Indiana bars its cities and towns from writing rules on security deposits, lease terms, screening or fees, unless the legislature grants an exception. The parts that protect a renter are often the ones that nobody at the lease signing reads out loud. These are the things Indiana landlords can’t legally do to renters in 2026….
Arizona is giving up 760,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water a year, more than any other state, under a federal water-sharing deal finalized this year. That number lands on a lot of front yards. Cities, water providers and homeowners associations have all been tightening outdoor rules since, and the HOA ones catch newcomers first. These…
Ohio Realtors counted 12,723 home sales across the state in July alone. Many one of those started with a walkthrough that lasted about twenty minutes. These are the home features Ohio buyers love during a showing but regret after moving in. 1. Open-Concept Great Room An open-concept great room lets buyers picture holiday dinners together…
A Texas city can fine a resident up to $500 for an ordinary ordinance violation, and up to $4,000 for illegal dumping, under the Local Government Code. An HOA has nothing close to that reach. The two rulebooks cover different ground, and homeowners tend to blame the wrong one. These are the things a Texas…
Florida’s median rent ran $1,812 a month in 2024, according to USAFacts’ analysis of Census data. A security deposit is often where a tenant thinks the accounting ends, but Florida law says otherwise. These are the charges a Florida landlord can add after a tenant moves out. Note: This is general information, not legal advice….
A Manhattan small claims court ordered a management company to hand back a tenant’s $1,327.93 deposit, then added $2,655.86 on top of it. The larger number is the maximum New York allows. These are the things New York tenants can claim when a landlord keeps their deposit. Note: This is general information, not legal advice….
Almost 30,000 households in Lancaster County still heat with fuel oil. That’s more than one in eight homes there, per the Census Bureau’s 2024 survey. A lot of that oil sits in tanks nobody has looked at in decades. One of them can sit in a yard for decades and then stop a sale in…
One North Carolina homeowner paid $35,000 for a kitchen remodel that never got finished. They sued, won a judgment, and still waited nearly two years for a partial payout, WRAL News reported. A homeowner in that position has recourse. But the fund is the last stop, not the first, and many factors determine how long…
New York City co-op boards now have 45 days to answer a purchase application, under a law the City Council passed this year. They still don’t have to say why. A board can turn down a fully qualified buyer for reasons that never touch their finances, and the courts have let that stand for decades….
A California homeowner writes a check for half the cost of a new roof before a single shingle comes off the truck. That check breaks state law. The legal ceiling on a deposit sits far lower than people expect. These are the questions California homeowners should ask before hiring any repairperson. Note: General information only,…
