Tenant Screening: A Legally Defensible Process That Actually Works
Written criteria, income and credit standards, verifying employment and rental history, FCRA and fair housing compliance, and advers…
Alina Chen
Editor, Property Management · CPM candidate, former regional manager
Alina managed a 1,400-unit scattered-site portfolio for nine years and has sat through more eviction dockets than she cares to count. She covers leasing, screening, maintenance systems, and landlord-tenant law.
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Articles by Alina (8)
Property Management
Property Management
Lease Agreements: The Clauses That Matter and the Ones That Are Void
Essential lease provisions, security deposit rules, maintenance and entry terms, unenforceable clauses, and renewal strategy.
Property Management
The Eviction Process: Notice, Filing, Judgment, and What Not to Do
How eviction actually proceeds, notice requirements, common landlord errors that restart the clock, cost and timeline, and alternati…
Property Management
Maintenance Systems: Triage, Vendors, and Preventive Programs
Categorizing requests by urgency, building a vendor bench, preventive maintenance schedules, and the documentation that protects you…
Insurance
Landlord Insurance: Dwelling Fire Policies, Loss of Rent, and Umbrella Coverage
Why a homeowners policy does not cover a rental, DP-1 through DP-3 forms, loss of rents, liability limits, and requiring tenant rent…
Legal Resources
Landlord-Tenant Law: The Framework Behind Every Rental
Implied warranty of habitability, entry rights, security deposits, retaliation and discrimination prohibitions, and where state law …
Home Improvement
The Home Maintenance Schedule That Prevents Expensive Repairs
Monthly, seasonal, and annual maintenance tasks organized by system, with the failure each one prevents.
Property Management
Five Tenant Screening Mistakes That Create Legal Exposure
The screening errors that produce fair housing complaints and bad placements.