Articles Index
A Fan to Keep You Warm?
Did you know that ceiling fans can also help you keep warm in the winter
Get Free or Low-Cost Rental Advice from a Housing Counselor
HUD sponsors housing counseling agencies throughout the country that provide information and tips for renters. Thanks to this initiative, free or low-cost rental housing advice is just a phone call away.
Which FHEO Office Should You Contact?
If you need to contact the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) about a fair housing issue, use this table to find out which of the ten regional offices covers your area.
Keep Christmas Tree Wet to Avoid Fire Hazard
If a Christmas tree becomes too dry, it can pose a serious fire hazard.
Give a Sample Letter of Employment to Your Employer
More landlords are getting smart about cracking down on this type of fraud by taking the simple step of asking tenants to verify the employment information they include in their rental application. If your employer isn't used to complying with this type of request, it can be helpful to give your employer sample language to adapt and use.
Enjoy Trick-or-Treating When You Live in an Apartment
Trick-or-treating isn't just for kids who live in houses. Here's how to enjoy this Halloween tradition when you live in an apartment.
How to Decide Between Renting a Studio or a One-Bedroom Apartment
Here's how to decide whether a studio or a one-bedroom apartment is the best solution for you.
How to Break a Lease
People often have valid reasons for breaching a contract, and you may have a good excuse for wanting to get out of your lease. If you must break your lease, the key is to avoid -- or at least limit -- a penalty from your landlord.
What to Do About Your Apartment Lease When You Want to Buy a Home
Many renters who are looking to buy a home feel as if they're in a bind when it comes to coordinating the end of their apartment lease with the move into their new home. But there may be other options available to you in this situation.
Your Right to Remain a Tenant if Your Apartment Building Goes Into Foreclosure
If your landlord can't pay the mortgage and your apartment building goes into foreclosure, a federal law ensures that you won't be on the street tomorrow.
How Much Money Do You Need to Rent an Apartment?
Here's an overview of the items apartment dwellers typically pay, organized by when each item needs to be paid.
What You Must Pay During Your Lease Term
You'll have many bills, large and small, to pay in order to keep using and enjoying your rental each month as an apartment dweller.
What You Must Pay When You Sign Your Lease
Here's a description of the items you might expect at or around the time you sign the lease for your rental.
What You Must Pay Before You Sign a Lease
Here's a description of the payment items you might expect to encounter even before you sign a lease for a rental.
How to Use Online Roommate-Matching Services Effectively
Several renters have succeeded in finding the right roommate through online roommate-matching services. You can, too -- if you keep these pointers in mind.
Find the Right Roommate Using Online Roommate-Matching Services
Whether you already have an apartment or you're just starting to look for one, take your roommate search to the Web by signing up for one of several online roommate-matching services.
Who Makes the Best Roommates?
Find out which types of current relationships are most likely to make for good roommate relationships, and which ones may be more challenging.
How to Decide Whether You Should Live With Roommates or Live Alone
If you need help deciding whether to live with a roommate, consider the common reasons why people choose one route over the other.
How to Find the Right Apartment Without the Stress
For your apartment search to be as effective as possible, you need to try your best to keep stress out of the picture. Fortunately, this isn't as tough as it sounds.
When to Prorate Your First Month's Rent
If you don't move into your new apartment until the middle of a month, you may be entitled to owe rent for just part of that month. Find out when your landlord should prorate your first month's rent.
What to Do About Roommates Who Don't Pay Rent
Many tenants who split rent with roommates think they're okay as long as they pay the landlord their own share of the rent each month. The thinking is that if a roommate comes up short, then only the roommate would be liable to the landlord and possibly face eviction. If this is how you've been thinking, read on.
Know Your Rights if You Have a Disability
Read a handy summary of what a landlord must and mustn't do when it comes to dealing with prospects or tenants who have a disability.
Apartment Hunting With a Drug or Alcohol Addiction
If you're an alcoholic or have a drug addiction, you may be concerned that this will cause you problems in your apartment search. Here's what you need to know about how the law protects you.
What Kind of Disability Is Protected Against Discrimination?
What Kind of Disability Is Protected Against Discrimination?
How to Know Whether Your Landlord Is Unfairly Discriminating Against Children
Given the law's protection for families with children, you might wonder why so many landlords appear to get away with adopting and enforcing rules that single out children.