Property Management News
A resident has been violating a community rule for months. There has been thorough documentation, staff has issued reminders, and management is finally ready to escalate. Then the resident files a fair housing complaint or requests a reasonable accommodation. Now what? The underlying violation did not disappear. The lease did not suddenly become unenforceable. But the context surrounding the next management decision has changed. This is where retaliation risk becomes complicated. A perfectly ordinary lease violation notice, non-renewal, or other enforcement action can attract very different scrutiny when it closely follows a resident exercising a fair housing right. The challenge is not... Read more
The tenant screening market is competitive with numerous tenant screeners (aka consumer reporting agencies or CRAs) battling for business from property managers and...
A Portland-based landlord accused of wrongly evicting a Vancouver renter and her ill mother has agreed to pay $725,000 in what tenant attorneys say is Washington’s...
The moment a property manager issues a denial letter, the professional relationship enters a high-stakes phase. While automated screening tools provide a necessary first...
A New York appeals court struck down a state law banning discrimination against tenants who use Section 8 vouchers, ruling that the 2019 source-of-income protections...
In property management, it’s tempting to lean on zero-tolerance screening policies. They’re fast, efficient, and feel like a safe bet against discrimination claims. But relying solely on an algorithm creates a real problem. When we prioritize a rigid “yes or no” over an actual conversation, we aren’t just being efficient—we’re often creating a legal liability and missing the human context that defines real risk. The challenge today isn’t just about who we let in, but how sophisticated and fair our process is for those we initially turn away. The Illusion of Objective Safety A common mistake in the industry is thinking that a blanket ban is a safe harbor. Many... Read more
Most operators are underestimating how much fraud is getting through their current screening process, even if they think they’ve “tightened things...
The natural instinct for any good property manager is to double-check everything. You have a duty to protect the property and follow the rules fairly for everyone on...
New York City renters are now legally entitled to clear, accessible information about whether stabilized apartments exist in their buildings. Last week, Local Law 86,...
By Nate Bernstein, Managing Attorney of LA Real Estate Law Group and Moriah Foreman, summer legal intern at LARELG. What Is Chun v. Del Cid and Why It Matters for Los...
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