All Articles — page 9
Every Beacon article, grouped by section. Use the filters or search to narrow it down.
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Technology, Privacy & Media
Web Scraping and Automated Data Collection: Access, Contract, and Copyright
Whether an automated collector is lawful is really four separate questions. Federal access law has narrowed, which pushed the fight toward contract, server burden, and copyright.
8 min readAnalysis -
Technology, Privacy & Media
Right to Repair Laws: Parts, Documentation, and Warranty Effects
Two separate legal engines drive repair rights: patchy state statutes that force manufacturers to supply parts and manuals, and a federal warranty law that limits tie-in service conditions.
8 min readAnalysis -
Technology, Privacy & Media
Online Reviews and Defamation: Opinion, Fact, Evidence, and Platform Issues
Harsh reviews are usually protected opinion. The line is verifiability, and it decides most disputes long before anyone argues about damages or reputation.
7 min readExplainer -
Property & Housing
Phase I Environmental Site Assessments in Commercial Transactions
A Phase I report is not a formality. It is the record that supports a buyer's statutory defense to Superfund liability, and it only works if it is completed before the property changes hands.
8 min readGuide -
Property & Housing
Renters Insurance and Damage Claims: Who Pays After a Loss
The landlord's policy covers the building and a renters policy covers the tenant's side. What happens when a tenant causes the loss is a genuine state-by-state split.
8 min readGuide -
Property & Housing
Accessory Dwelling Units: Permits, Setbacks, and Rental Restrictions
State law has pushed cities to allow accessory dwelling units, but zoning approval, building permits and recorded covenants are three separate hurdles that fail for different reasons.
8 min readExplainer -
Property & Housing
Buying a Home in a Flood Zone: Disclosure, Insurance, and Elevation
Seller disclosure of past flooding is a state-by-state lottery, and the federal insurance mandate turns on a map. Here is what to confirm before the inspection period closes.
8 min readGuide -
Property & Housing
Home Equity Loans and HELOCs: Draw Periods, Freezes, and Rescission Rights
Two moments blindside home equity borrowers: the notice that says the line is frozen, and the month the draw period ends and the payment jumps. Here is the law behind both.
8 min readExplainer -
Property & Housing
Manufactured Housing: Titles, Land, and Community Rent Rules
A manufactured home, the land under it, and the piece of paper that proves ownership are three separate things. Almost every problem owners run into traces back to that split.
8 min readExplainer -
Property & Housing
Condominium Reserve Studies and Special Assessments
Every condominium buyer asks the same question: will I be handed a four-figure bill after closing? The reserve study answers it better than any disclosure form does.
8 min readGuide -
Property & Housing
Reverse Mortgages: Occupancy Rules, Heirs, and Foreclosure Risk
Most reverse mortgage foreclosures start with an unpaid tax bill or an extended hospital stay, not with a borrower who lived too long. The occupancy and upkeep duties are the whole story.
8 min readAnalysis -
Property & Housing
Homeowners Association Assessments, Liens, and Enforcement
A modest unpaid balance can become a lien, then a judgment, then a foreclosure. Understanding where the duty to pay comes from is what tells an owner which step can still be contested.
8 min readExplainer
