Every Tenant’s Legal Guide

Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 4
Table of Contents......Page 8
Your Tenant Companion......Page 14
1: Finding a Place to Rent......Page 16
Setting Your Rental Priorities......Page 17
How to Find an Apartment or House for Rent......Page 18
Visiting Prospective Rentals......Page 26
Checking Out the Landlord and Manager......Page 27
Checking Out Other Tenants and the Neighbors......Page 28
Rental Applications and Credit Reports......Page 29
How Landlords Reject Tenants......Page 39
Finder’s Fees and Holding Deposits......Page 40
Choosing Roommates......Page 43
2: Leases and Rental Agreements......Page 44
How Leases and Rental Agreements Differ......Page 46
Typical Provisions in Leases and Rental Agreements......Page 49
Negotiating With the Landlord......Page 66
Signing a Lease or Rental Agreement......Page 69
Cosigners......Page 70
3: Basic Rent Rules......Page 72
How Much Can Your Landlord Charge?......Page 73
Rent Control......Page 74
When Is Your Rent Due?......Page 77
Grace Periods for Late Rent......Page 78
Where and How Rent Is Due......Page 79
Late Charges and Discounts for Early Payments......Page 81
Negotiating Partial or Delayed Rent Payments......Page 83
Rent Increases......Page 84
Talking the Landlord Out of a Rent Increase......Page 88
4: Security Deposits......Page 90
Dollar Limits on Deposits......Page 91
Last Month’s Rent......Page 93
Nonrefundable Deposits and Fees......Page 94
Interest on Deposits and Separate Accounts......Page 95
If Your Landlord Sells the Property......Page 96
5: Discrimination......Page 98
Kinds of Discrimination Prohibited by Federal Laws......Page 100
Kinds of Discrimination Prohibited by State and Local Law......Page 110
How to Fight Back......Page 112
6: Inspecting the Rental Unit and Moving In......Page 120
How to Inspect the Rental Unit......Page 121
How to Handle Problems......Page 127
Clarifying Important Terms of the Tenancy......Page 128
Using Email or Text Messages for Notice or a Letter of Understanding......Page 129
7: Roommates, Guests, and Airbnb......Page 132
Renting a Place With Others......Page 133
Adding a New Roommate......Page 142
Tenant Rights to Use Airbnb and Similar Vacation Rental Services......Page 144
Taking In a Roomer......Page 145
8: Major Repairs and Maintenance......Page 146
Your Basic Right to Livable Premises......Page 147
State Laws and Local Housing Codes......Page 148
Court-Imposed Rules......Page 149
Making Tenants Responsible for Repairs......Page 150
How to Get Action From Your Landlord......Page 151
What to Do If the Landlord Won’t Make Repairs......Page 154
9: Minor Repairs and Maintenance......Page 164
The Landlord’s Responsibilities......Page 165
Tenant Responsibilities......Page 168
Getting the Landlord to Make Minor Repairs......Page 170
Making Minor Repairs Yourself......Page 174
10: Making Improvements and Alterations......Page 176
Improvements That Become Part of the Property......Page 177
Improving Your Rental Unit Without Enriching Your Landlord......Page 178
Cable TV Access......Page 180
Satellite Dishes and Other Antennas......Page 181
11: Your Right to Privacy......Page 186
Entry by the Landlord......Page 187
Entry by Others......Page 192
Other Invasions of Privacy......Page 194
What to Do About Invasions of Privacy......Page 195
12: Injuries on the Premises......Page 200
What to Do If You’re Injured......Page 201
Is the Landlord Liable?......Page 204
If You’re at Fault, Too......Page 210
How Much Money You’re Entitled To......Page 211
13: Environmental Hazards......Page 214
Asbestos......Page 216
Lead......Page 221
Radon......Page 230
Carbon Monoxide......Page 232
Mold......Page 234
Bedbugs......Page 238
14: Crime on the Premises......Page 244
The Landlord’s Basic Duty to Keep You Safe......Page 245
Problems With Other Tenants......Page 248
Illegal Activity on the Property and Nearby......Page 250
Getting Results From the Landlord......Page 253
Protecting Yourself......Page 258
15: How Tenancies End or Change......Page 260
Changing Terms During Your Tenancy......Page 261
How Month-to-Month Tenancies End......Page 263
How Fixed-Term Leases End......Page 267
Retaliation and Other Illegal Tenancy Terminations......Page 270
How to Stay When Your Landlord Wants You Out......Page 271
Getting Out of a Lease......Page 272
Condominium Conversions......Page 283
If the Landlord Declares Bankruptcy......Page 284
If the Rental Property Is Foreclosed......Page 285
16: Moving Out and Getting Your Security Deposit Back......Page 288
Basic Rules for Returning Deposits......Page 289
Deductions for Cleaning and Damage......Page 292
Deductions for Unpaid Rent......Page 294
Avoiding Fights Over Deposits......Page 296
Security Deposits From Cotenants......Page 303
How to Handle Deposit Disputes......Page 304
Suing Your Landlord in Small Claims Court......Page 306
If Your Deposit Doesn’t Cover What You Owe......Page 309
Your Abandoned Property......Page 310
17: Termination Notices Based on Nonpayment of Rent and Other Illegal Acts......Page 316
Termination Notices......Page 317
Other Violations of the Lease or Rental Agreement......Page 319
Violations of Your Legal Responsibilities as a Tenant......Page 320
Negotiating With the Landlord......Page 321
Refusing to Move Out......Page 323
Cutting Your Losses and Moving......Page 325
18: Evictions......Page 328
Illegal “Self-Help” Evictions......Page 329
How Eviction Lawsuits Work......Page 330
Stopping Eviction by Filing for Bankruptcy......Page 336
19: Resolving Problems Without a Lawyer......Page 338
How to Negotiate a Settlement......Page 339
Using a Mediator......Page 340
Suing in Small Claims Court......Page 341
Tenants Working Together......Page 342
20: Lawyers and Legal Research......Page 348
Finding a Good Lawyer......Page 349
Fee Arrangements With Lawyers......Page 352
Resolving Problems With Your Lawyer......Page 353
Doing Your Own Legal Research......Page 354
Appendix A: State Landlord-Tenant Law Charts......Page 360
State Landlord-Tenant Statutes......Page 361
State Rent Rules......Page 362
State Rules on Notice Required to Change or Terminate a Month-to-Month Tenancy......Page 364
State Security Deposit Rules......Page 367
Required Landlord Disclosures......Page 377
State Laws in Domestic Violence Situations......Page 391
State Laws on Rent Withholding and Repair and Deduct Remedies......Page 396
State Laws on Landlord’s Access to Rental Property......Page 398
State Laws on Handling Abandoned Property......Page 400
State Laws Prohibiting Landlord Retaliation......Page 401
State Laws on Termination for Nonpayment of Rent......Page 403
State Laws on Termination for Violation of Lease......Page 406
State Laws on Unconditional Quit Terminations......Page 408
State Small Claims Court Limits......Page 415
Landlord’s Duty to Rerent......Page 421
Consequences of Self-Help Evictions......Page 423
Appendix B: How to Use the Downloadable Forms on the Nolo Website......Page 426
List of Forms Available on the Nolo Website......Page 427
Index......Page 428