The 11 Documents to Use When Getting a Tenant for Your Lease Option Deal

via biggerpockets

A group of landlords filed a motion for summary judgment Friday in its lawsuit against the City of Cedar Rapids over the “Crime Free Lease Addendum,” which was approved last summer.

via TheGazette.

Aug. 4, 2010 – When neither tenant nor landlord is negligent in causing fire, water or other casualty damage to property, a residential lease that ambiguously allocates liability will be construed in favor of the non-drafter, the Wisconsin Supreme Court recently held.

However, the court did not decide whether Wisconsin statutory law actually prohibits parties from allocating risk by lease agreement in the event that neither party is negligent.

via State Bar of Wisconsin.

The trial court ruled that two lease agreements held by Coin Appliances, Inc. were enforceable against the Warners and Whites, and that the Warners and Whites breached the lease agreements. But rather than order specific performance, as requested by Coin, the trial court ordered payment of damages pursuant to a stipulated damages clause in the lease agreements

via No. 09-2164

In Washington, as elsewhere, the battle over secondhand smoke is moving from airplanes, bars and office buildings to an arena that once seemed impenetrable: private residences.

via The News Tribune.

Tenancy-at-will, obviously, works better for the party that plans to quit the contract and generally is unpleasant for the person who has to make an unexpected change. Sometimes both parties are ready to part and all is well, but that’s just lucky. Landlords are hurt when tenants leave during non-peak rental times. Tenants are almost always hurt because moving has both up-front costs for security deposits plus the fuss and expense of moving.

As a renter and as a landlord, I preferred annual leases. I don’t like sudden changes. However, I also like permission to sublet. As a tenant, I sublet at least once (it was an September to August lease; I left mid-July and sublet to someone who stayed the next academic year.) That’s also how I run my rental unit; my tenants sublet and it has been no problem. What do you do as a tenant or as a landlord?

via Boston.com.

HRPT in August sued to invalidate the law on grounds that it unfairly modified leases it assumed when the company bought the real estate assets of the local Damon Estate in 2003.

via TradingMarkets.com.

My landlord has this thing about the yard – he wants to be in control of it, so he hires a guy to do it – he doesn’t want us to do it. Thus, he has issued a letter forcing us to pay for the yard work in full, even though we have access to a lawn mower and are more than willing to do it ourselves.

via Portland Mercury

Most businesses lease, putting them at risk of eviction if their landlord defaults. But as Todd and Myrna Dow, of Sisters, learned the hard way, a legal document — called a subordination, non-disturbance and attornment agreement — exists to protect against that very scenario, which has become more common with the down economy.

via The Bulletin.

“Whether the landlord dies or the property is sold or the management company changes, the lease that was signed is still binding on the tenants,” said Esther Patt, coordinator of the Tenant Union. “I think that maybe people perceive it as a personal relationship rather than a real estate contract.”

via The Daily Illini.