In a Rush to Cut and Run? Learn to Love the House You're In.

Next, you need to work with a real estate lawyer to draw up a lease that addresses your issues, such as landscape care, pool/hot-tub use and insurance, and rules regarding the septic tank. It sounds as if yours is a more expensive home, and off-the-shelf leases may not address the protections you need in case problems arise.

Even the landscape is a big issue. While your grass can grow back, a poorly maintained lawn can cost thousands of dollars to repair. Pools, hot tubs and septic systems are expensive to build, fix and maintain. If you leave maintenance to the tenant and the tenant doesn't do it, you could wind up with a problem that could cost you tens of thousands of dollars. If you have a security deposit with the lease, that security deposit may not cover the damage.

So write up a long list of rules for the pool and septic system. But I would pay to have the septic system checked twice a year (or more often), and have the pool serviced so you don't have a bigger issue with these items down the road. Your property manager can then check in weekly with the pool company to make sure the property is in good hands. The lease could provide that the tenant use companies approved by you to maintain these items and that the tenant provide proof that the work is done on schedule.

I have a commercial property in Georgia. The tenant has not paid rent for 45 days and is giving me all kinds of excuses. He failed to pay taxes for the last year, and I have tried to work with him in paying those taxes in installments. But he has not made a single payment and now has stopped paying rent, as well.

What are my options? Can I change the locks and recover my losses from his belongings? Is it legal to do? Or will it cause additional problems? How can I evict him, and how long is the eviction process? Can I do it myself?

You have a tenant who may be in financial trouble. Your only recourse may be to evict the tenant. In some states, evictions can be rather quick, taking two or three months to complete. In other states, it might be longer. In some states, landlords can do it all and the process isn't too burdensome for a non-lawyer.

However, in many states there are lawyers who work only on evictions. They charge a flat rate, sometimes only a couple of hundred dollars. You may decide to talk to one of these lawyers and let him or her handle the case.

In many states, the self-help remedies you suggest -- such as changing the locks and the like -- are illegal and can result in you becoming liable to the tenant for damages. I wouldn't suggest that you go down that path without knowing your state laws.

Your better bet is to hire a lawyer, evict the tenant as quickly as possible and get another tenant on the property who will honor the terms of the rental agreement. You'll also want to make sure that your real estate property taxes are paid in full so you don't risk losing your property in a tax sale.

Since my father died, my mother takes care of all the bills, including the mortgage, which is in his name. Her name wasn't on the mortgage or deed, but I would like to know what would happen if she died. Would we have any problem taking care of the house because title is still in his name?

I have five siblings. My mother is trying to make us sign papers stating that all six of us would have to come to an agreement regarding the estate.

If your father owned the home in his name alone, at the time of his death the laws in the state in which he lived would provide how title to the house would transfer. If he had a will, the will should have specified who would inherit the house.