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Real Estate Law (esp. Landlord-Tenant)/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Pet deposit | 10/14/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: My husband and I had signed a new lease and the landlord knew we had 2 dogs and did not say anything ... A: Sue, Once the lease is signed, it is a binding agreement. Changes must be agreed upon by both ... | ||
| Broker commision on rental renewal | 10/12/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: My problem is not with management fees. My problem is that my tenant wants to renew for another ... A: Andres, If you've already fired him then you are under no legal obligation. The tennt doesn't have ... | ||
| Landlording trying to keep Entire Security Deposit due to belongings not removed in a timely fashion | 10/10/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: I'm a landlord in PA and am actually writing this on behalf of a friend in NJ. I BELIEVE that I ... A: Jeff, It doesn't sound like you need an expert at all! You are correct on all counts. If the ... | ||
| Landlording trying to keep Entire Security Deposit due to belongings not removed in a timely fashion | 10/9/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: I'm a landlord in PA and am actually writing this on behalf of a friend in NJ. I BELIEVE that I ... A: Jeff, I can't find specific case law to back up my claim, but I don't believe the Landlord can ... | ||
| Repair Dispute | 10/6/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: I leased a home from a property management company that was bought by another company within the ... A: Kelly, Make a copy of the move-in checklist and write them a letter contesting the items you feel ... | ||
| Repair Dispute | 10/3/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: I leased a home from a property management company that was bought by another company within the ... A: Kelly, I need you to answer some questions first: 1. Do you have a copy of your walk-through ... | ||
| rental admin fees | 10/2/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: they want to charge me 25.00 a month for admin fees plus when i pay rent they want another 6% admin ... A: efrain, I have no idea what these charges are for, nor can I tell you if they are fair. To answer ... | ||
| rent increase | 9/26/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: We are on a month-to-month contract. We were given a list of do's and dont's we had to agree to and ... A: E, Even though you don't have a written agreement, New York accepts a verbal agreement as a ... | ||
| Condo Rental | 9/22/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: I am leasing my condo in California to husband and wife who's credit score is 500. they do not have ... A: Anthony, Having a low credit score does not automatically disqualify them in my book. A score of ... | ||
| carpet replacement. | 9/22/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: We are being charged for new carpet from our last apartment. $1500!!! How often are they required to ... A: Meghan, here's what Wisconsin statutes say: Wisconsin Statute 704.07(3)(a) Duty of tenant. If the ... | ||
| a renter in my mother and step fathers home | 9/21/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: I graduated from high school this year and went to work immediatly, before I was paying rent my ... A: Evan, I'm sorry to hear of your troubles. The problem is that you are paying rent, but you are ... | ||
| Failed rent payment | 9/21/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: My roommate moved out of our house not even a day into living there, and he is unwilling to pay his ... A: Eric, You are discovering the reason why it's better the screen people up front than to chase them ... | ||
| rent increase | 9/18/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: Nathan, Is it true that there are landlords who abstain from rent increases if the tenant is a very ... A: xyz, Yes, there are some Landlords that will evict a good tenant if the tenant disagrees with a ... | ||
| not sure about the rent | 9/18/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: Nathan: I am looking to rent an apartment. I found an ad for an apt in a good (safe)neighborhood. ... A: Tia, You would need to find a property manager that's familiar with the New York market, which I am ... | ||
| responsibilities as a guarantor | 9/17/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: In March 2009, my sister signed a one year lease and I signed a guarantor agreement. The guarantor ... A: Your sister is on a month-to-month lease. Go with her and explain that she has a good rental ... | ||
| responsibilities as a guarantor | 9/17/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: In March 2009, my sister signed a one year lease and I signed a guarantor agreement. The guarantor ... A: Michael, Your original post said that your guarantee "shall continue to any renewal, modification ... | ||
| responsibilities as a guarantor | 9/17/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: In March 2009, my sister signed a one year lease and I signed a guarantor agreement. The guarantor ... A: Michael, Your responsibility continues as long as your sister occupies the unit. When her lease ... | ||
| verbal abuse | 9/16/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: for several months now the apt managers boyfriend has been verbally harassing me and my wife,along ... A: Doug, Why don't you call the police? He's obviously a bully. If he's physically abusive, that's a ... | ||
| disgusting stained and damaged carpet in my new appartment | 9/13/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: I have just signed a lease for an apartment in Pierce County Wisconsin. I did a run through with the ... A: Aaron, Here's specifically what the statutes say concerning condition of the unit: 504.18 ... | ||
| Parking/towing | 9/12/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: Recently a couple of friends came to visit for a week. After a few days, my friends had their car ... A: Vincent, First, you can ask management to see a copy of their policy that authorizes them to tow a ... | ||
| Apartment Move in problem | 9/12/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: I signed a lease for an apartment last month and moved in, when i moved in, I found out that the ... A: Nick, The manager hasn't broken any laws. They're trying to do the right thing by putting you in ... | ||
