Ann O’Connell is a legal editor at Nolo specializing in landlord-tenant and real estate law. She writes for Nolo.com, Lawyers.com, and Avvo. Ann is a coauthor of Nolo's Essential Guide to Buying Your First Home, which won a silver Benjamin Franklin Award from the Independent Book Publishers Association in 2020, and Nolo’s Every Landlord’s Legal Guide.
Legal career. Before joining Nolo as an editor, Ann was a freelance writer for Nolo as well as other publications and law firms. Ann practiced civil litigation in California and Colorado, and had her own firm in Colorado. At her firm, she focused on real estate, landlord-tenant, and small business cases.
Credentials. Ann earned her B.A. from Boston College and her J.D. from UC Berkeley Law. She has passed the bar exams in California, Nevada, and Colorado, where she is both an active attorney and a real estate broker.
Landlord-tenant law. Ann’s favorite part of writing about landlord-tenant matters is the opportunity to help tenants—who often find it difficult to afford or hire a lawyer to represent them—understand and assert their rights. Ann’s research and writing on coronavirus-related eviction bans and tenant rights has been cited by numerous news outlets and government agencies, including Yahoo Finance, CNET, Fannie Mae, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Articles By Ann O’Connell
The basic rules and procedures Colorado landlords must follow to evict tenants.
In most states, landlords cannot retaliate against a tenant for exercising a legal right. Find out what tenant rights are protected from landlord retaliation, and situations in which landlord retaliation is presumed.
This is the chart you need if you're trying to find your state's landlord-tenant laws.
In most states, landlords and tenants must provide 30 days' notice to end a month-to-month tenancy. Find out your state's rules.
Before you're knee-deep in paperwork, familiarize yourself with what you'll be reviewing or signing.
Landlords who don't make the disclosures required by federal, state, and local laws might be subject to fines, lawsuits, and other penalties.
Both landlords and tenants should be able to deal with many legal questions and problems without a lawyer, once they understand the basics of state law. This overview of key landlord-tenant laws in Delaware will get you started.
Both landlords and tenants should be able to deal with many legal questions and problems without a lawyer, once they understand the basics of state law. This overview of key landlord-tenant laws in Arizona will get you started.
A summary of Alabama's landlord-tenant laws on topics such as tenant screening, security deposits, required landlord disclosures, late fees, and other rent rules.
Both landlords and tenants should be able to deal with many legal questions and problems without a lawyer, once they understand the basics of state law. This overview of key landlord-tenant laws in Alaska will get you started.