Residential Occupancy Limits & Fair Housing
John M. Mione, the Firm’s Director of Operations and Senior Attorney was published in this month’s e-News for the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan. In the article, he examines the vanishing of the “Two Heartbeats Per Bedroom” rule and how fair housing laws are impacting residential occupancy limits. Allegations of discrimination often arise out of […]
Credit Cards: Charging Into the Future of Rental Payments?
Electronic payments are used for many transactions in modern day life. It seems obvious then, that credit cards could also be used to pay rent. There is a growing trend of landlords considering accepting rent payments via credit card and some are even investing in software that allows tenants to pay online. Others are contemplating […]
Small Claims Don’t Have To Be Big Issues
A ‘small claims’ lawsuit is a type of action that is limited in the dollar amount in controversy and the parties generally cannot be represented by an attorney. The reasoning behind this is to presumably make the court system more accessible and allow for parties to represent themselves for disputes that are for a relatively […]
Termination of Tenancy – A Friendly Reminder From The 1980’s
The 1980’s are long gone. No more parachute pants or shoulder pads and no one still listens to music on a Walkman. MTV has stuck around (although they don’t play videos anymore) as well as a Michigan eviction case from 1982 called Park Forest of Blackman v. Smith.[1] This case is the reason why we […]
What Is Rent Anyway?
You wouldn’t think it would be hard to agree on what the word “rent” means. But then you’ve never been a landlord renting a property to a tenant and been in front of a judge trying to get that property back. If you were to ask a tenant what “rent” is, they would probably say it’s […]
THE LEGAL BUZZ: What Landlords Need to Know About the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act
The Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MCL 333.26421) was enacted in 2008. However, recently in a positive development for property owners, MI Senate Bill 72 was signed into law by Governor Snyder.[1] It amends the Act to allow a landlord to outright prohibit the smoking and growing of marihuana, irrespective if the tenant has the license […]
5 Ways A Landlord Can Decrease Evictions
Evictions cost everyone: landlords, property managers, even tenants. Legal costs, time spent at court, and lost rent while finding a new tenant all harm a property owner’s Net Operating Income (NOI). It is therefore vital for landlords to understand how to decrease evictions not only to optimize NOI, but also to reap the benefits of […]
Bed Bugs, Bites, and Landlords’ Rights
Detroit continues to be in the top 10 in the nation for bed bug infestations.[1] That’s why lawmakers in Michigan have been itching for years for ways to address the bed bug epidemic as it relates to landlords and tenants. The main issue is who has the burden to pay the costs for removal. Since […]
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