| sewerage back up | 9/10/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: I read some of your threads about sewerage back ups in a complex here in Ma. I had the same problem ... A: Norene, If you have some evidence that he was negligent, and if you are willing to go through the ... | ||
| 3 day pay or quit | 9/8/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: My tenant was late on her rent, I sent her a late notice asking for rent with a late fee. She then ... A: Terry, She is obligated to fulfill the terms of her lease. If the lease requires her to give 30 ... | ||
| advertising | 9/7/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: Can a landlord who wants to lease one of his apartments post in an advert: "The apartment is ideal ... A: JU, Good question! Advertising can be tricky because even well-intentioned text can imply ... | ||
| Tenant Administration Fee | 9/7/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: I live in Phoenix, Az. The property management company (GoRenter.com) to whom I pay rent charges me ... A: Jared, it definitely sounds unusual. My guess is that the Owner probably had a contract with ... | ||
| Tenant Administration Fee | 9/6/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: I live in Phoenix, Az. The property management company (GoRenter.com) to whom I pay rent charges me ... A: Jared, If the Owner is managing his own property, why would you still pay rent to GoRenter.com? ... | ||
| tenants and landlord | 9/3/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: Does it fall into the landlord's duties to keep an eye on "immoral" behavior and activities of a ... A: JE, I understand your frustration. However, there's no law against her sleeping with different ... | ||
| tenants and landlord | 9/3/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: Does it fall into the landlord's duties to keep an eye on "immoral" behavior and activities of a ... A: JE, Are you referring to "immoral" behavior or "illegal" behavior? There's a big difference! For ... | ||
| Not tenants, but neighbors | 9/3/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: I bought my house in 2003 and have gotten along with the neighbors. The only time my neighbors have ... A: Connie, You can't determine the property line by talking back and forth. You really need to go to ... | ||
| unlivable apartment | 9/2/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: My son & 2 friends recently rented an apartment in Plattsburgh, NY. This past sunday during ... A: Carol, New York has what is called a "warrant of habitability" that basically says the Landlord ... | ||
| Getting out of a lease without letting roommate know | 9/1/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: I am currently engaged, living in an apartment I with my fiance. Both of our names are on the lease. ... A: Kristina, First, I'm sorry about your situation and am happy to hear you're making a break and ... | ||
| Security Deposit | 8/29/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: it has been more than 30 days since we moved out of our apartment. We walked through the apartment ... A: Sheryll, Texas Landlords have 30 days to return the security deposit OR provide you an itemized ... | ||
| rent | 8/25/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: My question is the following: There are only 4 tenants in our building. All apartments have the ... A: TIA, No, it's not appropriate for you to ask the Landlord or the other tenants how much each unit ... | ||
| Changing Late Fees | 8/24/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: I have a question. My paycheck got messed up at work and I was late on my rent. Fine. My fault. The ... A: Ashley, Your lease agreement is a binding contract and can not be changed without approval by both ... | ||
| Landlord's responsibility | 8/19/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: I am a landlord of a 4-bedroom house with 4 tenants, each of them occupies one room. The common ... A: Judith, All these questions make me wonder if you have some really cheap tenants! :) First off, ... | ||
| Section 8 eligibility | 8/17/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: Gesner, HUD has taken away my friend's eligibility for Section 8 housing. She would like to appeal ... A: Lisa, There are attorneys that specialize in Section 8 in the larger cities. You can look through ... | ||
| Section 8 eligibility | 8/17/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: Gesner, HUD has taken away my friend's eligibility for Section 8 housing. She would like to appeal ... A: Lisa, She doesn't need an attorney to appeal until it gets to a higher level. The initial appeal ... | ||
| Visitor parking and towing issues | 8/16/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: I occasionally visit a friend at their apartments, recently a notification went out that any non ... A: Nicholas, While it is certainly unusual for them to not provide guest parking, they are within ... | ||
| Breaking a lease | 8/13/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: Nathan, My wife and I just had our first child. She was on bed rest since December, and has ... A: Shawn, Florida law says this: 83.595 Choice of remedies upon breach by tenant. (1) If the tenant ... | ||
| Breaking Lease & 30 Day Notice | 8/11/2011 | Nathan Gesner |
| Q: I am currently renting from a landlord and my lease is up at the end of September. I gave them my 30 ... A: Natasha, If you provide "30 days notice" on August 9th, then you have to count 30 days forward, ... | ||
Real Estate Law (esp. Landlord-Tenant)
Answers by Expert:
Nathan Gesner
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Questions regarding Landlord/Manager/Tenant relationships, contracts, improvements, breaking a lease, rent increases, pet policies, discrimination, Americans With Disabilities Act, and more. I can also handle problems between tenants.
Experience
I am the largest property manager in my area with 130 rental units that include apartments, town homes, single-family homes, and a few commercial units. I have nearly 200 adult tenants and average 40 new contracts per year. If you have an issue3 with a Landlord, Property Manager, or another Tenant, I've probably seen it many times.
Organizations
Director, Northwest Board of Realtors
National Association of Realtors
Institute of Real Estate Managers
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Education/Credentials
B.S. in Psychology/Sociology, Excelsior College
AAS in Information Systems Technology, Community College of the Air Force
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