Every landlord's legal guide

Every landlord's legal guide contents: Ch. 1: Screening tenants: your most important decision. Page 6 - Avoiding fair housing complaints and lawsuits. Page 7 - How to advertise rental property. Page 8 - Renting property that’s still occupied. Page 9 - Dealing with prospective tenants and accepting rental applications. Page 17 - Checking references, credit history, and more. Page 26 - Choosing - and rejecting - an applicant. Page 30 - Finder’s fees and holding deposits. Ch. 2: Preparing leases and rental agreements. Page 35 - Which is better, a lease or a rental agreement? Page 37 - Clause - by - clause instructions for completing the lease or rental agreement form. Page 64 - Signing the lease or rental agreement. About cosigners. Ch. 3: Basic rent rules. Page 68 - How much can you charge? Rent control. Page 71 - When rent is due. Page 73 - Where and how rent is due. Page 76 - Late charges and discounts for early payments. Returned check charges. Page 77 - Partial or delayed rent payments. Raising the rent. Ch. 4: Security deposits. Page 82 - Purpose and use of security deposits. Page 83 - Dollar limits on deposits. How much deposit should you charge? Page 84 - Last month’s rent. Page 86 - Interest and accounts on deposits. Page 87 - Nonrefundable deposits and fees. How to increase deposits. Page 88 - Handling deposits when you buy or sell rental property. Ch. 5: Discrimination. Page 91 - Legal reasons for rejecting a rental applicant. Page 94 - Sources of antidiscrimination laws. Page 97 - Types of illegal discrimination. Page 112 - Valid occupancy limits. Page 116 - Managers and discrimination. Page 117 - Unlawful discrimination complaints. Page 118 - Insurance coverage in discrimination claims. Ch. 6: Property managers. Page 124 - Hiring your own resident manager. Page 128 - How to prepare a property manager agreement. Page 130 - Your legal obligations as an employer. Page 137 - Management companies. Page 139 - Your liability for a manager’s acts. Page 142 - Notifying tenants of the manager. Firing a manager. Page 144 - Evicting a manager. Ch. 7: Getting the tenant moved in. Page 146 - Inspect the rental unit. Page 152 - Photograph the rental unit. Send new tenants a move-in letter. Page 155 - Cash, rent and security deposit checks. Organize your tenant records. Page 157 - Organize income and expenses for schedule E. Page 159 - Using email for notices or other communications with tenants. The bottom line: stick with a traditional mail or delivery service. Ch. 8: Cotenants, sublets, and assignments. Page 162 - Cotenants. Page 168 - What to do when a tenant wants to sublet or assign. Page 174 - When a tenant brings in a roommate. Page 176 - Guests and new occupants you haven’t approved. Page 177 - Short-term rentals like airbnb. Ch. 9: Landlord's duty to repair and maintain the premises. Page 181 - Your duty to keep the premises livable. Page 183 - How to meet your legal repair and maintenance responsibilities. Page 188 - Avoiding problems with a good maintenance and repair system. Page 197 - Tenant updates and landlord’s regular safety and maintenance inspections. Page 198 - Tenant responses to unfit premises: paying less rent. Page 206 - Tenant responses to unfit premises: calling inspectors, filing lawsuits, and moving out. Page 209 - Minor repairs. Page 212 - Delegating landlord’s responsibilities to tenants. Page 215 - Tenants’ alterations and improvements. Page 219 - Cable TV access. Page 220 - Satellite dishes and antennas. Ch. 10: Landlord's liability for tenant injuries from dangerous conditions. Page 226 - How to prevent injuries. Page 230 - Liability and other property insurance. Page 233 - Your liability for tenant injuries. Page 238 - If a tenant was at fault, too. Page 240 - How much money an injured tenant may recover. Ch. 11: Landlord's liability for environmental health hazards. Page 243 - Asbestos. Page 245 - Lead. Page 253 - Radon. Page 254 - Carbon monoxide. Page 256 - Mold. Page 259 - Bedbugs. Page 263 - Electromagnetic fields. Ch. 12: Landlord's liability for criminal activity. Page 267 - Comply with all state and local laws on security. Page 268 - Keep your promises about security. Page 269 - Prevent criminal acts. Page 277 - Protect tenants from each other. Page 278 - Protect tenants from your employees. Page 279 - Deal with drug - dealing tenants. Page 282 - If you are sued. Ch. 13: Landlord's right of entry and tenant's privacy. Page 287 - General rules of entry. Page 288 - Entry in case of emergency. Page 289 - Entry with the permission of the tenant. Page 293 - Entry to show property to perspective tenants or buyers. Page 294 - Entry after the tenant has moved out. Entry by others. Page 296 - Other types of invasions of privacy. Page 299 - What to Do When tenants unreasonably deny entry. Page 300 - Tenants’ remedies if a landlord acts illegally. Ch. 14: Ending a tenancy. Page 302 - Changing lease or rental agreement terms. Page 303 - How month-to-month tenancies end. Page 309 - How leases end. Page 312 - If the tenant breaks the lease. Page 317 - When a tenant dies. Page 319 - Condominium conversions. Ch. 15: Returning security deposits and other move-out issues. Page 323 - Preparing a move - out letter. Page 326 - Inspecting the unit when a tenant leaves. Page 327 - Applying the security deposit to the last month’s rent. Page 328 - Basic rules for returning deposits. Deductions for cleaning and damage. Page 331 - Deductions for unpaid rent. Page 333 - Preparing an itemized statement of deductions. Page 339 - Mailing the security deposit itemization. Page 340 - Security deposits from cotenants. If a tenant sues you. Page 344 - If the deposit doesn’t cover damage and unpaid rent. Page 345 - What to do with property abandoned by a tenant. Ch. 16: Problems with tenants: how to resolve disputes without a lawyer. Page 352 - Negotiating a settlement: start by talking. Page 354 - When warning notices are appropriate. Page 356 - Understanding mediation. Page 358 - Using arbitration. Page 359 - Representing yourself in small claims court. Page 360 - How to avoid charges of retaliation. Ch. 17: Late rent, terminations, and evictions. Page 364 - The landlord’s role in evictions. Page 365 - Termination notices. Page 366 - Late rent. Page 369 - Other tenant violations of the lease or rental agreement. Page 370 - Violations of a tenant’s legal responsibilities. Page 371 - Tenant’s illegal activity on the premises. How eviction lawsuits work. Page 376 - Illegal "self-help" evictions. Page 377 - Stopping eviction by filing for bankruptcy. Ch. 18: Lawyers and legal research. Page 379 - Finding a lawyer. Page 380 - Types of fee arrangements with lawyers. Page 383 - Types of fee arrangements with lawyers. Saving on legal fees. Page 385 - Resolving problems with your lawyer. Page 386 - Attorney fees in a lawsuit. Doing your own legal research. Page 387 - Where to find state, local, and federal laws. Page 388 - How to research court decisions. Appendix A - State landlord-tenant law charts. Appendix B - How to use the interactive forms on the Nolo website. Includes table of contents, sample forms, charts, illustrations, appendices and subject index.