Legal Q&A:

Legal Q&A: Tenant claims burglar damaged window. Who is responsible for repair?

October 9, 2017

Question: My tenant has some damage to the outside window to the house I rent to them. The tenant claims the damage was done by a burglary attempt, but I suspect they locked themselves out and damaged the window when trying to get back in. Who is responsible for the repair?

Answer: Unless proved otherwise, damage to the premises caused by unknown third parties, acts of nature, or unexplainable are the responsibility of the landlord.

Question: We just recently purchased a property with below-market rents and intend on raising rents. Which is preferable: to send out a 30-day notice to raise the rent first, or to have the residents sign a month-to-month agreement, then sent out a 30-day notice?

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I recently needed to take a few hours of classes to complete my Recertification as a CAA California Certified Residential Manager. I found it very convenient to do this through on demand classes at my office. The classes are well done and gave great education to further my property management skills. I even registered my maintenance team to listen to some of the classes. It benefited us all.
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