Landlords, Tenants and Property Management

Is a landlord liable for injuries to a motorist on an adjacent roadway caused by a tenant’s livestock known to the landlord to be fenced in on the property?

by Robin Jennings | May 27, 2025

Estate of St. John v. Schaeffler

Form-of-the-Week: The Right of First Refusal to Buy — Form 579

by Amy Platero | May 12, 2025

A landlord and tenant may agree to grant the tenant a right of first refusal in an addendum to the lease agreement using RPI Form 579.

Form-of-the-Week: Tenant Representation Agreements and Renewals — Forms 105.1, 105.2, 105.1A and 105.2A

by Amy Platero | Apr 14, 2025

The tenant representation agreement employing a broker to acquire a leasehold interest in a property is the leasing equivalent to the buyer representation agreement to acquire a fee interest.

Reading the legal tea leaves — the parallel need to conform tenant representation to new buyer representation rules for commercial transactions

by Carrie B. Reyes | Mar 31, 2025

The new buyer representation rules have an application which may surprise some brokers – the negotiated, written representation of commercial tenant clients.

Changes to application screening fees charged by residential landlords

by Amy Platero | Mar 26, 2025

Landlords now need to actually have a unit readily available for a prospective tenant to occupy when they demand a screening fee for reviewing an application for approval or denial.

Mandated landlord credit-reporting offer to improve tenant credit scores

by Lily Hart | Mar 18, 2025

Residential landlords are now obligated to offer to report a tenant’s positive rental payment information to at least one nationwide consumer reporting agency.

New law takes aim at “junk fees” from California landlords

by Amy Platero | Feb 20, 2025

Landlords may no longer charge fees for posting or serving eviction notices or notices to vacate to residential tenants or for accepting rent or security deposit payments by check. Security deposits charged a military service member renting as a residential tenant, when higher than the security deposit charged others, require specific steps.

Is a residential landlord liable for injuries caused by a tenant’s dogs when the landlord is unaware the dogs are potentially violent?

by Robin Jennings | Jul 16, 2024

In re: Fraser v. Farvid Facts: A landlord rents a single family residence (SFR) to a tenant. The tenant acquires dogs without notifying the landlord. A neighbor advises the landlord about the “guard dogs” though the landlord has no personal experience with the dogs....

Is a tenant in a subsidized low-income housing development entitled to money losses when a landlord serves an improper notice to terminate the tenancy?

by Amy Platero | Jun 20, 2024

Campbell v. FPI Management, Inc. Facts: A residential landlord rents a unit in a federally subsidized housing project to a tenant on a month-to-month tenancy. As part of the subsidy program, the landlord agrees to give the tenant at least 30 days’ notice prior to...