Landlord and Tenant Lawyers in Florence

Find the right Tenant attorney in Florence, KY

Tenant Law in Kentucky

Relations between tenants and landlords in Florence, Kentucky can sometimes be touchy. The fact is that it's not easy to be a landlord or a tenant, especially because landlords and tenants often don't understand the legal rights and responsibilities that apply to them.

There are several rights and responsibilities that landlords and tenants have. It's important that each party is aware of their rights, and the rights of the other party. By knowing and respecting these rights, the risk of conflict should be reduced dramatically.

Landlord's Rights in Florence, KY

First and foremost, landlords have a right to timely payment of rent from their tenants, at the agreed-upon rate. This, of course, imposes on tenants a duty to pay their rent in full, in a timely manner.

Landlords also have a right to be compensated for damage to the building that a tenant causes, either intentionally or negligently. Any damage caused by a tenant, besides reasonable wear and tear, can be billed, and the landlord can deduct from the tenant's security deposit to pay for repairs.

Tenant's Rights in Florence, KY

At the most basic level, tenants have a basic right to what they're paying for: a habitable living environment. Thus, landlords in Florence, Kentucky must ensure that the units they rent to tenants meet some basic standards for human habitation. These requirements vary from state to state, but are often fairly easy to meet. There are no legal standards that rented units be pretty, particularly spacious, or luxurious. They simply have to be fit for human beings to live in them. To be considered "habitable," rented units must have water, electricity, some form of heating (if the local climate necessitates it), and adequate protection from the elements (proper insulation, no roof leaks, windows that close, etc.).

Additionally, tenants are entitled to common areas which are reasonably safe and clean, and free of physical obstacles. Areas such as lobbies, hallways, stairwells, and fire escapes must comply with the building codes of Florence, Kentucky. Additionally, any other unreasonable safety hazard, even if it doesn't violate a specific provision of a building code, can create liability for the landlord if it injures a tenant.

Under federal and Kentucky law, tenants are also entitled to protection against discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, marital status, or gender. Such discrimination can lead to severe civil penalties against the landlord. Landlords further cannot discriminate against tenants based on physical disability, and have to make reasonable accommodations for physically disabled tenants. For example, they have to allow disabled tenants to make minor physical alterations to the unit (at the tenant's expense) to make it more accessible. Now, they don't need to allow the tenants to have the building remodeled. We're just talking about things like installing handrails in the bathroom, and similar things. The landlord can, however, require tenants to restore the apartment to its original condition, at the tenant's expense, once the tenant leaves.

Finally, the laws of most states protect tenants from unfair eviction. In general, as long as a tenant is paying rent on time, and is not damaging the unit, they cannot be evicted before the term of the lease expires, unless there is a very good reason to do so (such as excessive noise caused by the tenant, or illegal activities in the apartment).

Can a Florence, Kentucky Landlord/Tenant Lawyer Help?

Landlords and tenants normally prefer to avoid getting into fights with one another, for evident reasons. A harmonious relationship is profitable for everyone involved. To that end, the advice of a good Florence, Kentucky landlord/tenant attorney can help defuse arguments before they become too serious.

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Life in Florence

Florence, Kentucky is a city of approximately 30,000 located in Boone County, Kentucky. The area now known as Florence was originally called "Crossroads" because several roads from various parts of Kentucky converged there. It was originally founded in the early 1820s, and quickly grew, especially as the country began to expand westward, becoming a major hub for trade and commerce. Florence is well-known for a large water tower with a sign on it that simply reads "Florence Y'all." It has become something of a local landmark, and a source of pride among residents. The tower was built in the 1970s, and originally read "Florence Mall," to advertise a new mall that was being built. However, the mall took slightly longer to build than expected, and highway regulations prohibited advertisements for an establishment that didn't exist, so they had to change it in a very short time. The city simply painted over the vertical lines in the letter "M" to make a "Y" and added the apostrophe. The plan was to change it back when the mall was finished, but residents liked it enough that the city decided to keep it. If you live in the Florence, Kentucky area, and need a good attorney, you can probably find one. Florence, Kentucky lawyers are ready to handle whatever legal problem you might present them with.

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