Q: My local newspaper ran a story about a child who was blinded when he opened a duffel bag he discovered in a vacant lot near his home. Apparently, the bag held residue from a methamphetamine operation -- going on right in his building! The landlord claimed he knew nothing about the meth-making tenant, who had mysteriously moved out the night before. I own and live in a small apartment building, and I want to know if there are warning signs I can look out for. --Naomi B.  more...

Q: My mother and I rented an apartment about 15 years ago under month-to-month rental terms. The apartment is rent-controlled. The apartment and utilities are listed in her name. I've always lived with her from the beginning, and I give her money for the rent and she pays it with her check. A few years ago, the building was sold but the rental terms remained the same. If my mother dies, can I continue to rent under the same agreement? Can the owner evict me or impose a new rental agreement with a substantial rent increase? --Harold W.  more...

Q: I have a real difficult situation here that I need help with. One of my tenants has an abusive husband who hits her. More than once, she's called the police, and the resulting chaos is really upsetting for the other residents. I feel sorry for her, but I can't tolerate these disruptions. I know that if I had a tenant who fought with other residents, I could evict that person for disturbing the peace. Can I do the same with this couple? --Bill L.  more...

Q: A year ago, my family and I leased a home for two years. We questioned the owner closely about whether he expected to encounter problems with his mortgage, and he assured us that he had favorable terms and no problems. We chose schools and a particular family car based on our assurance that we'd be in this house, near good schools and convenient public transport, for two years. Now, we've learned that the property has been foreclosed, and we've been advised that we must leave in 30 days. This is causing all sorts of upheaval and distress. Do we have any recourse? --Stacy W.  more...

Q: My roommates and I are buying a lot of things for our house, and we're splitting the costs. We want to get renters' insurance, but don't want to buy individual policies. Do you think we can purchase just one policy -- and will it cover our individual property, too? --Marie R.

A: You're wise to be thinking of one policy. You'll be dealing with just one premium and one deductible. Here's how a joint policy will work:  more...

Q: I'm considering breaking my lease because of bed bugs -- not in my unit, but next door. The building owner made the tenant leave, and called in exterminators, but didn't test any adjoining units, and the tenant is right back in there now, with all her original things. I've read that these pests are extremely hard to eradicate, and travel easily. Is this a legal basis for breaking my lease? --Andrew D.  more...

Q: I have located a beachfront condominium for a three-month rental by my elderly parents. The condo owner has agreed to a three-month lease and will give us a standard written lease for my parents to sign.  more...

Q: I manage a single-family home for an out-of-state owner. A branch from a tree on the front lawn fell on the tenant's car, which was properly parked in the driveway. The owner's insurance carrier refused to pay for the damage to the tenant's car, claiming no damage was done to the actual home. So, the tenant had the work done on her own, and filed a claim with her car insurance company, who paid the bill ($3,000) except for the $1,000 deductible. She wants the owner to cover the deductible, and I agree. What do you think? --Will G.  more...

Q: We own a four-bedroom, single-family home in a university town, which we rent to students. Our neighbors have been complaining about noise and traffic. There's a movement now afoot to change the zoning laws to provide that a "family" be defined as prohibiting more than two unrelated occupants from living together in a single-family neighborhood. This will make it very hard for us to keep the property (we'll have to drop the rent if we can't rent to more than two unrelated students). Any suggestions? --Sharon and Matt D.  more...

Q: We own and manage a small apartment building, and we have never participated in the federally subsidized "Section 8" program (we don't want the administrative hassles of dealing with the local housing agency). We recently rejected a disabled applicant who otherwise qualified for an apartment because she wanted to use a Section 8 voucher (she can't pay the full rent without it).  more...

Q: I'm in college and trying to rent an apartment with two other students. The landlord wants someone to cosign the lease, but my parents are hesitant. They're afraid they'll end up paying for my roommates' mistakes. How can I convince them to help us out? --Larry R.

A: Your parents are justifiably concerned, because they won't be agreeing to cover only your mistakes. As cosigners, they're giving the landlord the right to look to them if, for example, one of your roommates damages the apartment and the security deposit can't entirely cover the cost of repairs.  more...

Q: We live in an apartment complex in the San Diego area, for which we pay $2,400 per month. During the fires of October 2007, the authorities ordered all of us to evacuate on Sunday the 29th, and we spent five days at a shelter. Fortunately, the building wasn't damaged. We think we're owed a retrospective rent rebate from our landlord to compensate us for the time we couldn't live in the apartment, but she disagrees, saying that the wildfires were hardly her fault. Still, the 20 of us who live here paid for apartments that we couldn't use. Who's right? --Bill L.  more...

Q: We've just learned that a registered sex offender lives in our apartment complex. Nothing has happened yet, but we're very concerned for the safety of our children and would like to move. We've got a year's lease; how can we get out of it? --Cathy and Jim C.

A: There are many situations that justify breaking a lease and moving, such as the landlord's persistent failure to keep the property fit and habitable, by not providing essential services such as heat and hot water, for example.  more...

Q: My mother was recently hospitalized with a serious illness. Hospital volunteers visited several times and brought along their dog, a mellow, friendly fellow that my mother loved to pet and talk to. Believe it or not, her blood pressure and pain level dropped and she felt better after these visits. Now that she's been released, I'd like to look into finding her a similar canine companion, but her lease specifies no pets. Any suggestions on how I can convince the landlord to bend the rules?  more...

Q: I rent half of a duplex on a month-to-month basis. The owners live in the other half. Last month, they gave me a 30-day notice, so that the wife's elderly mother can move into my unit. Reluctantly, I looked for another place and put down a holding deposit. Now, my landlords tell me that this lady is really not capable of living independently, and they've decided to place her in an assisted-living situation. They're now telling me that my termination notice is rescinded. I want to stay, but what about the $1,000 deposit that I'll lose if I do? --Kevin A.  more...