The Fair Housing Act is formally known as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. It sets specific standards for anyone who is handling the rental, sale or financing of homes. It isn’t ever acceptable for anyone to face discrimination because of protected...
Real Estate
Is a mobile home park like an HOA?
If you’re thinking of running a mobile home park or already doing so, you may have heard it compared to an HOA. While there are differences between the two, a Homeowners Association can be a close comparison in the sense that it also gets to set rules that the tenants...
Can you get rid of a tenant’s fake emotional support animal?
Highly-trained service animals have been part of American culture for decades. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) enshrined the right of those with physical and emotional disabilities to work with animals that can help them overcome their condition....
Do you have to give notice to enter a mobile home you rent out?
In some mobile home communities, landlords rent out small lots of land where people can place their mobile homes and where the landlords provide utilities like water and electric service. Other times, the landlord will also own and rent out the mobile home on the...
If you see these clauses in your lease, examine them carefully
Commercial tenants enjoy far less protection under the law than residential tenants because the law presumes that a commercial tenant is savvy enough to avoid a bad deal. But what if you aren’t? Everyone starts somewhere, and if you’re fairly new to the game of...
What’s the right of first refusal in a commercial lease?
As a commercial lessor, you want to pair the right tenant with the optimum property in order to ensure its success – and you, a tidy profit. A lot of commercial tenants are hedging their bets when they find a place to rent for their business, so they’ll ask for a...
Making sense of your closing paperwork when buying property
If you have successfully made an offer on a property and have a scheduled date for your closing, you might wrongfully assume that the most difficult part of the process is already behind you. However, your closing will involve legally signing a number of documents....