Renter’s Advice and Resources

Lease agreement forms spell out what is expected from each party when you rent a house or an apartment from a person or a business. Pay Close Attention to Payment Terms Lease agreement forms will specify exact points within the agreement such as: The amount of rent expected When the rent is due Where to […]

When it comes to deciding whether your significant other is going to move in with you, it’s a matter for some discussion between the two of you—and your landlord. That’s because your lease almost certainly has a clause regarding occupants, along the lines of this clause in a sample lease from MrLandlord.com: “Guest(s) staying over […]

Receiving an eviction notice can be a scary situation. But, no matter what the reason for the eviction is, you do have legal rights during the eviction process. It’s up to you to make sure that your landlord follows eviction proceedings correctly. There are more than a few situations when a landlord may try to […]

Many landlords put strict limitations on the types of animals who can live in their apartments: some have a flat ‘no pets’ policy, while others are okay with animals who live in aquariums, or who are within certain weight limitations (e.g., dogs under 50 pounds).

There all sorts of ways to wind up on a renter’s blacklist–a list of tenants that most landlords will refuse to rent to under most circumstances. It can be tough to get your name off that sort of list, even if you didn’t do anything wrong. But it isn’t impossible.

As a general rule, landlords aren’t exactly in favor of rent controls. There are plenty of tactics they use to work around rent controls, including trying to force out current tenants so that the landlord can adjust the rent to market rates, thereby leasing to higher-paying renters.

Look in any newspaper these days and you’ll see a whole list of foreclosures. Not all of those foreclosures are just affecting homeowners, though.

Some of those houses were rentals, making life suddenly harder for tenants. If your landlord is losing your apartment, condo or house in a foreclosure, you still have some options.

California "Notice to Quit" Requirements Change:

As of January 1st, 2007, new legislation has changed “notice to quit” requirements for California landlords. A notice to quit is a formal notice ending the rental agreement or a request that the tenant relinquish the rental property to the landlord. The new legislation requires landlords to give tenants a 60-day notice to quit, rather than the former 30-day notice requirement. The law only applies when the lease term is month-to-month and the tenant has rented the property for a year or more. If you are a California renter, keep these facts in mind:

Unless you’re a real estate lawyer, a landlord, or you just like reading over lease documents, the legal terminology in your lease might not be used in your everyday vocabulary. Terms such as buyout clause, sublease, and termination could help you break your lease, if you know how to use the legal jargon to your advantage. Here are a few general terms to help you through your lease.