If you are a Pittsburgh area landlord, it may be in your best interest to enlist the aid of a lawyer that is familiar in Pittsburgh, Pa Landlord Tenant Law. However, keeping a lawyer on staff may not always be in your best interests from a financial perspective.

2. Introduction
Given the economic burden that full
time legal representation can
produce, it is important to know
which entanglements may be
handled by the landlord themselves
and which are best left to an
experienced attorney.

3. Evicting a Tenant
 The process of evicting a tenant may be difficult, due to the high standards
held by many judges. This is further compounded by the detailed procedures
and document requirements that landlords are expected to abide by.
 If you wish to evict a tenant, it may be prudent to hire a lawyer to assist with
eviction in the following cases:
 If this is your first eviction
 The tenant is fighting the eviction and has a lawyer
 The tenant is an employee whom you’re firing
 The tenant is filing for bankruptcy
 If you must comply with rent control or housing program rules for eviction

4. Being Investigated or Sued for Illegal
Discrimination
 Illegal discrimination complaints can happen even to landlords who
comply with fair housing laws.
 If you are actually sued or if a housing agency begins to investigate, you will
want to consult a lawyer.
 Because civil penalties can be quite expensive ($16,000 for first time
offenders with additional damages), you will want to hire a lawyer to assist
you.

5. Sued for Injury or Illness
 If a tenant is suing you and claiming that they got hurt or sick as a result of
your negligence, you’ll want to hire a lawyer.
 Personal injury cases are generally high stakes and you are better off
having an experienced representative.
 If you have liability insurance, your insurer should provide you a lawyer to
deal with the claim.

6. Sued for Major Property Damage
 In a case where a tenant claims that
your negligence has caused them
property damage, they may look to
you for compensation.
 If the claim is high, it may be best to
refer the matter to your insurance
company to take advantage of their
obligation to hire a lawyer for you.
 If the claim is low, you are better off
handling it yourself, possibly after an
hour or so of legal coaching from an
attorney.

7. If you are being audited by the IRS or the State
 If an audit case deals with a relatively small amount of money, the
expense of a lawyer is probably not justified.
 If there is a lot of money at stake, you will certainly want to hire
representation.
 If you made a serious error on your taxes and have yet to be contacted by
auditors, hiring a lawyer may help you avert a damaging or embarrassing
situation.

8. Changing Your Business Structure
 When a business transitions from one type to another, there are a
plethora of new legal documents, tax requirements and legal obligations
that a lawyer can assist you with.

9. Buying or Selling Property
 Similarly, an appropriate lawyer is in a good position to help you through
the steps of buying or selling property and will be familiar with the
complexities and legal risks involved.

10. Dealing with Problem Employees or Employment
Problems
 Employees may present a particular kind of legal trouble if they threaten
to sue you for discrimination or if they’ve caused a bad relationship with
your tenants.
 In these cases, hiring a lawyer is wise because they will be able to handle
the situation with the delicacy required to successfully negotiate the
dilemma.

11. Protecting Your Intellectual Property Rights
 If you discover another company or individual that has violated your
intellectual property rights, you may want to hire a trademark and
copyright lawyer to assist you.

12. Conclusion
 To successfully navigate the legal difficulties associated with property
rentals, it is important to know when to deal with a situation yourself and
when to hire a representative to assist.
 Generally, the higher the financial penalties involved, the more likely it is
that you’ll want to hand your case off to someone with a law degree and
legal experience.