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First-time investor skeptical of Realtor ethics

By Robert Griswold, Wednesday, May 12, 2004.

Question: I am thinking about buying my first rental property. Naturally, I want to buy a house or condo that will be easy to rent and that will turn profitable as soon as possible. I am looking throughout my area, but I have this feeling that most real estate agents would just try to sell me something in their specific neighborhood whether that area is good for rental properties or not. Then last night I saw a real estate expert on television advising that the best deals are on rental properties in other parts of the country. I am confused and don't know which advice is right. more...

Can commercial landlord raise rent based on new subtenant?
By Robert Griswold, Wednesday, April 28, 2004.

Question: I have been leasing an office for the past year. Since I typically use my office only four days a week I informed the landlord that a professional counseling peer and friend of mine was interested in the possibility of sharing my office. We have worked out our schedules so that they would only be using my office the one day a week that I am out of the office. The landlord said that he would need to raise my rent since the office would be used more and there would be increased use of electricity. Is this legal? more...

Are landlords responsible for purchasing window coverings?
By Robert Griswold, Wednesday, April 14, 2004.

Question: I just renovated a home, which I rented to a friend. Since I know this guy, I didn't ask for a deposit or advance rent.He said his girlfriend had some things in mind for the window coverings so I told him I wasn't going to buy anything. The girlfriend then purchased $320 in window coverings and handed me the bill.I agreed to pay $200 toward the purchase and he's fine with that. My question is, are landlords responsible for purchasing window coverings? If so, is there a rule on what window coverings to purchase? more...

Real estate upkeep violates olfactory senses
By Robert Griswold, Thursday, April 1, 2004.

Question: A couple of months ago the property management company for my apartment complex hired a roofer to re-tar the roof of my building. The process took three weeks. During the roofing process, we refrained from using our A/C because it produced a very strong tar odor. We waited until the process was complete and tried running the A/C again, but the tar smell was still very strong. I contacted my apartment manager and she sent out an A/C maintenance technician who, although admitting to smelling the tar odor, could not locate the problem. more...

Landlord challenges 'normal wear and tear' clause
By Robert Griswold, Thursday, March 18, 2004.

Question: Even though I have a property management company handling my rental property I would appreciate your advice. The lease with my tenant is currently pending renewal and I want to change it to exclude maintaining or replacing the refrigerator and stove if they should fail in the future. The appliances are approximately 8-10 years old. What do you think of this idea? Also, I recently visited the property to see the new carpeting I had installed. The tenants were not present and I needed to use the bathroom and to my surprise the paint was peeling off the walls. more...

What are the benefits of renter's insurance?
By Robert Griswold, Thursday, March 4, 2004.

Question: I am a new landlord and I was curious whether the standard renter's insurance policy covers the landlord for damage to the rental made by the tenant during their tenancy?

Landlords' attorney Smith replies: more...

Evicted tenant battles tarnished record
By Robert Griswold, Thursday, February 19, 2004.

Question: I was served an eviction two years ago from my current landlord. It went to court and was resolved by settlement agreement, but it's on my credit report and I'm now looking for a new place to live. I found some information on how to remove the eviction from my credit report on the Internet. I've written to the reporting agency to have the record removed from my record, but I understand that it will take about 30 days to correct the information. In the meantime, what's the best way to explain to potential landlords what happened? more...

Aren't certain repairs legally required after 12 years?
By Robert Griswold, Thursday, February 5, 2004.

Question: I have been living in the same apartment more than 12 years and the walls need to be repainted. Not only are they dirty, but paint is peeling off the bathroom walls. Also, the molding in my apartment is chipped in many places, and the wooden cabinets in the bathroom have lost outer strips of wood due to moisture. I keep asking the manager about getting my apartment repainted but receive no response. Generally, they paint an apartment only when vacated. Does my landlord have any responsibility to repaint and fix the cabinets? Furthermore, my ceiling leaks. more...

Smoking tenants battle landlord
By Robert Griswold, Thursday, January 22, 2004.

Question: I am a smoker living in a 12-unit building. The woman upstairs complains that my cigarette smoke is coming into her unit and exacerbating her asthma, so the landlord is talking about making the building nonsmoking. I've lived here 10 years, but I'm on a month-to-month lease. Can he do this?

Tenants' attorney Kellman replies: more...

Do lease agreements totally favor landlords?
By Robert Griswold, Thursday, January 8, 2004.

Question: I recently renewed my lease for an additional year and I noticed a lease termination clause that states that if I break the lease prematurely I have to pay $1,000. I am concerned about this because a job transfer or another move out of necessity never seems to coincide with the expiration of the lease. Whatever happened to the ability to just give a 30-day notice? The lease seems to be totally in favor of the landlord. Isn't the $1,000 fee just another way for greedy landlords to gouge tenants in addition to raising my rent every year? more...

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