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ÝÝÝÝÝÝ ÝALOC NEWS

June 6, 2003ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Vol. 9, Issue 6ÝÝÝÝÝÝ

ALOC Leases and HUD We have had recent discussions with Jay Oliver regarding the changes to our lease to make it more acceptable to the Cumberland Housing Assistance office and we are close to a solution. We talked about the changes at our last ALOC meeting and everybody seems happy with two separate leases. The only thing we are waiting for is to have Joyce Sine in the Cumberland Housing Assistance Office make her final review of the changes and approve them. We are not sure how long this will take but we have done our part. Leases I received a call from one of our members regarding a situation where a rental building was sold and the new owner decided he wanted to raise the rents, in spite of there being a signed lease in effect with nearly a full year left. In this particular case the new owner is wrong and he cannot unilaterally change the terms and conditions of the lease by raising the rent. This is not to say that the landlord and tenant cannot mutually agree to any changes. Essentially the lease runs with the building/ground and each party must honor its provisions until its expiration. This is an important point to remember when buying or selling real estate. When selling it is a strong point as you have the tenants locked into a term with specific rents and conditions. Unfortunately if you have low rents it could adversely affect your ability to get the maximum price, as the rents cannot be quickly increased. Whether you are considering buying or selling, make sure that you consider whether the existing tenants, rent, lease terms and other conditions are where you want them to be. As most leases run for a year some advance planning is required when attempting to sell and when buying you may not be able to make as much money if the tenants are locked in with a low rental lease. Attempting to raise the rent or change the terms of an existing lease may expose you to a potential lawsuit!

Speakers and Meeting Programs At each meeting we have through the year we try to provide information about various aspects of the rental business. This includes bringing in speakers as well as our own presentations covering relevant subjects. We have a few ideas for our next group of meetings beginning in September, however we could use some ideas regarding our fall schedule. If you have a particular subject you would like discussed or if we need to bring in a specific speaker we can work on that over the summer. One area we will start on in September is a discussion of the Landlord Tenant Booklet available from the Baltimore Neighborhoods, Inc. We have an updated copy coming in soon and I think if the membership can see the information contained in this reasonably priced book ($ 10 or so) many members will want to have a copy. While a copy of the state law is handy to have it is difficult to work with and that is where the BNI handbook comes in handy. The book has numerous indexes and real life questions and answers. It should be an informative meeting for all! Last Meeting till September Based on the schedule we have established this will be the last ALOC meeting for a few months. We will not meet over the summer months, however you will continue to receive a newsletter each month with various bits of information as they become available to us. City Registration Make sure you register your units with the City by July 1^st to avoid late fees or penalties. The City mailed out renewals a few weeks ago and you should have the necessary forms to renew. If you are simply renewing this can be handled through the mail whereas changes and particularly additions are best handled in person.

Richard Bonig Rental Property Inspections Dust Wipe Tests/Visual Inspections 301-777-1369 MDE: Certified Lead Paint Visual Inspector HUD: Certified Lead Sampling Technician 9-30-03

Carey Walker Lead Inspections for Rental Housing Visual Inspections and Dust Wipes 201 Massachusetts Ave. Cumberland, MD 21502 301-722-8328 ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ 3-04

Highland Enterprises LLC Lead AbatementÝ -Ý Lead Risk Reduction Rental Property Maintenance Contractor TelephoneÝ 301-729-1086 FAXÝ 301-729-4801Ý -Ý Pager 301-546-0221 3-30 / 9-30

Robert Saville VISUAL INSPECTOR MDE InspectionsÝÝÝÝ Lead Dust Wipes LEAD PAINT SUPERVISOR ìExcellent Ratesî ÝÝÝÝ ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Telephone/FAX: 301-729-2994ÝÝÝ ÝÝÝ ÝÝ1-30

Report on the LegislatureÝÝÝÝ

ÝThe Baltimore Property Owners recently held their legislative wrap-up in Baltimore and we expect to see a copy of their report in time for one of our summer newsletters. In the interim we will try to cover some of the items covered by the Maryland Chamber of Commerce.

