Question: My rental property is a house in a rural area. I do allow animals but do not want any pit bulls. Can I specifically state that?
Answer: You can determine what type of animals, if any, you allow on the property and should make this clear in the lease or lease addendum. If the animal is a support animal for a disabled resident, however, different rules apply.
Ted Kimball
Kimball, Tirey & St. John LLP
Question: Our tenant has a roommate who is paying him half the rent. The roommate is not on the rental agreement. When the tenant vacates, can I ask the roommate to also vacate without evicting him?
Answer: Your tenant is not “off the hook” until you regain possession. If you accepted rent directly from the roommate, the roommate most likely became your tenant as well. If the roommate doesn’t vacate when the tenant moves out, you will have to go through with the eviction process. The best idea is to have them both on the agreement.
Question: If a tenant gives a 30-day notice on the 15th of the month, is it legal to charge the tenant the full rent for the next month and return the prorated remainder of the rent once the resident has turned in the keys?
Answer: No, the tenant is only required to pay the pro-rata portion of the rent for the next month.
Kimball, Tirey & St. John LLP is a full service real estate law firm representing residential and commercial property owners and managers. This article is for general information purposes only. Laws may have changed since this article was published. Before acting, be sure to receive legal advice from our office. If you have questions, please contact your local KTS office. For contact information, please visit our website: www.kts-law.com. For past Legal Alerts, Questions & Answers, and Legal Articles, please consult the resource library section of our website.