Quick Reference: Alabama Security Deposit Rules at a Glance Issue Rule Authority Governing statute Alabama Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act Ala. Code 35-9A-101 et seq. Deposit cap No more than one month's periodic rent Ala. Code 35-9A-201(a) Cap exceptions Pets, changes to the premises, and increased liability risks to the landlord or premises Ala. Code 35-9A-201(a) Return deadline 60 days after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession Ala. Code 35-9A-201(b) Itemisation If the full deposit is not refunded, an itemised list of amounts withheld within the 60-day period Ala. Code 35-9A-201(c) What may be deducted Accrued rent and damages from the tenant's noncompliance with Ala. Code 35-9A-301 Ala. Code 35-9A-201(b) Forwarding address The tenant must give a valid written forwarding address on vacating Ala. Code 35-9A-201(d) No address given The landlord mails to the tenant's last known address, or to the property address Ala. Code 35-9A-201(d) Unclaimed funds ...

The statutory framework for the PRS Database is already in the Renters' Rights Act 2025, but the registration duty has not yet been brought into force. That distinction matters, because a certain amount of confusion is already circulating. There is currently no live government registration service for landlords to use. The service, which will be called Register your rental property, has not launched, and no landlord is currently in breach. The government has been developing the service ahead of rollout, and sector reporting indicates it was tested with landlords during mid-2026. Registration itself is not yet mandatory. Rollout is planned to begin regionally from late 2026. That gap between "clear enough to prepare for" and "not yet mandatory" is the useful window. This guide covers what the database is expected to require, what the government has said about timing, and what is worth doing now rather than when registration opens in your area. Scope: this covers the private rented ...

Maryland is a clear example of how rental rules can stack in layers. There is no statewide rent cap, but there is a statewide floor of tenant protections, and then individual counties and cities add their own rules on top. For a property manager operating across the state, the mistake that causes the most trouble is assuming the rules are uniform. They aren't: what's legal in one jurisdiction can be a violation a few miles away. The two jurisdictions that draw the most confusion are Montgomery County and Baltimore City, and they're confusing for opposite reasons. Montgomery County has a genuine rent-stabilization law that caps annual increases with a CPI-based formula. Baltimore City, despite frequently appearing in "rent stabilization" searches, does not currently impose a Montgomery-style rent cap; it regulates rent through a different set of tools. Treating the two as the same, or assuming either mirrors the state, is where managers get into trouble. This guide untangles the three ...

Since 1 May 2026, landlords increasing rent on an assured periodic tenancy in England's private rented sector must use the statutory Section 13 process and Form 4A. For these tenancies, contractual rent review clauses no longer provide an alternative route. A letter is not enough. An email setting out the same information is not enough. Even an increase the tenant has already agreed to in conversation must still go through the formal process. That narrowing has a consequence many landlords haven't yet absorbed. The rent review used to be a negotiation that happened at renewal. It is now a procedural exercise with a prescribed form, fixed timing rules and a tribunal route for the tenant and an error in any one element can mean the increase does not take effect as intended. This guide covers the Form 4A process, the timing rules, how tribunal challenges work, and the mistakes that most often cause problems. Scope: This covers assured tenancies in England's private rented sector. Housing ...

Quick Reference: Nevada Property Management Licensing at a Glance Issue Rule Authority Two credentials, not one Where a licence is required, a real estate licence and a separate permit to engage in property management NRS 645.6052 Who may hold the permit A licensed real estate broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson NRS 645.6052(1) Permit education At least 24 classroom hours of instruction in property management NRS 645.6052(2)(a) Permit examination At least 50 multiple-choice questions, minimum score 75 percent NAC 645.800(6) Permit expiry Expires and renews with the underlying licence NRS 645.6052(3) Permit renewal Documentation of 9 hours of instruction in property management NAC 645.802, as amended eff. 29 Dec 2020 Definition Physical, administrative or financial maintenance and management of real property, or supervision of those activities, for compensation, under a property management agreement NRS 645.019 Written agreement A broker may not act as a property manager without ...

