be glad the tenants even pay the rent and not to pursue the late fees.  more...

Question: My wife likes to sunbathe nude in the backyard. Is it against the law to erect higher fences in government housing?

Landlord's attorney Smith replies:

Your wife may sunbathe in the privacy of your own backyard so long as her intent is not to indecently expose herself to others. If this is a rental property, you may not erect higher fences, as your lease would prohibit changes without the landlord's permission. Further, you may not violate local building codes by erecting higher fences than authorized.  more...

Question: I live with my boyfriend in a loft apartment where we have signed a two-year lease that is actually a sublease. The original tenant has a long-term lease with the landlord but moved when he bought a home eight months ago. The building is not secure, and the building management is not doing much to keep the building safe or in good repair. The area seems to be becoming more dangerous so we want to move out. How binding is our sublease? What rights do we have? Does the guy we are subletting from have any legal right to keep the deposit we gave him if we break the lease?  more...