In renting an apartment or a house you will lose some of your privacy rights.
Anyone Home? Your landlord will be able to enter your home to make repairs and in certain cases to make inspections. Your lease should outline when and how your landlord will be able to enter your apartment. If your lease does not specify this your landlord may be able to enter without giving you advanced notification.
Your lease should state:
WHEN: Your landlord should be able to enter only during reasonable hours. 2:00 A.M. is not reasonable.
HOW: Generally he should give you 24 hour notice.
WHY: He must have a sound reason for entering your home such as making a needed repair or to make a necessary inspections. A valid inspection would be to check for leaks or ensuring that his no-pet policy is being followed. Your landlord cannot enter your apartment just to snoop around.
EMERGENCIES - In this case when life and property are at risk as in the case of a fire or broken water pipe no notice is needed.
Moving Your Pet
Getting through the emotional stress of moving is difficult enough for adults and children. But what about pets, a species with whom we can't even level? Pet owners are often baffled by their pets' behavior during and after a move. Sometimes it's a personality change, a regression in housebreaking habits or a sudden unexplained illness. Even if you don't notice something that dramatic, there's no question that your faithful companion is feeling stress. How do you move your pet and keep the strain to an absolute minimum -- both to yourself and your beloved pet?
Is That Apartment Hazardous to Your Health?
When you sign a lease committing yourself to a unit in an apartment complex or building, you're agreeing to live in close quarters with strangers. You're also making the assumption that your building will be properly managed and maintained. That includes such factors as air quality and adequate pest control. As a tenant, you have rights, of course, but some of the most serious threats to your health -- such as carbon monoxide -- are ones you can't even see or smell.
Does The Landlord Have To Clean The Apartment Before I Move In?
QUESTION:What can I do about a landlord who promised a clean and newly painted apartment before we moved in, but didn't deliver? We have moved in because we had nowhere else to go, but I am concerned about our children's health and the total well-being of our family. Can I report the unhealthy living conditions to the health department? Please let me know of my legal rights or how to go about this problem in a dignified manner.
