Are there any restrictions on landlords for renting in the U.S.? What must the landlord do? What can't I do?
In general, landlords are not allowed to enter the rented property. If the landlord needs to enter the house for reasons such as making repairs, he or she must generally give the tenant 24 hours advance notice. If the landlord does not do this, the tenant can sue the landlord in court for trespassing.
When a tenant is in breach of contract, the landlord should evict the tenant by legal means, and should not enter the tenant's room without permission, change the locks to prevent the tenant from entering or leaving, or move the tenant's personal belongings.
The landlord has the right to ask the tenant to move out in the following cases.
First, when the tenant does not receive rent, he or she may be evicted for non-payment of rent.
Second, the tenant can be evicted for breach of contract when the tenant's use of the premises exceeds the scope of the original contract, such as when the tenant sublets privately, does not move out after the contract expires, or obstructs the life of the neighbors.
Third, however, a landlord cannot evict a tenant at will, change the locks on the doors of the rented premises, throw the tenant's belongings out of the dwelling, or cut off the power or water supply to the rented premises, all of which are illegal.
A landlord must follow legal procedures to evict a tenant. The landlord first gives the tenant written notice to pay the rent, and if the tenant does not pay the rent, he can petition the court for eviction after three days.
If the tenant responds, the law sets a court date within 20 days for both parties to appear and explain. If the tenant does not appear in court on time, the judge will accept the plaintiff's statement and issue a default judgment.
Landlord's Obligations
The landlord must provide the tenant with basic conditions suitable for living in, including protection from wind and rain, heating, water, electricity, clean and sanitary conditions, and safety.
If you rent a house that is in poor repair, the tenant has several options:One is to pay less rent to pay for the repairs, another is to notify the housing inspector, who can usually order the landlord to repair the house. A third is to choose to move and not pay the rest of the rent.
The landlord or his agent should maintain good communication with the tenant, take the initiative to communicate with the tenant when problems arise, work together to find solutions, and try to avoid litigation.
If the tenant has some inappropriate behaviors, such as playing very loud music at night when it is late, or not washing pots and pans after cooking, piling dirty dishes in the common kitchen sink, etc. As a landlord, you should take some appropriate measures to avoid these behaviors from causing nuisance to other tenants.
Instead of taking measures only after these behaviors occur, the landlord should be proactive and take precautions. The building owner can write down some of the problems he or she finds on a piece of paper and place the note in a conspicuous place, such as the refrigerator.
This emphasizes the basic rules that tenants should follow. When tenants who have misbehaved can realize their problems and correct them in time after reading the note, then everyone will be happy.
The landlord does not have to reprimand the tenant to his face, and the tenant will not have a strong backlash.
When a landlord discovers that his tenant is engaging in some illegal activity in the house, he should promptly warn the tenant to stop any behavior that exceeds the local law immediately.
Such illegal behavior by the tenant can seriously affect the landlord's interests, and a good example is a marijuana house.
When warnings do not work, the landlord should promptly address the issue through legal channels to protect his interests and safety.
If these illegal behaviors of tenants affect the surrounding housemates and neighbors, a joint effort can be made to ask the offending tenant out.
You can choose to house-sit
The most own management of rental housing also requires a certain amount of time and thought.
For those who are busier or off-site, you can also consider the option of trusteeship, which generally charges 8% to 10% of the rent as a service fee and is paid annually.
When choosing a trustee, be aware that it is not the cheaper the service the better.
You need to understand whether the other party's working hours are flexible, what to do if the tenant does not pay the rent, and whether they understand the local housing rental regulations and neighborhoods, or you may end up having to step in and solve a series of problems yourself.