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Rent in any of the more urban places herebouts has just gone into orbit and even the rural towns/areas are getting pasted pretty good too. Lower income folks like me have few options to get a roof over our heads. As prices go up landlords are getting all kinds of just plain ol' ignorant. I'd say another word but I really despise the term. Trying to not use it as much even for them that deserve it.
The last apartment (and it will be the last) i rented the on site management was just amazing with the stuff they tried to pull. One of the biggest is non compliance with any and all requirements of the ADA and the NV Fair Housing Act. They refused to maintain or provide any disabled persons. Ramps only existed at the office. If you need a ramp they made you pay for all of it. Same with shower grab rails and all other indoor aids. The common area aids if they existed at all would be risky to try and use.
Long story short I was badly injured in a fall because of their refusal to provide maintenance service to any of the common area handicap aids. I fell on a step that I and others had been reporting for over a year. It just kept crumbling and getting worse. When i got out of the hospital and went in to fill out the accident report they got all kinds of ignorant as to whether or not they had one of those. They then just targeted me and I got mad and fought back. Oh I left to be sure. But I was back with a sharp attorney and though it was a battle they lost big.
So I dug deep and bought a nice RV. Moved into a pretty cool park in my hometown and life was good for a spell. I got onto a nice sizable lot got all my art stuff set up and went to work. I'm a blacksmith and it subsidizes my pension pretty well. Thing is after I got onto the permanent type lot their willingness to keep up on site work became rather apparent. Now as of last Friday in a big ol' (impromptu) "mandatory" resident meeting at the completely non ADA compliant office lobby which could hardly accommodate everybody they attempted a whole slew of new decrees. For the last few weeks the mysterious "corporate" entity we keep hearing about has been coming around prowling peoples lots sight unseen picking out any and all chicken**** "problems" they can throw at residents and in so doing (this was plain) trying to buffalo folks into toeing the enigmatic "corporate" line. Clean up this or that get the yard completely weed free just silly stuff everybody including me has on their to do list anyway.
It's May in N NV. My oh my the weeds ain't even started yet. LOL My little studio shop in back and also the guy across the street were told our "hobby activities" would immediately cease and ALL our tools equipment and materials had to (as in HAD to...or else) would be off site by last Tuesday. I rather took umbrage with that as did my neighbor and all our other neighbors didn't like that much either. This gall that is the "corporate" mouthpiece here is a piece of work. It's quite apparent the management here has never had anyone stand up to them. I'm a pain in the butt thataway though.
I told them i would NOT be moving my operation as did my neighbor to which we were threatened with "action by their attorney" in a smug arrogant tone that seemed to suggest she was fully confident in that threat. ROFLMAO!!! I informed her my shop is my therapy. I've recently lost my right leg below the knee and the experience continued from March 2022 to right now. It didn't go smooth and the whole thing has challenged my adaptability mentally and physically. My surgeon and I did discuss this and put it on record I REALLY need to keep focused and busy. Being as I have a considerable sum into my shop for a guy like me my metal working is it. A fact he was more than happy to inform her of.
She didn't like that nor did she care for how I engaged in active business during the 'meeting." There's more than one pretty major issue needs attention on my lot so i asked for a maintenance request form. Infront of a roomful of people they had to say "ummmm...we don't have one of those. (sigh) Amateurs. I then braced up one of the on site managers about how he told me when the clubhouse facility shower remodel is complete I "CAN'T" use it if I have to use my shower chair. "Corporate" would not spend the money for a shower that would accommodate a chair. I asked if a bench was being built in and he just laughed. As he and his wife melted in place the corporate stooge stammered incoherently.
That wasn't all i had to say at the time either but was cut short by the lobby falling into chaos so I got up and left. Made some calls got my back covered and now I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Isee a fight coming. Don't feel much like it but seems I'll have it to do. In a last rather surprising turn I did some homework on "corporate" and discovered it's a subsidiary of the outfit owned the apartments in the city I lived at. LOL alrighty then. Round two. Or is this a rematch? They didn't much like losing the last time. Play it again Sam. My point in these tales of adventure is it's just a crapshoot trying to rent anymore. property owners are just a mishmash of traps and pits. They're trying to slash costs and raise rent to insane levels (thanks Joe) and step all over anyone who will lay down for them.
