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Did you know if a written accounting of the tenant’s deposit is not mailed within fourteen days of the tenant vacating the premises, that nothing can be taken out of the deposit? In fact, a judge can require a landlord to pay the tenant twice the amount of the deposit if a landlord does not comply with this requirement.
The fourteen days start counting when the tenant vacates, even if that is prior to the end of the lease. Therefore, if the lease is through the end of November but the tenant vacates on the 15th, a full and specific account of the tenant’s deposit must be in the mail by the 29th of November.
Copper thieves are targeting vacant rentals? According to a Seattle television station news report, thieves can make $40 to $60 for the copper wire removed from one home while it can cost as much as $6,000 to replace it. There are laws prohibiting recycling companies from knowingly buying stolen copper wire, but the victims don’t believe they are a sufficient deterrent. Legislation is being considered on both the state and federal levels to make the sale of stolen metals more difficult.
Landlords and homeowners’ associations cannot deny occupancy to someone with a service animal even if the owner or homeowners’ association has a strict no pets policy. A pet deposit cannot be charged nor can “pet rent.” The tenant is responsible for any damage done by the animal. A service animal is an animal that has been trained to perform tasks that assist people with disabilities. There is no registration of service animals; all that is required is a letter from a health care provider. NOW YOU KNOW!
You cannot deny tenancy to prospective tenants just because they have children, even if you think the rental property is unsafe for children. Families are a protected class, so even if the property is such that owner could be assuming potential liability by renting to a family with children, the owner cannot deny tenancy on that basis. For instance, if an owner doesn’t want children in a houseboat because of concern that a child might fall off and drown, that decision is not the owner’s to make and denying tenancy on that basis would be considered a discriminatory act. 
Since April 2010 federal laws require that firms working in pre-1978 homes must be certified and use lead-safe work practices during renovations. Renovators must comply with new certification, training, pre-renovation notification and work practice standards for common renovation activities like sanding, cutting and demolition. 
