I assume so since the animal is supporting his/ her needs and preventing him from being a problem child?

My question is this how would one propose 1) A new rate and secondly, if the lease agreements are now month to month, here in Minneapolis are their guidelines in place that would prevent me from increasing this rate to a more landlord friendly price point.

Obviously stopping the water source is important, but also conditioning the space is truly the only way to prevent it from coming back in the future since crawlspaces are open to the exterior elements. 

A tax expert will be worth their fee in tax savings as well as headaches that they prevent for you! 

I would focus on preventive maintenance before winter and try to head off problems before they happen.

I know that the DIY test kits have to sit in a spot over a few days and my husband fears that the owner might move the tests to prevent mold from showing up. 

To prevent the issue from arising we emphasize the "joint and severally liable" clause in the lease, which means all the tenants are collectively responsible for the lease. 

How do you prevent yourself from being "cut out" of a deal?

Since the items were preventing us from moving in our own items, we decided to deal with it ourselves.

Just because the contractor signs a lien waiver, doesn't prevent them from actually filing a lien within the time periods permitted to file a lien (based on the city/county of the property).