American Landlord Law: Everything U Need to Know About Landlord-Tenant Laws (American Real Estate)

turn To Amerusa For Your Real Estate Answers america's Leading Resource For Real Estate Information a New Series That Meets Your Needs-whether You're An Investor, Home Buyer, Landlord, Or Tenant whether You Rent, Own, Invest In, Or Manage Real Estate, Trevor Rhodes Has The Answers You Need. From Buying A Home To Finding Prime Investments, And From Navigating The Newest Landlord Laws To Managing Your Rights As A Tenant, Amerusa Has The Experience And Expertise To Provide The Most Pertinent And Vital Information For Every Part Of The Real Estate Market. trevor Rhodes Is The Founder And Ceo Of The Amerusa Corporation, And Has Been Nationally Recognized As A Leading Authority In The Real Estate Industry. nicole Février Is The Director Of Legal Research For The Amerusa Corporation. McGraw-Hill Table of Contents 9 Introduction 15 Chapter 1: Your Rent: Laying Down the Law 17 When It’s Due 18 Where It’s Due 18 How It’s Due 19 Partial Payments 19 Increasing Rent 20 Charging Late Fees 23 Charging NSF Fees 26 Chapter 2: Security Deposits: Proper Collection and Handling 31 How Much Can You Collect? 32 Earning and Paying Interest 35 Where to Keep the Deposit 38 Increasing the Deposit 42 Selling the Property (Transferring the Deposit) 43 Chapter 3: Returning the Security Deposit: How to Avoid a Showdown! 45 Move-Out Letter 46 Move-Out Inspection 49 Cleaning and Repairing 52 Time Limits 53 Normal Wear and Tear 56 Itemizing Damage and Deductions 57 Interest Earned 57 Common Disputes 60 Unpaid Rent 62 Co-tenants 63 What If a Tenant Sues Me? 63 Chapter 4: Other Deposits and Fees: What to Charge For and What Not To 69 Application Fees 70 Cleaning Fees 70 Last Month’s Rent Deposits 71 Pet Deposits 71 Chapter 5: Landlord’s Duties: Maintenance and Repairs 77 What You Must Do 78 What If You Don’t Do It? 80 Chapter 6: Landlord’s Entry: Getting Access to Your Property 87 Maintenance and Repairs 88 In Case of Emergency 91 Tenants’ Extended Absence 91 Showing the Property 94 Notice Required 97 Chapter 7: Landlord’s Liability, Part I: Protecting Yourself and Your Tenants 101 What Makes You Negligent 102 Condition of the Property 103 How to Protect Yourself Financially 104 Chapter 8: Landlord’s Liability, Part II: Specific Environmental Hazards 107 Lead in Paint and Water 108 Asbestos 111 Mold 112 Carbon Monoxide Gas 113 Radon Gas 114 Chapter 9: Modifying Lease Terms: What You Can Change and How to Do It 117 What Can Be Changed 118 How to Cover Yourself Legally 119 Notification Requirements for Each State 121 Chapter 10: Occupants: Who, How and Why 131 Before You Find Yourself in This Situation 132 Defining Co-tenant, Subletting and Assignment 132 Co-tenant Legal Situations 133 Subletting Legal Situations 138 Assignment Legal Situations 138 How to Add a New Co-tenant, Sublet or Assign a Lease 139 When You Should Consider Accepting Subletting or Assigning 144 Chapter 11: Retaliation: Staying on Higher Ground 145 What Is Retaliation 146 Time Requirements 146 How to Avoid an Accusation of Retaliation 155 Chapter 12: Evictions, Part I: General Information 157 The Steps to Eviction 158 Types of Termination: With and Without Cause 158 Persistently Troubling Tenants 159 Evicting by Force or Intimidation 159 Chapter 13: Evictions, Part II: In Detail 165 Giving Notice 166 Complaint/Court Summons 173 Trial 173 Winning or Losing 174 Chapter 14: Attorneys: Friend or Foe? 177 When Is It Necessary to Hire an Attorney? 178 Finding an Attorney 179 Curbing Attorney Fees 180 Case Law Takes Precedence 181 Where to Find Laws and Statutes 181 Chapter 15: Landlord-Tenant Laws: State by State 183 Alabama 184 Alaska 186 Arizona 188 Arkansas 190 California 192 Colorado 194 Connecticut 196 Delaware 198 District of Columbia 200 Florida 202 Georgia 204 Hawaii 206 Idaho 208 Illinois 210 Indiana 212 Iowa 214 Kansas 216 Kentucky 218 Louisiana 220 Maine 222 Maryland 224 Massachusetts 226 Michigan 228 Minnesota 230 Mississippi 232 Missouri 234 Montana 236 Nebraska 238 Nevada 240 New Hampshire 242 New Jersey 244 New Mexico 246 New York 248 North Carolina 250 North Dakota 252 Ohio 254 Oklahoma 256 Oregon 258 Pennsylvania 260 Rhode Island 262 South Carolina 264 South Dakota 266 Tennessee 268 Texas 270 Utah 272 Vermont 274 Virginia 276 Washington 278 West Virginia 280 Wisconsin 282 Wyoming 284 Conclusion 287 Appendix A: A Radon Guide for Tenants: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 289 Appendix B: Asbestos Standard for General Industry: U.S. Department of Labor 301 Appendix C: Servicemembers Civil Relief Act: Title III 321 Appendix D: Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 329 Appendix E: Carbon Monoxide Fact Sheet: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 347 Appendix F: A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 351 Appendix G: Fair Housing Poster: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 373 Appendix H: Fair Housing Act: Federal Housing Administration 377 Appendix I: Bonus CD-ROM: The American Landlord Law Resource Center 407 Installation Instructions 407 Terms of Use 408 How to Personalize a Rental Form 408 The End Result 409 Index 411 A 411 B 411 C 411 D 411 E 412 F 412 G 412 H 412 I 412 K 413 L 413 M 413 N 414 O 414 P 415 R 415 S 415 T 416 U 416 V 416 W 416 0071590625,9780071590624 Rent, Part I: laying down the law Security deposits: properly collecting and handling the tenant's money Returning the security deposit: how to avoid a showdown! Other deposits and fees: what to charge for, and what not to Landlord's duties: repairing and maintaining Landlord's entry: getting access to your property Landlord's liability, Part I: protecting yourself and your tenants Landlord's liability, Part II: specific environmental hazards Changing lease terms: what you can change and how to do it Occupants: who, how and why Retaliation: staying on higher ground Evictions, Part I: general information Evictions, Part II: in detail Understanding the laws: state by state Attorneys: friend or foe?. Turn to AmerUSA for your real estate answers AMERICA'S LEADING RESOURCE FOR REAL ESTATE INFORMATION A new series that meets your needs-whether you're an investor, home buyer, landlord, or tenant Whether you rent, own, invest in, or manage real estate, Trevor Rhodes has the answers you need. From buying a home to finding prime investments, and from navigating the newest landlord laws to managing your rights as a tenant, AmerUSA has the experience and expertise to provide the most pertinent and vital information for every part of the real estate market. Addresses the latest and most compelling developments in the real estate market -including the new reality of mortgage availabilities, foreclosure investments, and tenants' rights More than 250,000 landlords, tenants, and employers annually rely upon AmerUSA Corporation, one of the nation's leading background screening companies AmerUSA offers services to tens of millions of inexperienced "everyday landlords" in the United States CD-Rom includes legal forms and letters plus landlord-tenant laws and statutes for all 50 states