When a tenant initially moves into a new home, a landlord may normally charge a security deposit of up to two months’ rent. If the home or apartment is furnished, the landlord may charge the equivalent of three months’ rent. The landlord is legally obligated to refund any unused portion of the security deposit within […]

With San Francisco real estate prices skyrocketing, landlords in the city are doing everything they can to get longtime tenants out of their rent-controlled apartments. Because evictions are a time consuming affair—and in many cases, there are simply no convenient legal grounds to force a tenant to leave—many landlords have turned to tenant buyouts. In […]