All Forum Posts by: Andrew B.

She doesn't need to tell you her disability when requesting reasonable accommodation. She only needs a dr stating that she needs the requested accommodation for a medical disability. The key word in this scenario is "reasonable" and that's a grey area in this case. You have a legitimate safety concern which most people would say makes this not a reasonable accommodation. On the other hand, you have to assume the disability is real and she is requesting accommodation for it. 

My first choice here given the facts would be to "bribe" her. Offer to put her in a hotel and buy her dinner to "ease" her concerns while the carpet is stretched. For $500 you just avoided a lawsuit and/or lawyers consultation. 

If she is absolutely obstinate and refused to comply, you would want to review this with a lawyer and take his/her advice. Maybe they will recommend you to utilize your right to entry to repair it without her consent.

The HOA fines will be assessed against the unit and therefore the owner. You will be 100% responsible for every single fine. If your lease was done well, it has a clause that allows you to bill the fine back to the tenant. If your lease is not written with that clause, you can still try to bill the tenant but you might lose if they challenge it and it goes to court.

The maximum fine is determined by state laws and then may be further restricted by HOA bylaws. In NJ we have a maximum fine of $5k per incident.

Quote from @Thomas Santella:

Laws are different for less than 4 units and 4 and up on multifamily properties, and landlords have more control over their property for under 4 units. The tenant can request modifications to their unit, and its the landlord's decision wether or not to approve them. If a landlord approved a tenant to add door screens, he wouldn't be responsible to pay for them since they are nonessential to the tenant, and the tenant would most likely pay for it themselves. 

Landlords would have to allow accommodations for handicapped tenants if its under 4 units, but don't have to pay for them so I doubt door screens would be mandatory. 

I would double check this advice. My understanding was always that the laws are not different for 4 family and under unless the landlord lives there. 

As to the actual question, I'm not aware of any law that would force you to provide a screen door. Windows need screens as far as I believe, but I've never heard of that applying to doors. 

That being said, if this is a nice neighborhood, I would have the screen door installed. It is a nice amenity that doesn't cost much. 

Your post is confusing because an HOA cannot make a modification to a common element and then charge 1 owner for that *UNLESS* that owner or their tenants damaged the property to begin with. (Confirm this isn't the case. Maybe your tenant damaged something.)

If they are truly billing you for a common element, you hire a lawyer and sue. You will win in lightning speed.

If that is not the case, you'll need to get more info and come back for better advice.

"Wear and tear" refers to what happens when you use a property under normal conditions. It is normal to hang a modest amount of items on the wall. It is not normal to hang hundreds of items on the wall. Unless there is so many nail holes that it effects the aesthetics of the wall, it is normal wear and tear. 

Paint is only expected to last about 5 years. If your paint lasted 5 years or more, dont charge your tenant for painting. 

If the disposal broke due to negligent use, you can charge the tenant for replacement unless it lasted longer than it was expected to. If it broke due to normal use, you cannot charge them. This is true for every appliance and fixture. The fact that they didn't tell you is irrelevant. I never use garbage disposals but my guess is a 5 year is reasonable. All that being said, just remove the disposal. It's just another item that requires maintenance. 

Check the meter reading on prior months bill and check the water meter on the day they move out. Do the math to find out what their usage was and bill them based on that.

Hello. I am interested in selling my rental property to the tenant that lives there. I would love to do this without an agent to save some money. Has anyone else done this before and can share their wisdom? How did the process go for you? Looking back, is there anything you would do differently? I am located in NJ for additional context. Thank you all in advance. 

If your basement is flooding to the point that there is puddles across the basement, then it means your sump pumps are undersized or this was a "once in a blue moon" major storm. If your pumps are undersized, it is your job to replace them. If it was a once in a blue moon severe storm, I would recommend you clean it up so you can put eyes on the property and make sure the extreme weather didn't damage your property. 

You haven't given us enough info. What is a term request? What are you asking the PM to do that they disagree with? Are you trying to cancel your agreement with PM? If so, you need to look for your contracts cancellation clause.

No one has ever become a millionaire by saving money on insurance, but quite a few people have gone broke that way.