Home & Property
Renting, owning, maintaining and the paperwork attached to where you live.
What a Security Deposit Actually Covers, and What It Cannot
Landlords can deduct for damage but not for wear. The line between the two is drawn more tightly than most tenants think.
The Repairs a Landlord Must Make, and How to Compel Them
Habitability is a legal standard, not a courtesy. The steps you take, in order, decide your leverage.
How Your Property Tax Bill Is Calculated, and How to Challenge It
Assessed value times the local rate, minus exemptions you have to claim. Two of those three are contestable.
HOA Rules: What They Can Enforce and Where the Limits Sit
The documents you accepted at closing run with the land. So do the limits on what a board can do with them.
What a Home Inspection Covers, and What It Never Will
An inspection is a visual survey by a generalist, on one day. Reading the report well matters more than the pass-fail question buyers want it to answer.
Moving: The Paperwork Checklist
The notifications that prevent lost mail, lapsed coverage and fines, in the order to do them.