Property Management News

Rent it Right by Janet Portman, Inman News Q: I’m interested in a rental that describes the rent in an odd way: First, the advertisement lists the rent, then it adds “pet rent.” Is this legal? –Rigoberto R. A: It’s perfectly OK for an ad to specify that if a tenant has a pet, the rent will be a certain amount more than the stated rent (unless, of course, the property is subject to local rent control, as explained below). The rent is the rent, whether the landlord chops it up into little pieces ($200 for the ceiling fan, $100 for keeping a dog, etc., for a total of “X” dollars in rent), or simply announces one flat sum. That said, a few things... Read more

Who gets security deposit in divorce? Landlord panics after ex-tenant threatens property damage by Robert Griswold Q: Our tenants are currently on a month-to-month rental agreement and apparently have just gone through a separation and divorce. He left several months ago and she and the children have been in the house for the past nine months. She has paid the rent and the utilities and has maintained the place in good order. She had more money coming in during the separation and now that the divorce is final, she tells me that she has less income from her ex-husband so she needs to move to a less expensive home. She gave me a written notice last Friday that she is moving at the end of the... Read more