Notes
The rules nobody told you about.
Short, practical pieces from the same desk as the guides: what the law actually requires, what it lets you do, and where landlords and borrowers lose money on paperwork.
Landlording · 7 min read
Five security deposit rules landlords get wrong
Deposit limits, separate accounts, the move-out clock, normal wear and tear, and itemized deductions — the five security deposit mistakes that cost landlords the most money.
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Landlording · 8 min read
How to screen tenants legally and actually effectively
Written screening criteria, fair housing rules, income and rental history checks, credit and background reports, and the adverse action notice — a landlord's plain-English screening process.
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Credit · 8 min read
How to dispute credit report errors so they actually come off
A plain-English credit dispute process: pull all three reports, document the error, dispute with the bureau and the furnisher, the 30-day clock, what to do when it reappears, and what never works.
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LLCs · 8 min read
Do you need a lawyer to form an LLC?
Most single-owner LLCs can be filed without a lawyer. Here is what filing actually involves, the four situations where a lawyer is worth the money, and the paperwork that matters more than the filing itself.
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Estate planning · 9 min read
Living trust vs will: which one do you actually need?
What a will does that a trust cannot, what a living trust does that a will cannot, when probate is worth avoiding, why an unfunded trust fails, and the documents both plans need.
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