Fair Housing: Landlords |
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posted on 29 June 2008 | |||||||
Top 10 Common Landlord Mistakes and Blunders |
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When I was working as an attorney representing tenants, I noticed landlords making the same mistakes again and again. These mistakes usually, if not always, had costly and negative effects on their business of renting as well as causing undue stress and inconvenience for the tenants. In addition, such mistakes often gave rise to private claims against the landlord or valid defenses in the eviction process. |
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5. Not having a written lease agreement or using lease agreements
that fail to outline the basic terms of the lease, such as the
amount of rent, date rental payments are due or length of the lease;
6. Not treating the rental of the property as a business; 7. Having the wrong attitude regarding or excessive pride of the property, i.e. "It's my property, I can do whatever the hell I want with my property!"; 8. Failing to make repairs and conduct simple maintenance until either a code enforcement complaint is filed against you or tenant starts the rent withholding process; 9. Sending tenants notices without opportunity to cure non-material violations, such as cleanliness, parking issues, noise, etcetera; and 10. Filing an eviction action prematurely such as filing the action before the requisite time has passed under the law. |
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If you find yourself guilty of any of the above, you could find yourself with a code enforcement report against you, subject to a costly lawsuit, or wasting funds on a prematurely filed eviction action. It is highly recommended that you educate yourself by consulti ng an attorney, finding excellent publications regarding the rental of housing as a business and seeking out any educational trainings or seminars about the rental industry. |
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