Guides
18 guides. Where a guide states a figure, a cap or a deadline, it names the statute it came from and the date that page was read.
Deposits & Move-Out
5 guides
Security Deposit Laws by State
Caps, holding rules, interest and return deadlines in all 50 states.
11 min
What Is a Security Deposit?
What it is, what it is not, and what it can legally be used for.
6 min
Security Deposit Deductions
Damage versus ordinary wear and tear, and what you must document.
8 min
Security Deposit Return Deadlines
The clock in every state, when it starts, and the penalty for missing it.
7 min
Security Deposit Small Claims Court
What happens when a deposit dispute is filed, and how landlords lose them.
8 min
Rent, Fees & Returns
3 guides
Rent Increase Laws
When you can raise rent, how much notice, and where caps apply.
9 min
How to Raise Rent on a Tenant
Timing, the letter, the conversation, and the renewal you want to keep.
7 min
Landlord Tax Deductions
What Schedule E actually lets you take, line by line.
10 min
Leases & Notices
8 guides
How to Write a Lease Agreement
The clauses a self-managed landlord writes, in the order they belong.
12 min
What Is a Lease Agreement?
What the document does, who it binds, and when it stops binding them.
6 min
Lease vs Rental Agreement
Fixed term against month-to-month, and which one your market wants.
6 min
Month-to-Month Lease
Flexibility, notice periods, and the rent premium that pays for both.
7 min
Lease Renewal Guide
Renew, convert or let it roll — and the letter for each.
7 min
How to File an Eviction Notice
The filing sequence, what the clerk needs, and what voids a filing.
10 min
Types of Eviction Notices
Pay-or-quit, cure-or-quit, unconditional quit — and when each applies.
8 min
Landlord Right of Entry
Notice you must give, hours you may enter, and emergencies that waive it.
7 min
Screening & Software
2 guides
Tenant Screening Guide
Criteria, the report, adverse action, and the FCRA line you must not cross.
11 min
Tenant Screening Questions
What to ask an applicant, and the questions that are illegal to ask.
7 min