Landlord Tenant Lawyers Near You

Leases or rental agreements bind many individuals in today’s hot rental market. Whether for residential or commercial purposes, rental properties are common in the U.S., and in other countries for that matter, because of their clear advantages, as well as their vital role in the economy.

For tenants, getting a rental property is the more economical option as opposed to shelling out thousands of dollars to purchase property. It is the more logical option, too, for those who are not yet looking for a place to settle and are just considering short-term goals for the time being.

For landlords, having their properties leased out is also a practical choice. For one, it prevents their owned properties from being idle. Instead of listing these properties as a financial liability, they can actually make money out of this proprietorship. In fact, in the U.S., it has been reported that landlords in the country have an average income of almost $100,000 a year. Imagine receiving this amount from rental income alone, while also bringing in funds from other sources.

Given the prevalence of landlord-tenant agreements, it is important that parties to this kind of contract know their legal rights and have proper guidance when it comes to those legal issues. Whether you are a renter or a landlord, look for the best landlord-tenant attorney near you for consultation, guidance, and protection on legal matters.

What Is a Landlord-Tenant Lawyer?

A landlord-tenant lawyer is one who specializes in legal issues surrounding lease or rental agreements. Being a legal expert in the field, a landlord-tenant lawyer knows the particularities involving landlord and tenancy rights as well as the common legal concerns that landlords and renters have to regularly deal with.

A landlord-tenant lawyer for the most part assists in legal disputes between the two contracting parties in a lease agreement. Some of these most common landlord-tenant disputes involve:

• Nonpayment of rent
• Settlement of interests and taxes
• Rental property damage
• Security deposits
• Habitability concerns
• Rental property maintenance

Most certainly, when you encounter these issues, hiring a lawyer for landlord-tenant near you is particularly vital.

What Does a Landlord-Tenant Attorney Do?

The role of a landlord-tenant attorney is crucial during the entire tenancy process. As earlier mentioned, this person is presumably experienced when it comes to handling landlord-tenant disputes, as well as other legal matters that do not necessarily involve a controversy.

Specifically, a landlord-tenant lawyer is expected to do some of the following:

• Help draft the lease contract
• Ensure that the terms of the agreement are in accordance with law
• Negotiate with the other party to protect the interest of the landlord-tenant client
• Be available for consultation and give legal advice regarding the parties’ lease arrangement
• Help enforce the terms when the other party is in violation of the lease contract
• Represent the landlord-tenant client in the event of summary or eviction process
• Attend court proceedings, should there be any

When Do I Hire a Landlord-Tenant Lawyer?

As discussed earlier, both landlord or tenant should engage the services of a landlord-tenant lawyer early on, even before any dispute arises. Of course, this is optional on the part of either party. However, when the following occurrences happen, hiring a landlord-tenant lawyer becomes critical and mandatory:

• Eviction: If you are a renter who receives an eviction notice from your landlord, you will need a landlord-tenant lawyer to apprise you of tenant rights and assist you moving forward. If you are a landlord, you will want legal advice from a landlord-tenant attorney regarding the propriety of an eviction and other possible solutions on how to deal with a nonpaying tenant.
• Violation of terms under the lease or rental agreement: When you learn the other party is violating or has violated your contract, you must not take matters into your own hands. While dealing with the problem yourself is not technically unlawful, there is a tendency that you do something that might worsen the situation, say, if you respond with an act that is also in contravention of the lease agreement. So, in such a case, hiring a landlord-tenant lawyer is vital.
• Illegal discrimination: There are fair housing laws in place precisely to prevent instances of tenant discrimination. However, even with such existing laws, there are still cases of renters being discriminated against and, correspondingly, discrimination accusations against landlords. When confronted by this situation, you will want to consult a landlord-tenant lawyer.
• Case involving injury or illness: At times, tenants would pin the blame on their landlords in case of an injury or illness occurring on the rental property. Since this is a case for premises liability under personal injury, a personal injury lawyer might be the most competent person to assist either party. Nonetheless, the help of a landlord-tenant lawyer would also be beneficial, especially if there is a need to enforce the lease contract.

How Do I Choose the Right Landlord-Tenant Attorney Near Me?

Hiring the best landlord-tenant attorney near you calls for careful consideration of a number of factors. You will not only need to take into account your circumstances and needs, but you will also have to make sure that you are engaging the services of an attorney who is highly qualified to assist you in the current landlord-tenant issue.

In essence, some of the most important things to consider in choosing the right landlord-tenant attorney are:

• License: Does the landlord-tenant lawyer have a valid license to practice the profession in my area?
• Location: Is the landlord-tenant lawyer in my area, so that he-she is highly knowledgeable with relevant state laws and is convenient to visit?
• Experience: Does the landlord-tenant lawyer have years of experience in handling landlord-tenant issues and legal disputes? Does the lawyer have expertise in protecting tenant interests? Or landlord interests?
• Cost: How much would it cost me to engage the services connected with the landlord-tenant law?

There are, of course, other important points to keep in mind. For one, you may want to look at client reviews, positive success rate, professionalism, among others. You also want someone who is genuinely interested in protecting your rights, whether as a landlord or as a tenant.

How Much Does a Landlord-Tenant Lawyer Usually Cost?

There is no correct and straightforward answer as to how much a landlord-tenant lawyer usually costs. This is because there are several factors that come into play, such as:

• Location: Much like the cost of goods, hiring a landlord-tenant lawyer will often cost more in large cities than in smaller towns. This is because of higher rents for law firms in huge metropolitan areas, as opposed to other districts far from and outside the metro.
• Experience: As might be expected, landlord-tenant lawyers who have gained more experience and a good reputation in the industry charge more than others would. So, if you are looking to hire a landlord-tenant attorney with, say, more than 30 years’ experience, you can expect to pay more than if you hire one with fewer years of practice.
• Manner of charging: Most landlord-tenant lawyers charge by the hour ($300 on the average), while there are those that offer a flat-fee legal service. Usually, the hourly billing method would cost more since the client will have to pay for every time the lawyer works on the case. However, as the client, you can set a limit in your retainer agreement as to the number of hours you want your landlord-tenant lawyer to spend on your account.
• Services: As previously emphasized, different clients have different needs. If your circumstances require extensive work on the part of the landlord-tenant attorney, of course, you can expect that you will have to shoulder more cost. More work and more services, naturally, mean more fees to pay.