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19 articles
What a lease guarantor company costs
If you can't meet a landlord's income rule and don't have a relative who qualifies as a guarantor, a company will do it …
The cheapest month to sign a lease in 50 big cities, and how much waiting can save
Rent follows a seasonal pattern almost everywhere: lowest in winter, highest in summer. In New York the gap between the …
Can you use your security deposit as last month's rent? In Texas it can cost you triple
Skipping last month's rent and letting the landlord keep the deposit is a common idea and often a costly one. In Texas, …
What a landlord can and can't take out of your security deposit
The deposit fight almost always comes down to one line: normal wear versus damage. Here's where that line actually sits,…
An eviction can stay on your rental record for seven years. Here's how to rent anyway
Federal law lets screening companies report an eviction case for up to seven years. Some states seal records much sooner…
Heat season has started. Here's how warm your landlord has to keep your apartment
Heat season is underway in much of the country. In New York City, landlords must keep apartments at 68 degrees during th…
How to fight a security deposit deduction and actually get it back
A questionable deposit deduction isn't the end of it. The process to challenge one is short, cheap, and tilted more towa…
Your landlord sold the building. What happens to your lease?
Getting a letter that says the property has new owners tends to read like an eviction warning. In almost every case the …
How to value a rent concession, now that 2 in 5 listings come with one
Almost 40% of rentals now come with a free month or another deal. Here's the math that shows what a concession is really…
What you need to earn to afford rent
Flip the affordability rule around and it answers the question renters actually ask: my rent is X, what do I need to mak…
How to actually get your landlord to fix something
Asking nicely works until it doesn't. Here is the sequence that turns a broken furnace into a legal obligation, and the …
Your first apartment costs a lot more than the rent
The rent is the number everyone plans for. The three other cost waves are what blindside first-time renters, and they ad…
HUD narrowed assistance animal rules, and most ESA advice online is now out of date
For years the answer to whether a landlord could charge pet rent for an emotional support animal was a clear no. At the …
How to calculate prorated rent, and the one method that quietly overcharges you
Moving in mid-month means paying for part of it. The math is simple, but landlords use three different day-counts, and t…
The 3x rent rule: what income a landlord needs to see to approve you
The 30% rule is your budget. The 3x rule is the landlord's approval gate, and it's the one that actually decides whether…
Military renters can break a lease without penalty. Most never use the right
Federal law gives service members a lease-termination right that overrides whatever the lease says about early exit fees…
When your landlord can walk in, and how much notice they owe you
A landlord owning the building does not mean they can come in whenever they like. Here is what notice actually requires …
Your roommate's unpaid rent is legally your problem. Here is what to put in writing.
Signing a lease with roommates usually means signing for all of it. Here is what joint and several liability actually do…
The insurance your landlord sells you at signing often pays them, not you
Plenty of renters sign an insurance add-on at the leasing office and assume they are covered. Many of those policies are…