Columns

  While the current law is unsettled, for landlords there’s much more at stake than what the law requires.   MHCO’s  mission is to provide landlords and other community owners with a game plan to train their managers, supervisors, leasing agents, and other representatives how to spot and steer clear of rental and management practices that can…

Question: What can a landlord do about resident’s who deliberately leave water running  to get back at the landlord?  

  Question:  We require that the application for residency in our manufactured housing community be completely filled out - including Social Security numbers.  We require two pieces of identification - one may be a social security card.  However, my understanding is that you cannot use a social security card for identification.  Is that true…

In celebration of Fair Housing Month, 2021, MHCO is highlighting 10 essential rules to help you to comply with fair housing law.   Housing discrimination has been outlawed for more than 50 years, but all too often communities still find themselves on the wrong side of the law and are forced to pay out thousands—and in some cases millions—in…

  Question:  We had a resident that we entered into a stipulated judgment agreement with on March 6, 2020.  This was prior to tenants having the ability to claim financial hardship or having the Moratorium in place. They paid 2 payments but stopped paying the terms of the agreement as well as not paying their current rent payments. Are they…

Contrary to popular belief, housing segregation remains alive and well not just in specific regions of the U.S. but across America. So concluded HUD upon completing its most recent review of the state of fair housing in the U.S. “Real estate agents and rental housing providers recommend and show fewer available homes and apartments to minority…

MHCO Note:  Rent in arrears has become a large problem for community owners as we move out of the COVID-19 crisis.  There has been a lot of media on executive orders banning evictions for nonpayment of rent and grace periods for residents who are falling behind in their rent payments.  There has been less attention paid to the resources that are…

One of the most frequently asked questions on the MHCO Landlord/Manager hot line or seminars is assistance animals.  Here are five questions and answers to help provide some guidance.

A tree that was never known by anyone including the tenant, or the landlord, to be considered a “hazard tree” prior to a windstorm, later falls and does no damage.  This tree was neither planted by the current tenant, nor the community.[1]     Question No. 1. Given that there was no negligence by anyone, is the damage done by the windstorm…

The last thing you or your residents would ever want is to have murderers, rapists, drug dealers, arsonists, and other dangerous criminals in your community. And because “criminals” aren’t among the people that fair housing laws protect, it’s okay to refuse to rent to persons who have a record of committing these crimes. Right? Wrong! Denying…