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Got Mold? I just renewed my insurance policy on my home, and I was not surprised to discover that damage caused by mold and water intrusion has been excluded from my coverage. You may have received the same notice from your insurance company as well. You may have also read or heard about a flurry …
Consider a Tax-Deferred Exchange Most real estate investors are generally aware of the tax-deferred exchange provisions contained in Sec. 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. These provisions allow you to exchange one piece of investment real estate (or other property held for productive use in a trade of business or for investment) for another without …
Lilly Ledbetter: Congress Gives Employees a Better Way to Sue for Pay Discrimination You may have heard the name “Lilly Ledbetter” in the news lately. The new Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act raises the stakes for employers by allowing your employees to file pay discrimination lawsuits for decisions made many years ago. BAD FACTS MAKE …
Christmas Tree Leases By Mark D. Shipman Saalfeld Griggs PC It may be the time of the year that prompted me to write this article, then again, many owners and growers are considering Christmas trees to replace other crops that have not been financially profitable. Whether you are a property owner who is leasing to …
Key Steps to Successfully Manage Absenteeism By Randall P. Sutton SAALFELD GRIGGS PC When dealing with employee absenteeism, employers need to carefully navigate the “Bermuda Triangle” of leave laws. This confusing and potentially costly place is created by the intersection of the Oregon and federal family leave laws, the federal and state disability discrimination laws, …
Beware – Change of Tenant Can Trigger Fire Code Improvements By Real Estate and Land Use Practice Group Saalfeld Griggs PC In the past few years we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of fire code issues arising from changes in occupancy. This enforcement trend must be taken into account by all landlords …
Be Careful When Giving Your Debtor a Break Suppose you own a note secured by a mortgage or deed of trust (for convenience, I will refer to both as a “mortgage”). It would not be terribly unusual for the debtor to come to you for some relief if he’s having trouble making the payments. He …
Illegal Worker Wins Retaliation Lawsuit UNDOCUMENTED WORKER AWARDED $200,000 AGAINST EMPLOYER WHO CALLED INS Most employers fully understand that it is unlawful to employ undocumented workers. One area of the law that has not been clear, however, is what rights, if any, undocumented workers have in the workplace. In 2002, the United States Supreme Court …
Advantages and Risks of Tenancies in Common Tenancy in common (“TIC”) arrangements are an increasingly popular option for real estate investors looking to participate in a 1031 Exchange. Internal Revenue Code Section 1031 generally allows real estate owners the opportunity to exchange property that has been held for productive use in a trade, business or …
High Time for Some Answers: Medical Marijuana Update By Randall P. Sutton SAALFELD GRIGGS PC For more than a decade, Oregon employers have struggled with how to enforce their zero-tolerance drug policies when an employee presented a medical marijuana card. The big question has been whether employers need to ignore their zero tolerance policies and …