Real Estate Investor · Buy & Hold Investor from Seacoast, NH · Member since 2013 · 63 posts · 15 votes
I am working towards being a new landlord and am wondering if I need to have a lawyer. I have never hired a lawyer before and don't even know what questions to ask them or what a typical client/lawyer relationship is. I don't currently have any needs that I know of for a lawyer and I don't know if it is typical to have one "on call" or wait until I have some kind of tenant dispute (such as getting sued, etc) to contact hire one.
I found a lawyer who specializes in tenant/landlord law, but I don't even know what types of questions to ask them over the phone.
I would say that my goal is to have some kind of relationship with a lawyer who I could call if I had trouble, but obviously I don't want to spend money needlessly. For example I don't know if people typically pay some kind of retainer up front or only pay when they have questions. I don't even know what the market rates are for a typical real estate lawyer. $150/hr? I'm in NH for what its worth.
I have a lease to use that a property manager friend gave to me that I was going to edit to fit my rental. Is that something that I should have a lawyer review as well? How much would one typically pay for a lease review?
Rental Property Investor · Mercer Island, WA · Member since 2008 · 22k+ posts · 14k+ votes
13y
I'd start by talking to other landlords and finding out who they use. You want one (or a firm) that specializes in landlord/tenant law, especially from the landlord side.
Having one review your lease is a good way to start. Follow up with conversation about relevant laws in your area. An hour or two should suffice. Then, you're in their records as a client. I've had a couple of followup conversations with the one I used to review my lease and the just answered my questions with no further billing.
Real Estate Investor · Buy & Hold Investor from Seacoast, NH · Member since 2013 · 63 posts · 15 votes
13y
Originally posted by Jon K.:
A good lawyer and good insurance = a must.
Thank you but do you have any advice on how to "get" a lawyer? I don't don't what I even need them to do for me at this point so I don't know what to ask them.
@Jon Holdman, I think your advice is good to start out with a request for a lease review in order to make contact with a lawyer and become a client.
Sorry if this topic is too basic. I'm just trying to identify how to go about soliciting and starting a relationship with a lawyer.