I have plans on a nice little piece of ground out in the East valley but i ain't ready yet. In the interim I'm making it clear leave me be. I have an 'or else" clause of my own. At this point i'm under cover but i'm sure not closing my eyes. I've been through this with these sameturds before. Again don't feel much like it. So I'll conclude here happy to answer questions or respond to commentary. I need to go get me some therapy. Live long and prosper. Peace and long life.
You need to own your own property in an area with no HOA and very little zoning restrictions, although be sure zoning allows your business before you buy.
For the information of the general reader of this post, Landlords are expected to give reasonable accommodation for handicapped persons. If there are any modifications needed, the TENANT pays for those and it must be done with building permit and by a licensed contractor. When the tenant vacates, the tenant is responsible for removing the modification and restoring the property to its original condition, at the tenant's own expense. This is federal law, so it applies everywhere in the States.
If the tenant needs a wheelchair ramp or safety rails, the landlord does not supply those. The tenant makes arrangements to have it done, pays the licensed contractor to do the work. The landlord allows it (within reason)
It is almost always against code or law to run a business out of a residential area. Nearly all residential rentals will have it in the lease that running a business is not allowed. Insurance companies do not allow the running of a business out of a residential rental.
It's probably also in the lease that a tenant is not allowed to annoy the neighbors with excessive noise or unusual noise, and there isn't much a person can do that makes as much noise as blacksmithing. The noise complaints must have been flooding in.
My point being, before you rent, make sure there is nothing in the lease, the HOA, or the house rules that you can not live with. Do not sign anyway and think the rules will then change to suit you. Instead, keep shopping until you find a place that legally allows whatever business or hobby or pets that you intend to have.
Before you start on a rant berating landlords/Property Managers, you should take the time to learn what the rules actually are. Preferably, you review them PRIOR to applying or moving into a particular property.
For starters, the ADA has to do with commercial and public properties, such as stores, libraries, and yes, office space such as a Rental office. ADA has NOTHING to do with residential rentals.
Federal Fair Housing laws (and local Fair Housing laws) DO address residential housing, whether rental units, Condo, HOA, or detached single family homes. Landlords/Property Managers are expected to evaluate legitimate requests "for an accommodation" on a case by case basis, and in general allow Tenants or Residents to modify their living space or the rules if they meet specific criteria...namely: Do you have a disability as defined by the FH law? Does the modification provide access, relief of symptoms, or the ability to resolve the issue, enabling the use and enjoyment of the property?
In all cases, the Tenant/Resident must pay any construction/installation costs, and must remove the modifications upon vacating the property, restoring it to prior condition. A modification can be denied if the LL/PM can prove it is an undue financial burden to them, but they should try to find alternate solutions where possible. NONE of this applies to modifications to the Rental Office, which is only under the ADA. NOTHING gives a disabled Tenant/Resident to simply assume they can do what they want and call it "therapy". There is a process that must be followed to allow a modification to rules or property. Making demands while ignoring any reasonable process will rarely get you anywhere.
Rental maintenance requests, and safety issues with the common areas, must be properly documented if you have a LL/PM that has been non-responsive to routine phone or email notifications. This goes for complaints about others in the project as well. Keep a simple diary noting Who, What, When, Where, and How. Dates, beginning and ending times of an incident, who you spoke to about it and when, and any details. If you have photos or video, make note and save them as well. Send a letter via Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested, to the Management, providing the details, including copies of photos, for each specific issue. Save copies of everything, and save the green Return Receipt once you get it back with a signature from the office.
Most people are too lazy to properly document and notify for serious problems. Phone calls, angry emails, and personal visits are a WASTE OF TIME AT THIS POINT. You need proof that you provided notice of a safety issue; they failed to respond or repair the issue; and it still poses a hazard. Now you have something to take to an attorney, even possibly to Legal Aid, so they can apply pressure or initiate legal action.
