Photo: Marlene Céline Nordvik / Unsplash- Housing and landlords
Security Deposit Rules: What Tenants and Landlords Should Know
How security deposits work, what landlords can deduct, and what to do if your deposit is not returned.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
How Evictions Work: The Legal Process From Notice to Court
A landlord must follow legal steps to evict a tenant. Learn the general process and what rights tenants have.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Landlord Notice Rules: Entry, Rent Increases and Ending a Tenancy
When a landlord must give written notice to enter, raise rent or end a tenancy, and why the timing depends on your state and lease.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Tenant Repairs and Habitability: What Your Landlord Must Fix
Landlords must keep rentals livable. Learn what habitability covers and the steps to take when repairs are ignored.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Breaking a Lease Early: Your Options and Risks
What happens if you leave a rental before the lease ends, when you can end it legally and how to limit what you owe.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Mold in a Rental: Tenant Rights and Next Steps
Who is responsible for mold, how to report it, what repairs to expect and when it affects habitability.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Foreclosure Basics: Process, Timeline and Ways to Avoid It
How foreclosure works, the difference between judicial and non-judicial processes and options like loan modification and housing counseling.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Rent Control and Rent Stabilization: How They Work
What rent control means, which states and cities allow it and how annual rent caps, exemptions and just-cause rules usually work.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Pets and Assistance Animals in Rentals: What Landlords Can Require
How the Fair Housing Act treats service animals and emotional support animals, when a landlord can charge pet fees and what documentation is allowed.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Housing Discrimination: Your Rights Under the Fair Housing Act
Which traits are protected under the federal Fair Housing Act, what discrimination looks like and how to file a complaint.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Subletting and Lease Assignment: Rules and Risks
The difference between subletting and assigning a lease, when landlord consent is required and what remains your responsibility.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Rental Applications and Background Checks: Your Rights
What landlords can check, how the Fair Credit Reporting Act applies, application fees and what to do if you are denied.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
My Landlord Is Selling the Building: What Are My Rights as a Tenant?
What happens to your lease when a rental property is sold, notice rules, showings and your right to stay in most cases.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Late Fees and Grace Periods: What Landlords Can Charge
How late fees are limited by state and local law, when grace periods apply and how to challenge unreasonable charges.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Cash for Keys and Lease Buyouts: Should You Accept?
What a landlord buyout offer means, how to negotiate, risks and what to include in a written agreement.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Utilities in a Rental: Who Pays and What Happens If They Are Shut Off
How leases allocate utility costs, rules on landlord shutoffs and what to do if services are cut.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Bed Bugs and Pests in Rentals: Who Is Responsible?
Landlord and tenant responsibilities for pest control, how to report an infestation and remedies if it is not fixed.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Lead Paint Disclosure Rules for Renters and Buyers
Federal requirements for disclosing lead paint in older homes, what landlords and sellers must provide and what to do if you find lead.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Rights: Renting With a Voucher
How the Housing Choice Voucher program works, tenant and landlord responsibilities, and protections against discrimination in some places.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Mobile Home Park Residents' Rights: Lot Rent, Evictions and Sales
Common protections for residents who own a mobile home but rent the land, including rent increase notice and eviction rules.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Squatters and Adverse Possession: Rights and Removal
The difference between squatters and tenants, how adverse possession works and how owners can legally remove unauthorized occupants.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Easements Explained: Rights to Use Someone Else's Land
What easements are, common types like utility and access easements, how they are created and how they affect property owners.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Property Line and Fence Disputes With Neighbors
How to find your boundary, who pays for a fence and what to do when a neighbor builds or plants across the line.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Neighbor Noise and Nuisance Complaints: What You Can Do
How noise ordinances and nuisance laws work, steps to resolve disputes and when to involve landlords, HOAs or police.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Tree Disputes With Neighbors: Branches, Roots and Fallen Trees
Who is responsible when a neighbor's tree damages your property, rules on trimming and what insurance usually covers.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
HOA Rules and Fines: What Homeowners Associations Can Do
The authority of homeowners associations, how they enforce rules, fines and liens and how to challenge a violation notice.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Home Purchase Contracts: Contingencies That Protect Buyers
Common contingencies in a home purchase contract, such as inspection, financing and appraisal, and how earnest money works.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Home Inspections and Seller Disclosures: What Buyers Should Know
How home inspections work, what sellers must disclose, what "as is" means and remedies for hidden defects.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Title Insurance Explained: Why Buyers and Lenders Need It
What title insurance covers, how it differs from other insurance, owner's vs. lender's policies and what a title search finds.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Closing Costs and Escrow: What Buyers and Sellers Pay
Common closing costs, how escrow works, the closing disclosure and tips for avoiding surprises on closing day.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Reverse Mortgages: How They Work and What to Watch For
How home equity conversion mortgages work for older homeowners, costs, risks and required counseling.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Property Tax Appeals: How to Challenge Your Assessment
How to review your home's assessed value, deadlines to appeal and what evidence helps lower your property taxes.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Eminent Domain: When the Government Can Take Your Property
How eminent domain works, the public use requirement, just compensation and what owners can do if their property is condemned.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Short-Term Rentals and Airbnb: Local Laws, Taxes and Lease Limits
Rules for renting out a home or room on short-term platforms, including permits, taxes, HOA and lease restrictions.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
Renters Insurance and Liability: What It Covers and Why You Need It
What renters insurance usually covers, why a landlord's policy does not protect your belongings and how to choose coverage.
2 min read - Housing and landlords
My Roommate Moved Out: Who Owes the Rent?
Joint and several liability on a shared lease, how to handle a roommate who leaves and options to replace them or end your obligations.
2 min read