eBook - ePub
Every Tenant's Legal Guide
Janet Portman, Marcia Stewart
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eBook - ePub
Every Tenant's Legal Guide
Janet Portman, Marcia Stewart
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AUDIENCE:
This book is for any tenant renting residential property, in any state. REASONS TO BUY THIS NEW EDITION:
- Many states have tenant-friendly laws, but if tenants don't know them, they can't take advantage of them.
- This book explains common legal and practical problems and gives workable solutions.
- There is no national competition for this book--nothing else has the combination of specific legal information coupled with how to implement it.
- National tome, everything about being a tenant. You can't argue for your rights unless you know what they are--no other national book gives tenants current, accurate legal specifics for their state
- Nolo has the category killer for landlords ( Every Landlord's Legal Guide ). This is the companion book for the other side, which has many more potential buyers.
The (9th) new edition updates all legal charts, including the latest state rules and procedures on tenant rights to break a lease and fight an eviction.
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Information
CHAPTER
1
Finding a Place to Rent
Setting Your Rental Priorities
How to Find an Apartment or House for Rent
Personal Contacts
Craigslist
Pound the Pavement
Classified Ads
Online Apartment and Rental Listings
Advertising Yourself to Landlords
Real Estate Brokers
Management Companies
University, Alumni, and Corporate Housing Offices
Visiting Prospective Rentals
Checking Out the Landlord and Manager
Ask Current Tenants
Ask Neighbors in Nearby Buildings
Check Out www.apartmentratings.com
Google the Landlord or Manager
Check for Any Notices of Default
Checking Out Other Tenants and the Neighbors
Rental Applications and Credit Reports
Rental Applications
The Importance of Your Credit History
How Landlords Reject Tenants
Permissible Reasons for Rejecting Tenants
What Landlords Must Tell You
Illegal Discrimination
Finderâs Fees and Holding Deposits
Finderâs Fees
Holding Deposits
Choosing Roommates
It goes almost without saying that choosing a place to live is an extremely important decision. A good apartment or house should provide more than shelter, warmth, and a place to lay your head; it should be a true home. Yet many people make bad choicesâspending too much money; picking the wrong location, landlord, or neighbors; or settling on a place thatâs too small, dreary, noisy, unsafe, or in bad shape. Sure, if youâre in a tight rental market, such as those in New York City, San Francisco, or Chicago, you can have an extremely difficult time finding a good place to live at a reasonable price, but itâs still possible to find decent housing.
Finding a good place to live is rarely a lucky accident. Whether rental housing is plentiful or scarce, there are specific steps you can take to find an apartment or house that meets your needs and budget. Most important, you need to take your time. One of the worstâand most costlyâmistakes you can make is to sign a lease or put down a hefty deposit at the end of a long, frustrating day of apartment-hunting, only to realize later that the place is completely unsuitable. Even if it means staying with friends for a few weeks, finding a short-term rental or house-sitting arrangement, or (horrors) moving back in with your parents temporarily, it may be well worth it.
Whether youâre looking for your first or tenth rental, living by yourself or with others, this chapter shows you how to find a good place to live within your price range, by:
âą setting clear priorities before you start looking for a place to rent
âą using a variety of resources to tap into available rentals, and
âą beating the competition by pulling together the information landlords want to seeâgood references and credit informationâbefore you visit prospective rentals.
This chapter also explains your legal rights and responsibilities regarding the rental application process, credit reports, credit-check fees, and holding deposits. (For details on antidiscrimination laws that limit what landlords can say and do in the tenant selection process, see Chapter 5.)
Preparing for a move. If youâre moving from one rental to another, be sure you understand all the legal and practical rules for ending a tenancy, getting your deposit returned, and moving out. See Chapters 15 and 16 for details.
Check Your Credit Rating Before
You Start Your Housing Search
You Start Your Housing Search
Your credit report contains a wealth of information that landlords use to choose (or reject) tenantsâfor example, the report lists any bankruptcy filings, uncollected child support, and unpaid debts that have been reported to the credit reporting agency. It will also reflect favorable information, such as your ability to pay your card balances and other debts on time. To make sure your credit report is accurateâor to give yourself time to clean it up if there are problems or errorsâget a copy of your report before you start looking. âRental Applications and Credit Reports,â below, provides complete details.
