Renter’s Advice and Resources

Each state has a different Landlord-Tenant Act designed to protect the rights of both parties in a rental agreement. You’ll have to check with the laws for your individual state to find out specifics, but this article covers some general rights and responsibilities of both landlords and tenants that are mostly consistent from state to state.

Renting your first apartment is one of the biggest milestones of your adult life. Whether you’re coming straight from your parents’ house or transitioning from the dorms, this is certainly a big step towards becoming independent and learning how to make it on your own. But before any of that happens, you’ll have to fill […]

People choose to sublet their apartments for a number of reasons. Perhaps they’re going away for a long holiday or returning home from school for the summer. Any time you’re going to be living elsewhere for an extended period of time is a good time to consider subletting your apartment.

Living in a rental has its perks. One of those perks is not being responsible for the big renovations to and expensive upkeep of the property — but what happens if an unexpected flood renders your apartment unlivable or ruins your personal belongings?

Apartment lease termination that occurs prior to the end of the lease term can have several legal consequences. Tenants that terminate leases early can face extensive financial costs, negative reporting on credit reports and possibly even legal action. Described below are some of the legal concerns and possible consequences to consider before termination a lease […]

Being a good tenant is fairly easy. It’s important if you want to keep a pleasant relationship with your neighbors and landlord. It also helps in getting things fixed and well-maintained in your own apartment if you are consistently a good tenant and considerate in your actions inside and outside your private apartment. The Basics […]

A security deposit is a sum of money that your landlord requires you to pay before you move into your apartment. Your landlord will hold onto the security deposit until you move out. The purpose of the security deposit is to protect your landlord in case you damage the apartment during the time you are […]

To get the most back from your apartment security deposit, you have to remember that you’re living in “borrowed” space, and it’s your responsibility to “return” the borrowed space in as close to original condition as you can manage. At the same time, as a borrower, you have rights, too, and you must make sure […]

We first started this blog in 2005 and we wanted to bring a few posts back to the forefront to help those of you who will be moving this spring or summer. Because landlord-tenant issues are so common, the most important legal posts are grouped below. We hope these are useful as you start planning your next move.