Renting out your St George houses for rent to make extra side income can be a great idea, but it comes with some legal obligations as well. The law in Utah sets various responsibilities for landlords, ranging from the amount of security deposit you can ask to what questions can you ask in the rental applications.
To ensure you don’t get yourself into trouble and end up paying hefty penalties, here are the top ten legal responsibilities landlords should follow in Utah.
Compliance with anti-discrimination laws
When selecting tenants, you might consider several factors such as negative references, criminal history, bad credit score, etc. to reject applications. However, you are legally bound to not discriminate against the prospective tenants based on their ethnicity, caste, religion, or nationality. The Fair Housing Act protects these categories. You can also not discriminate on a person’s source of income; however, you can consider rejecting an application if the overall income is low enough to not pay rent every month.
State rent rules
Renting is a renowned way to make money. If you feel your rentals in St George Utah are at an excellent location, and you can raise the rent, there are certain rules and procedures you need to follow. If your tenants are not paying rent on time, you are legally allowed to remove them from your house, but only after giving a three-day notice.
State security deposit limits and return rules
One of the major disputes between landlords and tenants is security deposits. Thus, a landlord needs to be acquainted with the state rules like you should be returning the security deposit in a maximum of 30 days once the tenant has moved out. The best way to avoid disputes is to send a documented landlord-tenant checklist and security deposit itemization.
Hospitable housing
Landlords need to keep the homes for rent in St George Utah livable. If you ignore necessary repairs like damaged stairs or broken heaters, tenants have legal options to penalize you. Therefore, you should have a repair and maintenance system in which you constantly check for issues in the rental premises and get them fixed to ensure no tenants are harmed or injured due to defects in the rental.
Rental agreement or legal written lease
A legal agreement with your tenant states details of the rental contract, including the time the tenant has to occupy the rental. This lease consists of all the rules and regulations both you and the tenant should follow. However, if you mention illegal clauses in the agreement, like maintenance and repairs, or disclosures, you can be dispersing yourself into legal troubles.
Make required disclosures
Landlords need to make certain disclosures to tenants, including any non-refundable fee or extra charges. In addition, make sure you comply with the necessary federal disclosures to avoid large penalties.
Tenant’s privacy
As per the Utah law, landlords cannot enter your houses for rent in St George Utah without providing a 24 hours notice. If you want to make some repairs or show the house to other prospective tenants, make sure you inform your existing tenants beforehand. You can avoid such issues by specifying in the rental agreement about what rights you want to enter the rental property. Also, be sure to document all your previous and future requests for entering the rental premises.
Don’t retaliate with the tenants
In Utah and all other states, tenants have legal rights that they can exercise if you try to raise them, kick them out, or avoid unsafe living conditions promptly. You can put yourself into further trouble by retaliating with the tenants if they want to take the legal route. If you feel the tenant’s claims are false, you should maintain a document indicating how you make the repairs, when you raised the rent, when did you send an eviction notice, and other details of your relationship with the tenant.
Follow termination or evacuation rules
Some tenants are just a pain to keep up with, and if you want to remove them for inappropriate behavior or failure to pay rent, you can do so, but with a proper procedure. You have to gove a three days notice to evict your st George homes for rent. Not following the lawyers can not only delay the eviction process but can put you in trouble as well.
Know your rights as well.
Although some laws can limit what landlords can do with their tenants, several legal rules allow you to take action against tenants as well. Be sure to stay updated with these regulations to ensure your tenants are not taking the wrong advantage of you.
Conclusion
As a landlord, there are some legal laws to follow to ensure you are providing your tenants with the best experience. Keep in mind these legal responsibilities you should be following if you are contemplating renting out your home.