Setting Your Rental Priorities
While most people start their housing search with some general idea of how much they can afford to pay, where they want to live, and how big a place they need, that doesnât guarantee good results. The best way to find an excellent rental home is to set specific guidelines in advance, being realistic, of course, both as to your budget and whatâs available for rent.
Hereâs our approach to finding a rental house or apartment you can afford and will enjoy living in:
Step 1: Firmly establish your prioritiesâsuch as maximum rent, desired location, and number of bedroomsâbefore you start looking. The list below, Rental Priorities, will help you do this.
If youâre renting with one or more other people, review the Rental Priorities list together and make sure you agree on the basics. Always consider each personâs strong likes and dislikes when youâre choosing a rental. For example, you might care most about a modern kitchen and a sunny deck or patio. If so, youâll surely be miserable if you allow your spouse or partner to talk you into renting an older apartment with its original 1960s kitchen because it has a great view (but no deck).
Step 2: Once youâve set your priorities, youâll want to see how prospective rental units measure up. To make this simple, weâve prepared a Rental Priorities Worksheet, shown below. Thereâs space for you to write down your mandatory (âmust haveâ) priorities, as well as secondary (âit would be nice, but arenât crucialâ) priorities and your absolute âno ways.â Try to limit your mandatory priorities to those features your rental unit must have, such as âless than $1,000 a month rent,â âtwo or more bedrooms,â and ânear the bus line to work.â Take time developing your list of âno ways.â Avoiding things you hateâfor example, a high-crime area or noisy neighborhoodâmay be just as important as finding a place that meets all your mandatory priorities.
The Nolo website includes a downloadable copy of the Rental Priorities Worksheet. See Appendix B for the link to the forms in this book.
Step 3: Once you complete the priorities section of the Worksheet, make several copies for use when looking at apartments or rental houses.
Step 4: Complete a Worksheet for each rental unit youâre seriously considering, as follows:
âą Enter the address, contact person, phone number, email, rent, deposit, term (month-to-month or year lease), and other key information on the top of the form.
âą As you walk around the rental unit and talk with the landlord or manager, indicate the pluses and minuses and the mandatory and secondary priorities (as well as âno waysâ) that apply.
âą Make notes next to a particular feature that can be changed to meet your needsâfor example, âRent is high, but space is fine for an extra roommate.â
âą Jot down additional features in the section for Other Comments, such as âNeighbors seem very friendlyâ or âTiny yard for kids to play, but great park is just a block away.â
Step 5: If at all possible (but it may not be, especially in tight rental markets), insist that any apartment or house meets at least your most important priorities.
Check Out All Important
Conditions of the Tenancy
Conditions of the Tenancy
Leases and rental agreements cover many issues, such as the amount of rent and deposits, length of the tenancy, number of tenants, and pets. In addition, some rental agreements may include provisions that you find unacceptableâfor example, restrictions on guests, design alterations, or the use of an apartment for your home business. Ask for a copy of the lease or rental agreement early on, so you are not reading it for the first time with a pen in your hand. Be sure to read Chapter 2 for details on leases and rental agreements and how to negotiate terms before you sign on the dotted line.
How to Find an Apartment or House for Rent
Youâve just done an important part of the job of finding a place to live by creating your list of Rental Priorities. Now you need a plan to find a place that matches it as closely as possible. Focus on your time and financial constraints and consider how they will influence your search. For example, the housing search of a well-paid couple with money in the bank who wants to move to a bigger apartment sometime in the next six months should differ tremendously from that of a graduate student on a limited budget with a small child who has only a few weeks to find a place before school starts.
Rental Priorities
When youâre making your list of priorities, consider these issues:
Rent
Figure out the maximum you can afford to pay. Be sure to include utilities, Internet, and any additional charges, such as for parking. As a broad generalization, you probably donât want to spend more than 25% to 35% of your monthly take-home pay on rent, but this will obviously depend on your expenses. Be careful about overspendingâyou donât want to live in a penthouse if it means you need to eat popcorn for dinner every night.
Deposits
Depending on state law and landlord practices, you may need to pay as much as two monthsâ rent as a security deposit. (Chapter 4 covers security deposits.)...