The State of Affairs Since October As a landlord, you know that expecting and requiring payment on time is not done out of spite or greed. It is a matter of business and, indeed, of making sure that your own family can keep a roof over their heads. After all, you may have your own mortgage to pay, and banks are not as forgiving to their creditors as you are with your tenants. The Massachusetts Moratorium
It’s a complicated balancing act between the comfort of an apartment tenant who has dog allergies and another tenant who needs an emotional support dog. In a recent case, the Iowa Supreme Court decided that a building in Iowa City, Iowa, that typically doesn’t allow pets should not have allowed a new tenant to have an emotional support dog when an existing tenant with severe allergies protested. The allergic tenant sued the landlord for breaching the
With bans on evictions expected to lift in many places and a backlog in housing courts nationwide, there is a chance for a surge in the number of tenants who are at risk of eviction if additional government support isn’t forthcoming. The rules on eviction depend on where you live. A federal government ban on evictions for tenants in federally financed housing covered one quarter of renters. Some states have extended moratoriums on evictions, including Michigan
Prospective home buyers who want to buy luxury homes may now have to meet tougher requirements in order to qualify for a jumbo loan, also known as a jumbo mortgage. A jumbo loan involves financing beyond the limits set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. This type of mortgage cannot be guaranteed, purchased or securitized by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Since the pandemic began, lenders have become stricter about approving them. That means buyers trying
The number of foreclosure filings nationwide dipped to a record low as of the mid-point of 2020, according to ATTOM Data Solutions’ Midyear 2020 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report. Filings were down 44 percent over the course of the first six months of the year as compared to the same period of 2019, with a total of 165,530 properties in the U.S. receiving a foreclosure filing during that time. The filings cover default notices, scheduled auctions and
More people are seeking out vacation rentals recently for longer stays and single-family living while traveling. A vacation property offers more space, privacy and easier social and physical distancing. In many places, you also get more for your money. If you’re planning to rent a property for your next vacation or an extended stay, it’s important to keep in mind that your rights as a renter vary depending on what state you’re visiting. Generally, there are
If you have a long-term care insurance policy, you may wonder how it is affected by the pandemic. If you don’t have a policy, you may wonder if the pandemic will make it more difficult to get one. There are lots of uncertainties regarding COVID-19’s impact on long-term care insurance, but here is some of what we know: Qualifying for insurance. It is already more difficult to qualify for long-term care insurance as you get older.
Hospital patients who need additional care after being discharged are usually sent to either an inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) or a skilled nursing facility (SNF). Although these facilities may look similar from the outside, Medicare offers very different coverage for each. While you may not have a complete say in where you go after a hospital stay, understanding the difference between the two facilities can help you advocate for what you need and know what to
While estate planning is important for married couples, it is arguably even more critical for couples who live together but aren’t married. Without an estate plan, unmarried couples won’t be able to make end-of-life decisions or inherit from each other. Estate planning serves two main functions: determining who can make decisions for you if you become incapacitated and who gets your assets when you die. For couples who have failed to plan, there are laws
Be looking for new Form 1099-NEC! Here are three tasks to consider that will make meeting your business’s information reporting requirements less stressful this tax season. Review your general ledger. Even if you’ve already identified 1099 vendors in your payables system, review current year expenses to make sure no new or infrequent payments have been overlooked. For example, it’s easy to forget that fees totaling $600 or more paid to service providers must be reported on
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