A number of bills regarding employment issues were defeated. These include attempts to increase and or expand Unemployment Insurance and Workmenís Compensation benefits. On the flip side a bill was passed that establishes a task force to study the stateís Unemployment Insurance system and its impact on Maryland employers.

Various legal liability issues were debated in the legislature and after many years of trying, a bill was passed to increase the small claims court limit from $ 2500 to $ 5000. This had made it to the governor many times in past years but was always vetoed. Ehrlich signed the bill this year.

A number of proposed bills were defeated including attempts to increase the state sales tax and legislation to impose recordation and transfer taxes on the transfer of controlling interests in a corporation, partnership, or other entity, where the entity owns real property, with a value of $ 500,000 or more. Only seven states tax this type of transaction.

Many lead paint laws failed to pass, however HB 719 and 722 were signed into law and they require county governments to report property owners who are not compliant with the stateís lead paint laws to the MDE, and for paint retailers to display posters warning of the dangers of lead poisoning. As we have said in the past expect more next year.

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The Mold Problem Considering all of the rain we have had the past few months it may be appropriate to Make some inspections of your rental units to check for water damage, which can result in mold forming in basements and around leaky roofs. In most cases the use of bleach-based cleaners can take care of the situation and it may be a good idea to wear a simple dust filter or respirator when working around mold.		ALOC Officers J.Ý Jeff J. Jeffrey HutterÝÝ PresidentÝÝÝÝÝÝ Carey WalkerÝ Vice PresidentÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Stephanie WhartonÝ Secretary J. Jeffrey HutterÝÝÝ Treasurer Board of Directors Clarence Anderson Steve Jenkins Bob Saville Bob Miles
Leases and other Documents ALOC has available leases, rental applications and tenant checklists for sale, at cost, to members. The cost for each item is as follows: Lease @ $ 0.50ÝÝÝÝ Rental Application @ $ 0.50ÝÝÝ Move in Checklist @ $ 0.50ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Lead Paint Brochures, both EPA and Maryland and document receipt@ $2.50 for the set. Document Receipt for MDE and EPA brochures (disclosure) @ $ 0.25 These forms are kept at Jeff Hutter's office, TWR Comm. at 549 N. Centre Street. Any paid member can stop by and pick up whatever they need. If you need mare than 5 of each item please call at least 24 hours in advance so that we can make sure we have plenty on hand. Call 777-2692 ext 113 Monday through Friday and you can talk to Pam, Gary or Sean. Please note: We do not keep MDE or City Housing registration forms on hand.
		Meeting Schedule June No Meeting July No Meeting August No Meeting September 8, 2003 October 13, 2003 November 10, 2003 December No Meeting Meetings are held at the South Cumberland Library on Race and Seymour St.ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ at 7 PM
Thought for the Month The pain of the mind is worse than the pain of the body. Publius Syrus We make way for the man who boldly pushes past us. Christian Nestell Bovee
TWR CommunicationsÝ 301-777-2692ÝÝÝÝÝ 9-30-03 The leading supplier of quality high speed Internet Access in Allegany-Garrett-Washington Counties and surrounding areas of West Virginia using K56 Flex modems. TWR provides other computer services including training, computer repairs, networking, website hosting and Internet advertising. TWR is an agent for Cellular One, operates a wide area network with wide area paging and mobile 2-way radio. Check us out at twr@hereintown.netÝÝ	Marsh Neilson & Sons General Contractors Replacement windows, doors, painting, trained in Lead Abatement, Also roofing, porches and decks,ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ plumbing and electrical work. Lets us take care of your lead problems! For more information call Rick 301-268-7712 ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Craig 301-689-6736ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ 3-04
A-1 Inspections, Inc. PRE-PURCHASE/PRE-SETTLEMENT INSPECTIONS RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL LEAD INSPECTIONS PHONE 301-724-LEAD ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ 301-724-5323ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ 9-30 9-30	Credit Bureau, Inc. We have been in the business of building databases for over 50 years. Let us build one for you! For those of you contributing rental history, thank you. For those who havenítÝÝ called me, itís easy. Mike WrightÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ 301-729-5202 ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ5-03