Legal Topics

How a Subcontractor without Lien Rights Can Still Recover from the Owner Is It Okay to Release the Earnest Money before Close of Escrow? Be Careful When Giving Your Debtor a Break Why You Should Avoid Giving Rights of First Refusal Don't Like Your Zoning? Get a Variance! The Power of Attorney: Dangerous but Useful Is It Really Necessary to Have This Document Notarized? Back Taxes Can Pile Up without Your Knowledge What to Do When Joint Owners Can't Agree When Can You Sue over a Bad Zoning Decision? What Happens to Title after a Foreclosure Sale for Back Taxes? The BOMA Standard Revisited: What It Is, How It Works, and How It Has Changed Lease/Option Agreements: How to Make Sure Your Option to Purchase Is Not an Illusion Double Notice Required to Foreclose Deed of Trust Why a 99-Year Lease? Downzoning Is Legal, within Limits — and It's Gaining Popularity Federal Anti-Pollution Laws Dealing with Wetlands and Waterways When to Hire a Lawyer (and If You Do, Don't Tie His/Her Hands behind Their Back) What Happens When Escrow Money Disappears? Can You Rely on Your Loan Commitment Letter? Landlord Can Take a Hit When Lease Voluntarily Terminated If Space Has Been Subleased When Is a Landlord Liable for a Nuisance or Harm Caused by His Tenant? Did Your Tenant Miss His Rent? Don't Terminate His Lease! When to Quitclaim and When Not to Quitclaim Don't Rely on the "Innocent Purchaser" Defense against Environmental Liability Claims A Common Mistake Can Cost You Your Lease Releasing Property from a Mortgage or Deed of Trust Can the Landlord Collect Rent If the Tenant Abandons the Lease? How to Order a Survey When Can the Government Zone Away Your Property Rights? Amending a Lease? Don't Forget the Guarantor! When Can an Existing Mortgage Be Assumed? Obscure Loan Provision Can Have a Big Effect on Liability Consider a Tax-Free Exchange When Selling (or Even When Buying)