In general, whether an RV park, HOA, or apartment building, they all have "House Rules" that everyone is expected to abide. Most places, all that is necessary is a written 30 day notice of a change in those rules. Having rules, but NOT enforcing them for a period of months or years is a different situation. They have not, by law, given up their right to enforce the specific rule in question, and can likely begin to once again, without any notice, although that would not be the Professional way to handle it. Also, check your specific rules. Generally there are specific time frames, or a series of steps, that must be followed to cause compliance. Failure to follow their own rules, AND in a Fair and Equitable manor, can be a BIG problem for them.
Based on your rant, you need to change your attitude, or change your address.
You guys make it sound like a landlord can’t decide to provide accommodations on their own. A landlord could put in a ramp* without forcing the tenant to pay both for it, and to remove it when they leave.
(*replace the word ramp with whatever accommodation you prefer, like grab bars in the bathroom, for example.)
I know they don’t have to, but they could if they wanted to.
You guys make it sound like a landlord can’t decide to provide accommodations on their own. A landlord could put in a ramp* without forcing the tenant to pay both for it, and to remove it when they leave.
(*replace the word ramp with whatever accommodation you prefer, like grab bars in the bathroom, for example.)
I know they don’t have to, but they could if they wanted to.
It’s not the landlord’s responsibility to modify their properties to accommodate each tenant’s needs and wants. If the rental does need meet their needs they need to take responsibility for themselves and find one that does or pay for what they require. As it stands now the law already forces landlords to allow reasonable modifications be made to their privately owned property whether they want them or not. Forcing them to pay for those modifications is not reasonable. Not unless the goal is to reduce the number of rental properties and increase the rental prices.
You guys make it sound like a landlord can’t decide to provide accommodations on their own. A landlord could put in a ramp* without forcing the tenant to pay both for it, and to remove it when they leave.
(*replace the word ramp with whatever accommodation you prefer, like grab bars in the bathroom, for example.)
I know they don’t have to, but they could if they wanted to.
Yes, the landlord can make the decision to provide the accommodation and sometimes will if the accommodation isn't too invasive or expensive. Occasionally, a landlord will decide he wants to specialize in a handicapped accessible rental and then he will prepare the rental at his own expense and seek out handicapped tenants in the future.
A safe wheelchair ramp costs several thousand dollars and involves tearing up the landscaping, so the odds of a landlord doing that for a tenant who could possibly only stay for a month or two are pretty slim. If a tenant genuinely needs a wheelchair ramp, there are charities and churches who will help with the cost, so it doesn't actually cost the tenant that much. There has to be a building permit and an inspection for the ramp, or the insurance company will not cover it.
If a hearing impaired tenant needs a doorbell, the landlord might spring for a battery powered doorbell that can then stay with the property. If it involves rewiring the house and installing a loud speaker, probably not.
A few accommodations are useful to the average tenant and will be useful for the next potential tenant. Most of the accommodations are only useful to that specific tenant and can be a hindrance to the next tenant. Landlords are (so far) not obligated to provide medical care and medical equipment for free to their tenants.
You guys make it sound like a landlord can’t decide to provide accommodations on their own. A landlord could put in a ramp* without forcing the tenant to pay both for it, and to remove it when they leave.
(*replace the word ramp with whatever accommodation you prefer, like grab bars in the bathroom, for example.)
I know they don’t have to, but they could if they wanted to.
Right, they could if they wanted to. Just like Tenants could, if they wanted to, pay rent on time, follow the written terms of their Rental Agreement, and actually clean the unit when they vacate after giving the legally required, proper notice.
Being low income is never fun or easy. You are always going to have an assortment of problems.
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They then just targeted me and I got mad and fought back. Oh I left to be sure. But I was back with a sharp attorney and though it was a battle they lost big. 
Infront of a roomful of people they had to say "ummmm...we don't have one of those. (sigh) Amateurs. I then braced up one of the on site managers about how he told me when the clubhouse facility shower remodel is complete I "CAN'T" use it if I have to use my shower chair. "Corporate" would not spend the money for a shower that would accommodate a chair. I asked if a bench was being built in and he just laughed. As he and his wife melted in place the corporate stooge stammered incoherently. 
