All Forum Posts by: Richard F.

Aloha,

Define "broken". If it just needs the reset button pushed, and/or a typical unjamming of the cutter blades, that's about three minutes work, and I would not bother. If, on the other hand, they have dumped multiple screws into it, or somehow managed to physically break the housing, there isn't much to break. Older ones often rust out and start leaking out of the housing, but that is clearly an age issue.

If the drain was left clogged AND the disposer jammed/reset tripped, then charge them the cost of clearing the line and disposer.  In any event, you cannot just arbitrarily pick a dollar amount to charge, you need to actually have an invoice for your expenditure, with notes as to findings by the person repairing (or clearing) the issue. Assuming it was operating properly at move in, and dependent on exactly what your Rental Agreement states with regard to plumbing stoppages and/or proper use of fixtures and appliances, yes, you should be able to deduct your actual cost to make it operational.

One additional note, there are some REALLY cheap disposers available, and you definitely get what you pay for. Stick with a midline Badger or InSinkErator, 1/2 horse or larger, and they will generally last until they DO rust through the housing.

As a licensed PM, I have always pulled credit reports direct from Equifax. Those reports have a lot of useful info including prior addresses, prior names, and sometimes employment. Locally, court records are available online, as well as many other locales, with a little bit of searching. Some charge for access, some do not. Beyond that, it is a matter of looking at ALL of the pieces, to see if the entire puzzle "fits" together..dates, addresses, employment,etc. Just checking online can turn up...well...puzzling information that may well cause you t pass as well.

Aloha,

Hard to tell from a pic, BUT, the one on the left in particular, when you zoom in, you can clearly see three, maybe 4, holes such as a termite might make. It is entirely possible the flooring ALREADY had termites in it when installed. I have had this happen with cabinets in the past as well.

Big mistake having the Big T out...much better to get a mid-sized local operator. Between all the marketing crap, multiple early "renewal" notices, and generally poor followup service, we stopped using them several years ago.

Aloha,

Don't rent to the first person that waves cash in your face. Proper screening of every adult occupant is the single most important step you need to take, after proper preparation OF the rental unit. Determine your standards, then stick to them. It is critical to hold all applicants to the same standard...do not "give in" because they "seem like nice people".

Credit scores alone tell you very little...you need to see what is contributing to that score, and you need to check for Bad Habits in all areas of their life...Court Records, Employment history, prior housing history, online presence, and anything else available. Bad Habits in any of these areas are likely to carry over in how they perform as Tenants.

Quote from @Julien Jeannot:

1. Train the tenants. During the initial walkthrough and via a welcome document: here are the ins/out of house operations.

Aloha,

Although not a current practice, when the company I worked for had in-house maintenance, we went a step further. We actually highlighted, by color coded paint (Yellow, Blue, Red), the Gas, Water, and Electric main shutoffs, and pointed these locations out as well as when/how to utilize them at the move in inspection. This had the added bonus of ensuring we tested them (primarily the water main) making sure they would function when needed.

Aloha,

As others have pointed out, you are required to honor the existing Agreement through it's stated term. You ARE able to, in writing, provide the Tenant with a change of management notification, instructing them where, how, and to whom rent is to be paid, and requests for service should be directed (You cannot change any other "material" terms of the existing agreement). Ideally, you have the Seller/Seller's Agent send or deliver a brief notice to existing Tenants just prior to closing, as a formal introduction. Then you follow up after closing, to include requesting to schedule a meeting with them at the property.

At that meeting I perform a brief walk through inspection, taking pics of conditions, and looking closely for signs of leaks or pests and surprises such as cats or dogs that you are unaware of. Then I have a conversation with the Tenants, asking if there are any unreported issues that need to be addressed, or uncompleted repairs previously promised. I specifically ask if there are any issues of something not working presently. I then confirm, by asking them to tell me, what their current rent and deposit are, when they normally pay their rent, what utils are they paying, who owns the major appliances, where is their assigned parking, if any, and lastly, what are their intentions when the initial term is over? Would they like to remain, or do they have other plans?

Based on their response, I provide them with a new application to complete, and advise them the current agreement WILL be terminated (you need to give proper advance written notice to do so), and they will need to be approved and agree to your Terms and Conditions at that time. You will be researching the market prior to that date and will advise what, if any, increase there will be when you send the termination notice.

Aloha,

Just get something like this:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Honeywell-Home-Thermostat-Lockbo...

I would also suggest you get at least one of these, as you will likely be getting complaints about either too hot, or too cold, and you should get accurate data before spending money on subjective claims:

https://www.amazon.com/Elitech-RC-5-Temperature-Reusable-Rec...

Aloha,

Knowing that they were expecting, there is little need to add the newborn to the Rental Agreement, at least, there certainly is no rush. You can certainly do so at next renewal. I do include all minors on the original agreement of course. And, I make note of teenagers to ensure that once they turn 18 they DO get added as an Adult, with that added responsibility.

Given the specific circumstances, I would refer them to the terms of the Agreement, and request "for your records" that Mom complete and sign an application, along with providing a brief letter of intent stating the reason and expected length of stay. You should make it clear, by a written response, that at renewal, if Mom is still there, she will need to be formally added to the Agreement.

Quote from @Alain Chautard:

After two years, I've received 30 maintenance requests from the tenants, which seems like a lot. The PM company happily dispatches repair people every time without questioning much of anything: 

- The same repairs seem to happen repeatedly, so can the repairer be trusted, or should something else get fixed first?

- If the house has so many problems, why did the renters happily renew their lease twice already?

In any case, I'm not sure what to do. All the cash flow is eaten by those repairs ($3,000 and counting this year alone), and the PM company has a clause that doesn't allow me to switch to a different company: I'd have to pay them till July 2024 to get rid of them.

What would you do in my situation?

Aloha,

You state "I've received 30 maintenance requests from the tenants". It sounds like they are contacting you directly, then you notify your PM, who "happily dispatches repair people". Tenants should be contacting PM directly, PM should be asking for details or even photos of the issue from the Tenant, and generally understanding what the issue is before dispatching (realizing that some Tenants are completely clueless and poor communicators). They should also have a record of all work for each unit, and review that record for prior related issues. Honestly, if it is happening this often, any competent PM should remember the prior calls and instantly be questioning the Tenant or the Vendor on what is happening, if not making a personal visit to get eyes on.

Either the repair person is doing a quick "patch" job, that will never last, rather than a proper repair; or the Tenant is causing some/all of the issues and should be charged the full cost of repairs. The PM should be determining responsibility with each service call, based on report/notes included with invoice from the Vendor. For many types of service calls, we require before/after pics from the Vendors while on site. Those contractors always have my personal cell number to reach me directly from site and to send pics instantly for discussion or approval. Those pics are transferred to the unit file to maintain a complete record.

You should be receiving a copy of every invoice with at least enough detail to determine what, exactly, was done. Sometimes, there may be multiple different "symptoms", but all result from the same underlying problem. Perhaps the Vendor is not adequately troubleshooting; or, in many cases, they only perform a pretty specific task they were sent to do, without opening their eyes and looking at the bigger picture. This ensures additional service calls...

I imagine the Tenants remain because either they have low standards; extraordinary patience, or they are well under market rates.

Aloha,

You can assume that they are allowing you to view the 2 units in best condition, and/or with the most reasonable Tenants. The other two are likely very long term Tenants in units that need major reno. Surprisingly often, potential Buyers never inspect the units until long after closing. If you have adequate resources, not a real problem, but if you are operating on a shoestring, you, AND your GC MUST inspect every unit prior to expiration of your contingency period.