Real Estate Newsletters

A Landlord's Liability for an Injury Inflicted by a Tenant's Dog

Typically, a landlord cannot be held liable for an injury inflicted by a tenant's dog. In the fact scenario described above, John had no reason to know that Jake's dog would inflict an injury on the construction contractor. Jake may be liable for his dog's actions, but it is unlikely that John would be liable.

Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act FIRPTA

In the year 1980, Congress enacted the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA). The law can be found at 26 U.S.C.S. § 1445. Briefly stated, the law provides that if a seller of real property is a "foreign person," the buyer must withhold a tax equal to 10% of the gross purchase price, unless an exemption applies under the law.

Manufactured Homes

In years past, manufactured homes were referred to as "mobile homes," and, in fact, many people continue to refer to manufactured homes as such today. In the year 1980, the United States Congress adopted the phrase "manufactured homes" to describe a type of factory-built home that was required to conform to certain standards developed by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Square Footage of a Home

In almost every sale listing for a home, there is some indication of the square footage of the home. How is the square footage of a home determined?

View

Many homeowners purchase property because of the view. In fact, a good view can add significantly to the value of a home. Generally speaking, however, a property owner has no right to a view. While another person may not deliberately or maliciously block a property owner's view, a structure of reasonable use may be built to the detriment of a property owner's view without legal recourse on the part of the property owner.