All Forum Posts by: Anna Granofsky

Yes! All great points, I have been learning so much with this one. Thank you for all the help!

Great suggestions!

The Director got in touch with me because they had not been keeping up with their quarterly inspections and the new Director was getting the inspections back up and running. Her case worker jumped the gun, sending out emails with all of the apartment issues and insisting they are fixed; however, the case worker's inspection was supposed to be informational only for the Director to discuss with the landlords and allow them the opportunity to inspect the units themselves. I am sure the Director is having a field day answering all of these landlord calls!

Mistake or not, I have requested documentation of the inspection reports at move-in as well as reports they may have completed while the tenant was living there. They said they may not be able to locate these documents, so it will come to question who is responsible for this damage if/when the tenant moves out.

This is helpful, Marc. Thank you!

Nope! I will do just that!

The lease I obtained was only 2 pages long with very basic information. There is nothing on the lease about damages. The nonprofit pays the rent and I have asked to have a meeting about this but want some insight on how to approach this with them. What can I say I am not going to fix. They emailed me today saying they will inspect again on 3/19/2019. Considering the tenant has been living here for years and this was the condition of the apartment when I bought it, it seems that asking to update most of the apartment in a week and a half is unacceptable and some of these items would be things I would fix after the tenant moves out.

In December, I purchases an old triplex in West Virginia that was already filled with units under a non-profit homeless housing organization. The tenant in one of the apartments has been living there for years and has been eager to tell me all of the things she wants fixed, new within her apartment. We have done significant construction to the building for mold, water leaking, room repairs.

Today, I receive an email from the nonprofit with a long list of items they want fixed within a week and a half per their inspection on the property. Some items included are peeling paint, new bathroom fixtures, tub lime/rust, carpet pulls, broken kitchen floor tiles, nonworking light fixtures and outlets.

While I believe some of these items like inoperable electrical outlets and lights, I should fix, am I responsible to give the tenant new floors/carpet/bathroom when the tenant themselves may have caused the damage and while they are still living there?

I should have clarified when I mentioned the housing is for individual veterans. I am working with a nonprofit organization that will be using this home for a program that is geared strictly to homeless veterans to find them suitable housing and assistance with finding jobs. The nonprofits goal is to help the veterans take over the lease from the nonprofit within 6-12 months. They will be one lease to a room.

That being said, the nonprofit will be filling the house based on their need; I will not be screening nor accepting/denying applicants. I will get what they give. I do not want to police the house; the nonprofit will make monthly/quarterly visits to insure their specific rules are being followed. 

My goal is to add verbiage within the lease that will decrease any tiffs between tenants for the common spaces and how to set expectations and promote group effort with cleaning the common areas/shoveling snow/personal dishes/shared fridge/laundry/having guests and so forth. 

I am in the process of buying my fourth unit but this situation is a new one for me!

I am purchasing a four bedroom house that will be used as shared housing for veterans. Each veteran will have their own bedroom but share the common areas and bathrooms (two tenants per bathroom). 

I need advice for creating the lease to include guidelines and wording on sharing responsibilities in the common areas. 

I also appreciate any advice on how to steer the tenants to work together and get along.