Saturday, March 25, 2023

Legal Department

The Legal Department area helps landlords and property managers keep up with the ever-changing government regulation at the local, state and national level.

Ultimate guide to assistance animals in rental property

Landlords To Pay $6,000 To Settle Assistance Animal HUD Complaint

A landlord who told a woman with an assistance animal she could not rent an apartment because there was a no-pet policy due to new hardwood floors, has settled a discrimination complaint with the...
rent bidding

Rent Bidding Company Sues Seattle Over Ordinance Banning Bidding

A startup company that connects landlords and renters through a rent bidding system on its website has sued the City of Seattle in federal court over a city moratorium that bans rent bidding. The lawsuit...

Man Awarded $20 Million After Fall Through Portland Apartment Walkway

A jury has found a Portland apartment complex failed to make proper repairs to a walkway and awarded $20 million to a man who fell through the Portland apartment walkway, according to reports. The man,...

Portland City Commissioner Seeks To Regulate Tenant Screening

Portland City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly is seeking to regulate tenant screening by following a similar path to Seattle’s first-in-time ordinance and require Portland landlords to take a first-come, first-served approach to tenants, according to...

California Landlords Settle Over ‘No Criminal Record’ And Discrimination

California landlords have reached a settlement and agreed to pay $8,000 after a complaint alleging they used a policy of “no criminal or police record of any kind,” and in addition discriminated on the...

Landlords Sue Seattle Over Criminal Background Check Restrictions

Three small landlords have banded together with two organizations to sue the City of Seattle over a criminal background checks ordinance that keeps landlords from considering certain criminal histories of tenants during the tenant...

5 Ways To Protect Applicants, Residents And Employees With Sexual Harassment Training

Do you know best practices when it comes to avoiding sexual harassment complaints? The Grace Hill training tip of the week focuses on 5 ways to protect your applicants, residents and employees from sexual harassment. By Ellen Clark Recent high-profile...

HUD Settles With Landlords Over Sexual Harassment In Housing

Sexual harassment in housing complaints by tenants continue to be a HUD focus as HUD and the U.S. Department of Justice have combined to fight sexual harassment in housing which has led to fines...

Landlord Attorney Warns Cities May Have To Follow Portland Tenant Relocation Payments Ordinance

A Portland landlord attorney has written to other city attorneys in Oregon warning them that they could soon see a push in their city for an ordinance similar to Portland’s requiring tenant relocation payments...

Tacoma Votes To Make Landlords Give 90-Day Notice Before Evictions

The Tacoma City Council has adopted a temporary ordinance that requires property owners to give 90 days notice to tenants who are being evicted due to building demolition, renovation or change of use. That ordinance will...