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The article discusses how the use of algorithmic tenant screening systems in housing can perpetuate biases and discrimination, despite the Fair Housing Act's attempts to end such unfair treatment. The algorithms used in these systems often consider factors such as criminal records, credit reports, and civil court records to predict the suitability of prospective tenants. However, these algorithms can still be influenced by biases related to race and source of income. Lawsuits have been filed against companies that provide these screening systems, highlighting the need for reform and accountability in addressing algorithmic bias. Efforts have been made to promote transparency, data accuracy, and the inclusion of housing vouchers in the screening process. The article emphasizes the importance of combining objective data and technology with human common sense to address the civil rights issues associated with tenant screening. [Extracted from the article]

But not all tenants are willing to permit the landlord to build out their leasehold improvements, and not all landlords want to take on the job of satisfying their tenants' construction requirements. Most work letters require the landlord to construct the improvements that are needed for the tenant's occupancy of the leased space-we covered this type of work letter in Part One. The landlord should not be as concerned about increases in costs or the time of construction because the tenant, not the landlord, should be the party at risk for construction costs and timing. One often-overlooked area for both parties is the role of the allowance in the landlord's damages if the tenant defaults and the landlord terminates the lease. [Extracted from the article]

Medical Cannabis Tenants Need Patient Protections in Federally Assisted Housing One of the most fascinating aspects of cannabis law in America is that, despite marijuana being illegal at the federal level, almost every state allows for its legal use in some form or fashion. Additional states allow for low-THC medical cannabis, but these state programs are so restrictive that they are typically not considered legal medical states. [Extracted from the article]

With news media outlets covering COVID-19 daily, it's no secret that fear of the disease has taken the nation by storm. Statutes and Other Laws Landlords Should Consider Before Acting in a COVID-19 World Before considering what statutes will protect COVID-19-positive tenants from discrimination by landlords or other property owners, landlords may wonder why they have to protect tenants from COVID-19 at all. COVID-19 is a dangerous disease that spreads easily, and, although the issue has not been litigated yet, it is possible that the implied warranty of habitability would foist at least some responsibility on landlords to try to mitigate the spread of the virus within their properties. Although the above analysis should spur caution from landlords regarding their treatment of tenants with COVID19, landlords still must consider how they will protect their non-affected tenants as much as possible. [Extracted from the article]

The press release highlights the Bureau's five key takeaways from the reports, including that, according to the CFPB, tenant background check content has questionable relevance for landlords, and that renters generally pay for the background checks but frequently do not see them and have difficulty getting errors corrected. On November 15, 2022, the CFPB issued a press release that summarizes the findings of two new reports on the tenant background screening industry. [Extracted from the article]

The article reports that American Bar Association (ABA) develops 10 guidelines to aid tenants and landlords dealing with evictions. It mentions statistics showing that more than a half million Americans experienced homelessness in 2020, and that COVID-19 put even more people at risk. It also mentions tenants facing eviction should receive ample opportunity to prepare for their hearing, including through formal discovery.

The article offers information on his first court case where the civil division of Legal Services, assisting the many poor, unsophisticated tenants being tossed into the gutter by often heartless landlords. Topics include examines that hundreds crowded the cavernous, dilapidated courtroom, overseen by judges, court officers, and clerks with harsh demeanors and angry voices.

Docket No. 15-1485 Reversed and Remanded: The District of Columbia Circuit Argued: October 4, 2017 Decided: January 22, 2018 Analysis: ABA PREVIEW 21, Issue 1 Overview: Police officers responded to [...]

A lease is an "insured contract" (except for the portions that require a tenant to indemnify its landlord for fire damage to the leased premises), as are a few other types of agreements. The good news is that a landlord's lawyer can plug some of these gaps through tenants' indemnity agreements and the limited contractual liability coverage automatically provided under most tenant liability policies. If the landlord's lawyer provides it with both the additional insured belt and indemnity suspenders, then even if a claim is within an additional insurance gap, the landlord can be covered because of the indemnity obligations the tenant has assumed and the contractual liability provisions of the tenant's liability policy. [Extracted from the article]

Senator Brown's letter cited cases in which tenant screening companies issued reports with inaccurate information, which may lead to denied rental applications and higher security deposits. In April of 2021, Senator Sherrod Brown, Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, sent letters to ten tenant screening companies, expressing concerns with inaccuracies in tenant screening reports and requesting information regarding the companies' Fair Credit Reporting Act compliance policies and procedures. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers information on the commercial landlords increasingly found liable for actions of rogue tenants who sell counterfeit goods. It discusses the incidence where a woman walked into a souvenir shop on Canal Street in New York City and bargain price on an Omega watch, along with information that the woman working for an investigative firm hired by Omega and Swatch, which had been battling counterfeit sales for years.