landlord

Why are rental prices going up?

Not enough new construction and the tight market for homebuyers have exacerbated an existing housing shortage. But there is more to it than that. There is a concentration of ownership into large businesses that own and manage a growing percentage of America’s rental housing market. Unfortunately, building more housing may make the problem worse for

By |2022-10-27T13:53:21-04:00November 2nd, 2022|Categories: Living Local|Tags: , , |

The Landlord is Selling!

The landlord’s point of view: 2020 was a hard year for landlords. Vacancy was higher than normal. It was difficult to keep apartments full. Tenants had legitimate problems being unable to pay the rent. It was difficult to get repairs done, since workers were heavily booked and tenants were reluctant (legitimately) to let them in…

By |2021-07-25T12:04:31-04:00July 28th, 2021|Categories: House Hunting|Tags: , , , , |

Section 8: It just got better in Somerville

Lest it be forgotten in our virus-obsessed state, April in Fair Housing Month. I have been on the Fair Housing Commission in Somerville for seven years. This year, our events were cancelled. There are two things that need to be said: Fair Housing and affordable housing are interrelated in our communities. That is why I

By |2020-07-23T07:10:04-04:00April 22nd, 2020|Categories: Happy Home Ownership|Tags: , , , , , , |

Short-Term Rentals

Short-term rentals have their place as a way to make money in real estate. Like any other new business model, it functions like the Wild West. Some people make a fortune. Some of those people do a good business. Some use the loosened regulation as a way to rent poor-quality spaces and avoid taxes. When

By |2021-11-01T16:02:34-04:00January 23rd, 2019|Categories: Living Local, Legal questions|Tags: , , |

When can the landlord come in?

Where is the line between taking care of the property and leaving the tenants alone? One of the sore-points for tenants is that some landlords are not respectful of the tenant’s right to “quiet enjoyment” of their space. A landlord may come in too frequently, may not give notice, and may not cooperate to enter

Apartments for sale

It's starting. My phone is ringing because landlords are notifying their tenants of their plans to sell the apartment. Some will renovate, some will just sell. When a seller puts an occupied apartment on the market, it takes some diplomacy to make it work. Someone lives there, and it's for sale: Showing rented houses and

By |2017-04-18T13:17:36-04:00June 14th, 2017|Categories: Buying trends, Market data and conditions, thinking of selling?|Tags: , , |