landlord help: Landord Challenges Zoning Restrictions - 12/01/10 03:55 AM
An Albany, New York landlord has filed a suit against the local zoning board after some of his properties were declared nuisances and he was told he must take many of his units off the rental market in an up-and-coming neighborhood.  
The landlord is claiming that the actions are motivated by discrimination because many of his tenants are minorities.  He also claims that his tenants are being blamed for  Read more...
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landlord help: Should Have Seen This Coming? Landlord Sued for Failure to Warn - 09/22/10 05:16 AM
A high-school teacher who says she was humiliated by students and peers over bite marks on her arms is suing her landlord over the culprits- bedbugs that invaded her apartment after she had lived there for a year.
The former tenant, who claims she can no longer go to bed at night without turning her room upside down hunting for bugs and needs to keep her arms covered even in the summer to hide scarring, filed suit against her former Baltimore-area landlord asking the court for a judgment in excess of $100,000. Read more...
For more, see Are You Screening Your Tenants for … (3 comments)

landlord help: New Law Requires Written Disclosure from Landlords - 09/11/10 12:31 PM
The State of Maine has passed a law requiring landlords to test all rental properties for radon.
In addition, a written disclosure statement must be given to each tenant, informing them of the risks of radon exposure. Those risks include lung cancer.
A sample disclosure statement is provided on the Maine Department of Health and Human Services website. The tenant will have to read more...
See September 30 Deadline for Lead Paint Certification.
American Apartment Owners Association offers discounts on products and services for landlords related to your commercial housing investment, including rental forms, tenant debt collection, tenant background checks, insurance … (2 comments)

landlord help: Judges Nix Town's Attempt to Fine Landlords - 09/11/10 12:25 PM
With a population of just around 30,000, the  little town of Hazleton, Pennsylvania is getting more than its share of attention today.
An appellate court just issued a sweeping decision striking down as unconstitutional the city's law that would have punished landlords who rented to anyone the city designated as an illegal alien with as much as a $1,000 fine,  and would have required all tenants to pay for a rental permit to gain housing within the city.  Read more...
American Apartment Owners Association offers discounts on products and services for landlords related to your commercial housing investment, including rental forms, tenant debt collection, … (2 comments)

landlord help: Are Higher Rents on the Horizon? - 06/08/10 11:57 AM
Rents in some areas have been in a slump for awhile, due in large part to high unemployment numbers. 
When the government released May's job numbers, the press touted the increase as the "Best in 10 years." 
But give it a closer look, and you will see why these new numbers may not help the rental market, at least not yet.  Read more...
American Apartment Owners Association offers discounts on products and services for landlords related to your commercial housing investment, including rental forms, tenant debt collection, tenant background checks, insurance and financing. Find out more at www.joinaaoa.org.
See our earlier feature, Bad News … (3 comments)