Quick Reference: Virginia Property Management Licensing at a Glance Issue Rule Authority Is a license required Yes. Leasing or renting real estate for others, for compensation, is the act of a real estate broker Va. Code 54.1-2100 Owner exemption Owners and lessors, and their regular employees, as to property they own or lease Va. Code 54.1-2103(A)(1) Common ownership exemption A management corporation whose officers, directors and members are identical to the ownership corporation, and which manages no other property Va. Code 54.1-2103(A)(6) On-site staff Unlicensed employees of a broker may perform five defined leasing acts and no more Va. Code 54.1-2103(C) Salesperson education 60 hours of Principles of Real Estate, plus the state and national examination Va. Code 54.1-2105(B)(1) Post-licence education 30 hours within one year from the last day of the month in which the licence was issued, or the licence goes inactive Va. Code 54.1-2105.01 Broker licence 180 hours of Board-approved ...

Since Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026, possession claims for assured tenancies in England's private rented sector generally proceed through Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988. There is no longer a route that avoids giving a reason. That makes ground selection the single most consequential decision in the possession process. Choose the wrong ground and the notice is invalid. Give the wrong notice period and the claim fails at the first hurdle. Rely on a discretionary ground without evidence and the court may decline. This guide covers the grounds available to private landlords and letting agents in England, the notice period each requires, and the procedural traps that cause otherwise valid claims to fail. Scope: this covers assured tenancies in England's private rented sector. Housing is devolved, so Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland operate separate regimes. Different rules apply to social housing assured tenancies provided by Private Registered Providers (PRPs); the ...

In 30 seconds: Mollak is the Dubai Land Department's official system for service charges in jointly owned properties. Under Law No. 6 of 2019, budgets are approved through Mollak and owner payments flow only into Mollak-registered accounts. Your software doesn't replace Mollak — it does everything around it: budgets, apportionment, invoicing, arrears, maintenance and owner statements. If you manage a jointly owned building in Dubai — a tower, a gated community, a mixed-use development — service charges are where your software either earns its keep or fails you. Generic service charge management software doesn't understand Dubai: here, service charges aren't just invoices you send. They're regulated by Law No. 6 of 2019 on jointly owned property, collected only through accounts registered in Mollak, and benchmarked against DLD-approved budgets. This guide covers what Mollak requires and what your software must do to keep an owners association compliant and collecting. What is Mollak — ...

New Orleans has one of the country's most heavily regulated short-term rental (STR) markets, and its rules have been repeatedly reshaped by litigation and City Council action. If you manage property in Orleans Parish, the rules are not something you can absorb once and forget: they've changed repeatedly through ordinances and a string of federal court decisions, and more change is actively under consideration. Getting the current framework right matters, because some online guides still describe rules that courts struck down years ago. The most important example: some online guides still say the owner must live on-site as their primary residence. That homestead requirement was declared unconstitutional in 2022, and the City replaced it with a narrower operator-residency rule. Relying on the outdated version could lead a manager to reject a perfectly permittable property, or to misunderstand who has to be present during a guest stay. This guide summarizes the New Orleans STR framework ...

Property management in England underwent a major regulatory shift on 1 May 2026. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 replaced the sector's tenancy structure, removed the possession route most landlords had relied on, and rewrote how rent is increased, how properties are advertised and how applicants must be considered. Three and a half months on, the legal position is well documented. What's discussed less is the operational consequence how these changes affect the workflows, records and systems property teams run on every day. This article covers both: what the rules require, and what they mean for how a professional property management operation should be set up. Scope: this focuses on England's private rented sector and is written for landlords, letting agents and property management businesses. Housing is devolved, so Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland operate separate regimes and are not covered. Different rules also apply to areas such as social housing, purpose-built student ...