Project Sentinel

Question: I own several apartment properties in my city. I find it very convenient to use email to communicate with my tenants, and they seem to enjoy the ease of using the same method to reply to me. There is no rent control or just cause ordinance in our city, so I follow the general state rules when I need to terminate a tenancy. However, I ran into a problem when I recently decided to terminate one of my month-to-month tenants. Since he had been renting from me for more than a year, I sent him an email telling him I was terminating his tenancy, with a 60-day notice attached.

Question: I own several apartment properties in my city. I find it very convenient to use email to communicate with my tenants, and they seem to enjoy the ease of using the same method to reply to me. There is no rent control or just cause ordinance in our city, so I follow the general state rules when I need to terminate a tenancy. However, I ran into a problem when I recently decided to terminate one of my month-to-month tenants. Since he had been renting from me for more than a year, I sent him an email telling him I was terminating his tenancy, with a 60-day notice attached.

Question: I own a second home that I rent to a couple. They have lived there for eight months. Recently, the wife told me they would like to install a 220-volt electrical outlet in the garage so that they can use a heavy-duty washer/dryer combo. I trust them, but I still want to check whether I am required to allow them to make this alteration and, if so, what my rights are if something goes wrong. Answer: Hopefully, you have a carefully drafted rental agreement that precludes any physical alterations to the rental unit without your permission.

Question: When I lost my job recently I realized I couldn't continue to pay the rent on my apartment. I didn't want to risk eviction or damages for breaking my lease, so I rented one of my bedrooms to a former co-worker. I knew at the time that my lease prohibited subletting without the owner's permission, but I was desperate. This guy stayed a couple of months and then moved out without any warning and without paying the last month's rent. I wrote to him demanding the money he owed me, but he replied that I couldn't collect rent from him because it would have been a violation of my lease.

QUESTION: I have two tenants who are constantly complaining to me about each other. The downstairs tenant complains that the upstairs tenant makes too much noise, and the upstairs tenant complains that the downstairs tenant is unreasonable and harasses him about every little noise by banging on her ceiling. What can I do to stop this feuding? ANSWER: As the property owner, you have a responsibility to ensure that your tenants do not infringe on each other's use and enjoyment of their units.

Question: I just moved out of a studio apartment that I had been renting for the last year. Now the landlord has informed me that she is keeping $1,000 of my security deposit to pay for refinishing the hardwood floors. I know that my furniture left some marks on the floors, but the landlord told me at one point that the floors were originally installed when the studio was built — about 50 years ago. I don't think I should be responsible for repairing floors that are so old. What do you think?

Question: When I moved into my apartment, I knew the refrigerator was old. One weekend I filled it with food for a family barbecue and it broke down. I was at work all day and didn't realize this until a number of hours later. I called my property manager but it was the weekend and a new unit wasn't installed for two more days. By then, the food was ruined. I have asked the manager to pay the cost of the lost food, but she has refused. I was thinking about deducting the cost from next month's rent, but I don't want to get into trouble.

Question: I am a victim of the hard times. I had to move out of my apartment six months ago, and I have been living in a motel since then. I have been paying a monthly rent to the motel owner. About three weeks ago, the owner asked me to move to a different room, which I did. Then, last week the owner came to my new room and told me I had to be out of the room within 24 hours or he would call the police to arrest me. Can he do that? Answer: No, even though you are not living in a traditional apartment building.

Question: I have been looking for a new apartment to rent. I found a studio apartment listed on Craigslist that sounded great, although the ad said applicants must "be employed. " I am unemployed, but I receive Social Security and pension retirement payments. I told the owner that I did not have a job, but that my retirement benefits amounted to more than three times the $900 rent. He said he would rent only to a tenant who was employed. He then explained that he was having financial troubles and could not afford to lose money on this property.

Question: We recently moved out of a house that we were renting. Our lease stated that the tenant was required to have the home and carpets professionally cleaned upon vacancy. We offered the landlady $350 from our deposit to hire a company to clean the house to her liking. When we received our refund, we saw that she deducted this amount from our security deposit. However, by then I had driven back to our rental to pick up my remaining boxes. When I was there, I saw that our landlady had painters repainting the entire house.

