Owning property in Las Vegas, Nevada, or elsewhere is a huge responsibility. As a result, you will want to know how to protect it to the best of your ability. Of course, it helps to know all the laws in Nevada regarding property ownership, management, and rentals.
In addition to the state laws, federal property laws dictate the relationship between landlords and tenants. As there is always the possibility of disputes arising over rental and housing matters, it’s essential to know how these issues are settled, the rights of all parties, and the parties’ obligations.
Know the Housing Anti-Discrimination Laws
You must know the proper way to screen prospective tenants. As a property manager in Las Vegas, Nevada and federal laws are in place to protect your property and anyone seeking tenancy. The Fair Housing Act and Americans govern the laws with Disabilities Act or ADA. Prospective tenants cannot be discriminated against based on their sex or gender identity, religion, race, disability status, familial status, or nation of origin.
Top property managers in Las Vegas will ensure that no one seeking owned or rental housing is denied the opportunity to put in an application. Landlords have a legal obligation to show their property to prospective renters and not lie and state that the property has already been sold or rented. It is also illegal to charge additional money on a security deposit based on the above criteria. Additional actions that are against federal law include the following:
- Charging prospective renters who have a service animal more on their security deposits.
- Denying a prospective renter with a service animal an opportunity based on a “no pets” policy.
- Denying a prospective renter who has disabilities reasonable accommodations.
- Including discriminatory language in a rental advertisement.
- Raising the rent or security deposit for families with more children.
- Removing the privileges of residency based on a protected characteristic.
There’s a difference between service animals and emotional support animals. Service animals help a person with a disability: for example, a guide dog for a person who is blind or a service dog that will warn a person with severe epilepsy of a seizure before it occurs.
As a landlord, you do have the right to require proof from any prospective tenant that their service animal is, in fact, a legitimate service animal that’s fully trained. You can ask them to provide documented proof from a healthcare provider that the person legitimately needs the service animal.
Las Vegas property management is required to uphold Nevada’s anti-discrimination laws. While there is no federal law that distinctively includes members of the LGBTQ community, Nevada state law recognizes people who identify as LGBTQ. As a result, any discrimination against them, such as prohibiting them from renting a property is prohibited by state law.
As a landlord, you have the right to reject a prospective tenant for specific legitimate reasons. They include the following:
- Criminal record and background
- Poor credit
- Prior eviction
What are the Regulations for Security Deposits?
Per Nevada state law, there are certain rules and regulations surrounding security deposits. The security deposit cannot be greater than three months’ worth of rent. As a landlord, you also have up to 30 days to return a security deposit to anyone who is moving from your rental property.
There is only one reason why a landlord can legally withhold money from a security deposit when a tenant is moving. If there are damages to the rental property or the property is filthy and need effective cleaning, they can withhold money. However, if you do this, you’re also required to give the tenant an itemized list of those damages or things needed to clean the unit thoroughly.
What are the Regulations for Rent?
When you want to charge rent, you must adhere to state laws. While there are no provisions regarding prepaid rent, late fees, or bounced rent checks, if you choose to raise the rent, you are required to give advance notice of the rent increase to your tenant. Las Vegas property management must provide 45 days’ notice of a rent increase before that increase is set to go into effect. However, if the tenant has less than a month in terms of their lease, you must give 15 days’ notice before increasing the rent.
Under the law, tenants are legally entitled to withhold rent when a landlord doesn’t provide the essential services of electricity, heat, or water.
There are no rent control laws in Nevada, which means that you are free to raise the rent when you wish as a landlord.
If rent is paid late, you have the right to charge a late fee to your tenant. Late fees can be up to 5 percent plus the normal cost of the rent itself.
What Should You Know About Leases and Evictions?
The top property managers in Las Vegas have something in common: they know the laws surrounding leases and evictions. As a landlord, you’re required to provide a tenant with five days of notice if their lease is at risk of being terminated. During that period, the tenant must either inform you that you can terminate their lease or that they will pay back rent before the five days are up. The same standards are in place if the tenant has violated any lease terms: you can issue a five-day notice to either remedy or quit. However, if the tenant makes no remedy by day three, you have the legal right to start an eviction. It is illegal to do so by turning off utilities or locking the tenant out of their apartment.
With a month-to-month lease, both landlord and tenant have 30 days to terminate a rental lease. With a week-to-week lease, that amount of time is only seven days.
What are the Laws Regarding Retaliation Against a Tenant?
By law, landlords cannot retaliate against a tenant who files a complaint against them as long as it is in good faith. It is illegal for a landlord to do the following against such a tenant:
- Increasing their rent
- Initiating an eviction against the tenant
- Limiting or decreasing the tenant’s access to services
- Refusing to renew the tenant’s lease
When a landlord retaliates against a tenant, the tenant has the right to file a lawsuit. However, if that happens, the landlord bears the burden of proof to justify their actions. This is tantamount to protecting your property.
MOR Group | Best Property Manager in Las Vegas
Knowing the state and federal laws is essential to protecting your property. The MOR Group is made up of top property managers in Las Vegas and strives to uphold these rules and regulations to protect both property and tenants. If you are interested in renting a home in Las Vegas, please contact the MOR Group at (702) 501-1085 at your earliest convenience.