If you are a residential landlord, you cannot take or keep a tenant’s belongings until the rental agreement has ended. If you wrongfully take a tenant’s personal belongings while the tenant is still renting from you, you may be liable for damages and your actions may relieve the tenant of liability for unpaid rent and other claims. After a rental agreement has ended, however, you have the right to dispose of a tenant’s abandoned personal belongings, but only after following v

Question : We have a couple of situations with unauthorized RV occupants in our park. The first is an RV tenant who has moved in a person who we consider to be a nuisance – she has been yelling at other residents. The second situation is a nice lady who has moved in a boyfriend – he seems okay but still hasn’t been approved. In both cases, they have ignored our requests to fill out a rental application. What can we do about these situations? Answer: Assuming you have writt

Scenario A Landlord owns several adjacent rental units with multiple tenants, such as an apartment complex, a duplex, or a mobile home...

Question I own a decent-sized RV park with quite a few long-term tenants living there, but also a few seasonal guests and overnighters. I have one man in particular who is constantly abrasive towards other residents (for example, walking through the park and telling people that they need to fix their awnings, stack their firewood in a certain way, etc.). He has no qualms about interjecting himself in other people’s conversations even when his input is clearly unwanted. I hav

Predictably, one of the most common questions my clients ask is “ how do I collect money that my tenant owes? ” If the rent is past due for the current month, the answer is a 10-day rent nonpayment notice. Assuming the notice is properly prepared and served, the tenant has until the deadline in the notice to pay the rent in full. If the tenant doesn’t pay, you can file an eviction case in court. But even after you file an eviction, there is no guarantee that you’ll get paid.

Residential landlords are increasingly faced with the prospect that their tenants are subletting their rental units. Subletting can take...

Question We own an RV park that has bathroom facilities, but no showers. One of our new tenants insists that we must provide showers as...

Every landlord wants to avoid disputes with tenants. Disputes can lead to litigation – and litigation is expensive. There are a few simple things that landlords can do to reduce their risk of a dispute with a tenant.   The most effective solution is getting good tenants in the first place. Screen each and every potential tenant for credit history, criminal convictions, and evictions. Set your application standards and stick to them (i.e., don’t fall for any “hard luck” storie

General Discrimination Issues Federal, state, and local laws prohibit discrimination in rental housing. The Federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) prohibits discrimination based upon race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. State fair housing statutes protect against discrimination based upon race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, familial status, source of income of the applicant, and d

While similar in some aspects to regular tenancies, there are a number of important differences in RV law. Every landlord who rents an RV...