Question: My wife and I were leasing a house. We were about six months into the one-year lease when the owner told us he was placing the house on the market and that we would need to find another place to live. Given today's rental market, my wife and I decided we needed to quickly find a new place to live. We were lucky to find another rental house in the same neighborhood. Given how quickly local rentals were being snapped up, we felt we needed to nail down the new house. We signed a rental agreement with the owner of that house.

Question: I have been renting an apartment to a man named Michael, who recently asked me to start calling him Michelle because, he says, he now identifies as a woman. He has also started wearing makeup and women's clothing. Both the name change and the change in dress make me uncomfortable, and I'm worried that it may make my other tenants want to leave. At least one of the other tenants has commented about the "freak" in Apartment 201 and has asked me if the "freak" has any plans to move out. Michael has been an otherwise good tenant for several years.

Question: I have lived in my current apartment building for three years with no problems, but recently a new manager took over. I originally came to the U.S. on a work visa; I was born and raised in China and speak Cantonese as my first language. As a result, I speak with a heavy accent. I am also much more comfortable with written English than with speaking English. About a month ago, I got a notice of a rent increase from the new manager, which surprised me because I had just gotten a rent increase a few months earlier.

Question: When I moved into my apartment building about two years ago, I had a job as a physical therapy assistant. About three months ago, however, I had a bad bicycle accident, and now I can't work. Currently, my main source of income is disability insurance from my employer and state disability benefits. When the apartment manager saw me around the apartment complex during the day, she asked me whether I was still working. I explained to her that I was on disability. She seemed concerned about this and about a week later served me with a 60-day notice terminating my tenancy.

Question: I am a victim of the hard times. I had to move out of my apartment six months ago, and I have been living in a motel since then. I have been paying a monthly rent to the motel owner. About three weeks ago, the owner asked me to move to a different room, which I did. Then, last week the owner came to my new room and told me I had to be out of the room within 24 hours or he would call the police to arrest me. Can he do that? Answer: No, even though you are not living in a traditional apartment building.

Question: I recently asked the property manager to repair my shower after I noticed a leak damaging the floor. He sent me an email telling me that he would make the repairs, but that I had to give him a time and date in the next week when I would be present in the apartment for his plumber to come and do the job. I am a single mother and need to work during the day to support my family. I cannot afford to take time off. Do I have to agree to be present in order to get my bathroom repaired?

Question: A tenant who just moved into our apartment community has asked if he can repaint his apartment in a different color. He says he is willing to bear the cost. However, as the property supervisor, I am worried about what color the tenant will pick. Do I have to allow it, and if I allow it, who pays to remove the paint when this tenant vacates, if the color is ugly? Answer: A tenant has a duty to leave a rental unit in the same condition that existed at the time of move-in, minus normal wear and tear.

Question: I recently separated from my husband. Right now my 10-year-old son and I are living with my parents, but we need to find our own place to live. I can't afford to pay much rent until I get a job, but I was hoping to find a furnished efficiency or one-bedroom apartment. I found an ad for a one-bedroom apartment that I can afford. When I called the owner to arrange to see the place, I mentioned my son. He then told me he didn't feel comfortable renting the place to me because he thought my son should have his own bedroom.

Question: I am a first-time landlord who just bought a six-unit apartment building as a personal investment. My Christian faith is extremely important to me and affects every aspect of my life. I would prefer to rent out the apartments in my building to other Christians, not because I am prejudiced against non-Christians but because I like the idea of creating a community of believers living together in fellowship. I have been told that the fair housing laws do not allow me to specify in my advertising that I will accept only Christian tenants.

Question: We recently moved out of a house that we were renting. Our lease stated that the tenant was required to have the home and carpets professionally cleaned upon vacancy. We offered the landlady $350 from our deposit to hire a company to clean the house to her liking. When we received our refund, we saw that she deducted this amount from our security deposit. However, by then I had driven back to our rental to pick up my remaining boxes. When I was there, I saw that our landlady had painters repainting the entire house.