It doesn’t matter if they have one or more homes for rent in Southern California, every landlord has at one time made legal mistakes which were very costly.
In this issue of our San Diego Property Management tips, we’re going to share with your common legal mistakes most landlords make and how to avoid them.
Mistake #1 – Not Renting to Tenants Based on Their Gender, Race or Status
One of the costliest mistakes that many landlords in California have made in the past is discriminating against tenants based on their gender, race, or status.
Discrimination in all forms is illegal in California so to avoid this you must make sure that the same screening process is followed for every tenant.
Following the same screening process with each tenant, including asking the same screening questions, and using the same application, will ensure that Fair Housing Act violations are avoided and all applications are screened the same way.
Mistake #2 – Not Disclosing Information About Your Rental Property
As a landlord, another important thing you must do when renting your property is disclose any potentially negative information about the rental property that a tenant would want to know. This includes if the mold was found in the rental, or if someone died on the premises in the past.
To avoid not disclosing information about the property when renting it, you should create a list of disclosures to hand to a tenant during the application process since this will help you to avoid having to remember to disclose this information to the potential tenant.
Mistake #3 – Entering the Rental Without Giving Notice
Another common mistake that some landlords have made in the past if entering a rental property without giving 24-hour notice.
Even though you may own the rental property, you’re required by law to give notice when you want to enter regardless if it’s to do an inspection, make a repair, or show the property to a potential tenant.
Avoid entering the property without giving 24-hour notice, by printing a notice to enter the property and placing it on the front door of your rental. Doing this will ensure that your renter sees the notice when they enter the property and will be aware of when you plan on entering the rental.
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Contact Utopia Management today by calling us at (858) 598-1111 or connect with us online.