Renting to Tenants
Being a landlord isn't as simple as collecting a rent check every month. It involves familiarizing yourself with landlord tenant law, finding and screening tenants, and trying to avoid (or resolve) landlord tenant disputes. We've found some of the best resources on the Web to help you educate yourself about these issues, and make your landlord work a little easier.
Expand All Guide SectionsAttracting and Screening Tenants
Without tenants, you wouldn't be a landlord. Use the sites in this section to learn how to make ... read more »
Rental Contracts, Lease Agreements and Other Landlord Forms
Part of having a successful career as a landlord is using correct documentation for your rental ... read more »
Landlord-Tenant Law
Knowing landlord-tenant law is a must for any landlord. The sites in this section provide a general overview of landlord-tenant laws and some of the more specific issues that come with being a landlord.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Beware of paid versus natural search results when you look for legal information on the Web. Particularly in the legal field, paid search results (which typically appear above and/or to the side of natural search results, and are usually noted as “sponsored” or “partners”) will likely have more advertising gimmicks than legitimate material. Consumer Reports WebWatch offers tips on improving the chances that the results you find will be credible.
Dulcinea's Picks
For a general overview of rental law …
The Legal Information Institute
at Cornell University Law School offers a general overview of the basic principles of landlord-tenant law in this article.
FindLaw
provides a section of articles about landlord tenant legal issues, including repairs and maintenance, rent and security deposits, and eviction and lease termination. The articles in the "More Topics" section address some important questions about lead paint disclosures and landlord liability for criminal acts on a rental property.
For information about tenants' rights and responsibilities …
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) has a "Your Rights and Responsibilities" section directed primarily toward tenants that can be useful to landlords, too (scroll down the page to find it). Learn about fair housing requirements and rental laws in individual states. HUD also helps apartment owners offer reduced rent to tenants.
LandlordTenantHelpOnline.org
discusses what constitutes normal wear and tear on an apartment, and one simple way landlords and tenants can document the condition of a rental. Also see the articles in the "Related Entries" and "Most Popular" sections on the right for more answers to landlord and tenant questions.
For facts about security deposits …
Nolo
discusses the rules for returning a security deposit to a tenant. There's also an explanation for what rules a landlord must follow to evict a tenant.
Rentlaw.com
has a chart detailing the time a landlord has in each U.S. state to return a security deposit.
Resolving Landlord-Tenant Disputes
Probably the aspect of any renting situation that landlords and tenants most want to steer clear of ... read more »
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