Sources and Methodology
Primary sources only
A requirement appears on this site only when it is tied to a primary source: the statute or regulation as published by the government that issued it (the Law Revision Counsel's U.S. Code, eCFR and the Federal Register, the Utah Legislature, the Utah Office of Administrative Rules, a city's published code, a health department's published regulation), the agency's own notice or memorandum, or the court's own opinion. Summaries by law firms, trade groups, news outlets or other websites are used only to find a primary source, never as the source.
A saved copy of every source
Each source is saved at the time it is read, as a PDF, HTML file or text extraction, in a private archive with its URL and retrieval date. Some sources are copyrighted, which is why the archive is private; the public pages quote only short passages with citations.
Quotations are checked word for word
Every quotation on a page is compared, by script, against the saved copy of its source, allowing only for line breaks and typographic quote marks. A quotation that does not match is fixed or removed before the page is published. Each page shows the date its quotations were last checked. Where a source is a scanned image, the quotation was checked against the page image itself.
Labels you will see
- Quoted text is the source's own words, with the source and location under it.
- Professional synthesis, not law marks the author's reading of published records. It is not a legal rule.
- Trial-level, unpublished, or not housing labels mark court decisions that do not bind other courts or that arose outside apartment housing.
What this site will not do
- Describe a legal requirement that a primary source does not state.
- Give a verdict or settlement figure without a court record or official release.
- Use statistics that could not be traced to their source.
- Describe any owner or manager as a wrongdoer beyond what an official record states.
- Discuss any matter in which the author has been retained.
- Use fear or guarantee language, or claim that any record or service prevents claims.
How it is kept current
Dates that agencies move, such as NSPIRE compliance dates, and rules that change, such as Utah's pesticide rule, are re-checked at each review. When a page is re-verified, its date changes; a page is not re-dated without a real check. Corrections from readers are checked against the primary source before a page changes.
Open items
Things this research looked for and could not verify. Each stays off the site until it is verified.
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Provo, West Valley City and Ogden ordinances | The code texts could not be retrieved from a primary source; nothing is stated about them. Utah County Health Department has no housing or pest regulation in its index. |
| NSPIRE scoring of infestation deficiencies | HUD says some Infestation deficiencies are scored at the Life-Threatening point deduction but did not list which. The site states only what HUD said. |
| Hill AFB jurisdiction map and cession dates | The base instruction refers to a jurisdiction map that was not reviewed, and the dates Utah ceded jurisdiction over Hill AFB parcels were not located. The site does not say whether Utah law applies to any Hill AFB housing. |
| Balfour Beatty sentencing record | The plea agreement and charging documents were read. The court docket entry recording the sentence as imposed was not; the site gives the figures the plea agreement states. |
| Jury verdict figures in other military housing cases | Reported only in news coverage; not used until a court record is obtained. |
| DoD Inspector General report DODIG-2022-078 | Title and date confirmed; full text not retrieved; not used. |
| A New Jersey bed bug negligence opinion cited in an industry guide | The industry guide's case name and date conflict with the court listing found; not used until the opinion is read. |
| Insurer loss-control guidance on pest records | No published insurer document was located. The site describes no insurer requirement. |
| Coverage opinions on bed bug exclusions in general liability policies; arbitration rulings under privatized housing leases; agency enforcement settlements specific to pests | Not located in this research; not described. |
| Constructive eviction for pests | No verified appellate decision holding a pest infestation a constructive eviction of an apartment tenant was found; the theory is not described. |
| Whether HUD has replaced Notice H 2012-5 | No replacement was found; HUD's multifamily memo index was unavailable when checked. Re-checked at each review. |
| Maintenance staff applying general use pesticides in units managed by a third-party company | Not settled by the rule text; the site refers the question to the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. |
Not legal advice
This reference is general information about published law, guidance and court decisions. It is not legal advice and does not create any professional relationship. Verify any citation against its primary source before relying on it, and ask counsel about your own situation.