I offer three services to residential landlords: Rent control counseling, renting tips, and dealing with problem tenants, including evicting them.

Rent Control Counseling: Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood each have their own rent control laws. Each city regulates rent increases and limits the grounds for evicting tenants, but the details of their respective laws differ.

If you’re in the process of buying an apartment building, I can explain the governing rent control law to you so that you can make an informed decision on whether or not to buy in a particular area. If you already own, I can help you craft a strategy to help you maximize rents or remove problem tenants.

Renting Tips: The best way for a landlord to steer clear of problems is to avoid renting to bad tenants, and to have suitable tenants sign a lease that protects all of the landlord’s interests.

I can’t overemphasize that the most common and costly mistake small landlords make is renting to the wrong tenants. I can give you several simple tips that will help you identify the types of tenants that are likely to not pay their rent or cause other problems.

You can lose the benefits gained by renting to good tenants if you use a substandard lease. Although many form leases are good, none deal properly with all of the issues that I’ve encountered in my years as a landlord-tenant lawyer. (One area where most fall short has to do with late fees.) As part of your consultation with me, I’ll give you a lease I’ve drafted that protects all of your interests.

Problem Tenants: If you do have a bad tenant, such as one that’s damaging the property, interfering with other tenants, or not paying rent, I can help you evict him or her. Evictions are costly and take time, even when they go smoothly. This fact makes understanding your rights, renting to good tenants only, and using the best possible lease all the more important.