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Can A
Landlord Say No Guns In My Apartments?
Generally a
private landlord can make a decision about whether to say “no guns in
my apartments,” unless a state forbids landlords from banning guns in
apartments or rental property, according to Denny Dobbins, general
legal counsel and vice president of RentPerfect.com.
By John
Triplett
State laws
vary on the issue of what landlords can mandate regarding saying “no
guns in my apartments,” and gun possession in general by tenants in
privately owned rental properties.
Landlords
and property managers need to be aware of whether their state or
local government has specific laws, Dobbins said in an interview with
Rental Housing Journal.
Only four
states have specific statutes laws regarding guns in apartments and
rental properties:
Minnesota
says a landlord cannot restrict the lawful carry or possession of
firearms by tenants or their guests Minnesota Statute 624.714.
Tennessee:
A private landlord can prohibit tenants, including those who hold
handgun carry permits, from possessing firearms within a leased
premises. Such a prohibition may be imposed through a clause in the
lease. Tennessee Statute § 39-17-1307(b).
Virginia
public housing prohibits landlords from restrictions on gun
possession for tenants – Virginia Rental Housing Act 1974 Tennessee
55-248.9.6.
Wisconsin
has a complicated maze of where a weapon can and cannot be possessed.
Wis. Stat. § 175.60(21)(b).
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2019 FORMS
MANUAL ON HOLD
It's been
taking some time to get the changes and new forms integrated with the
online Forms Store and while we were prepared to move forward, the
pending changes to landlord-tenant law encompassed within SB 608 need
to be addressed. It didn't make sense to publish a manual that would
be out of date within weeks, so the ORHA board of directors decided
to delay the release of the manual until we can change our forms to
comply with the new regulations.
The ORHA
Forms Committee is already working to get the revisions done, so that
when the bill is signed into law in March or April, we will be ready
to get updated forms on the website and in print, and publish the
Forms Manual in short order. In the meantime, new and updated forms
that are part of the upcoming manual are available online at www.oregonrentalhousing.com,
which includes the Exterior Property Care Agreement, Fireplace,
Pellet Stove and Woodstove Agreement, Septic Agreement, Well
Agreement, and Weatherization Agreement.
Portland Rents Continue
Decline
Apartment
List
Portland
rents have declined for the second straight month after seeing
the last rent increase in September, according to a new
report from Apartment List.
Portland
rents have declined 0.6% over the past month, and have
decreased moderately by 0.6% in comparison to the same time last
year.
Currently,
median rents in Portland stand at $1,120 for a
one-bedroom apartment and $1,320 for a two-bedroom. Portland’s
year-over-year rent growth lags the state average of -0.2%, as
well as the national average of 1.3%. Rents rising across
cities in the Portland Metro While rent decreases have
been occurring in the city of Portland over the past year,
cities in the rest of the metro are seeing the opposite trend.
Rents
have risen in nine of the largest 10 cities in the Portland
metro for which we have data. Oregon as a whole logged rent
growth of -0.2% over the past year. Here’s a look at how
rents compare across some of the largest cities in the metro.
Looking
throughout the metro, Hillsboro is the most expensive of
all Portland metro’s major cities, with a median
two-bedroom rent of $2,010; of the 10 largest Oregon metro
cities for which we have data, nine have seen rents rise
year-over-year, with Beaverton experiencing the fastest growth
(+1.6%). Gresham, Vancouver, and Corvallis have all
experienced yearover-year growth above the state average (1.6%,
1.6%, and 1.4%, respectively).
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Safety Tips For Landlords
6 Tips For Landlords
Showing Their Rentals
You can
never be too safe when it comes to showing your rental to a
prospective tenant. After all, you probably don’t know the person
very well and it may be your first time meeting them in person.
Reduce your risk by following these safety tips.
1. Know Your
Applicant
ID and
pre-qualify prospective tenants before showing them the property. At
a minimum, get a copy of a driver’s license. Having basic information
on a person is one of the best deterrents to a crime. You can even
meet them in a public location first to get a copy of their
identification.
2. Use the
Buddy System
You could
hold an open house if you have multiple applicants. If you are
planning on meeting one-on-one with an applicant, consider having
someone else at the property. When you meet with the applicant, tell
them that you’re expecting another applicant so that they know you
won’t be alone for long.
Always have
your phone with you at showings. If you’re showing the place by
yourself, have someone call you during the appointment to check in.
You and the caller can have an innocuous phrase for you to say if
you’re feeling uncomfortable and need assistance.
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Simple Ways to Make Tenants Feel at Home
The
landlord-tenant relationship is critical to successful property
management, and like any relationship, a good one requires care to
foster mutual respect.
You
want a tenant who is respectful of amenities and responsible with
up-keeping tasks—changing the air filter, maintaining a pest-free
living space, or making sure the water is running in winter. And a
tenant wants to feel that you are invested in both them and the
property. A tenant who feels that you are ready to meet their needs
is more likely to reciprocate your attentiveness by being thoughtful
in their dealings with you and your property.
A
good relationship means both parties have a vested interest in each
other’s success. For the landlord, this means that a tenant is less
likely to ignore a payment, fail to maintain the property, and is
more willing to come forward in as soon as possible to warn about
emergent circumstances.
So,
what are ways that you can foster that relationship so that your
tenants feel valued?
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Education in Property
Management
