I have a few rentals and am just getting started with this as a full time gig. So I'm very green in this space of operation. I keep running into the same issue of tenants moving out without giving proper 30 day notice. I'm fishing for insight and advice on how to deal with no proper notice to vacate a space. It's leaving me with unwanted vacancy and incredibly inconvenient extra payments on spaces i'm trying to fill. I know this is all part of the job and I understand all the reasons people vacate but I'm still left with the awkward situation of having to make judgment calls. Currently I'm doing the classic “House Hack” if you will, with one property I own. (I'm renting an extra bedroom in my house) its rented to a 60 year old woman who is very sweet but is running into some sort of respiratory issues due to what she says could be traces of mold. We also have a wood stove that could be contributing to the issue with traces of smoke lingering into her room. She just moved in at the beginning of the month so it's been less than 10 days. She is telling me she is having to immediately move out due to health issues that could be linked to the house and traces of mold. I have never heard anything like this from anyone else staying in that room. Our lease clearly states that a 30 day notice is required for either party to terminate the agreement. We are on a month to month agreement. She is requesting that I give her the money back for the remainder of the month. Obviously It's a difficult decision for me because I want to be a nice guy. On the other hand I also don't want to get walked on by all my tenants. It seems like a risky liability with it being linked to health issues. Although if someone told me they couldn't work due to health issues I would tell them the rent is still due. Am I in the wrong to ask her to give her official 30 day notice and keep the rent money for the month?
Morally i'm ok with saying that although legally i'm not sure how it would play out as its linked to what she is saying could be trace mold in the home. There are no mold issues as far as I can tell. I would not be writing this if this was not continuously occurring.
Another issue that is closely linked to this is the dilemma i'm having for how much to charge for a deposit and whether or not to charge last month's rent. In the past I had charged first month, last month and security deposit. Recently someone stated that I can not charge over 2 months rent total for all three of those combined. With this particular space rent is 600 for the room I was originally asking first last and deposit.(utilities included) Which would be a total of $1800. The son of the woman who just moved in who was doing all the talking with me on letting her move in informed me that what I was trying to charge was illegal. ( I'm in California) so I only charged a total of $1200 which was two months rent (First month and deposit). I was also nice enough to let him pay the security deposit over a period of two months. as in 900 to move in, then 900 the second month to fill the extra 300 required for the remainder of the security deposit. As much as I've read about it he seems to be correct.
Apologies for the long winded description but I'm making a lot of mistakes and enjoying learning from them.
Any advice would be appreciated. Don’t hold back!
Tell me I'm being an idiot if you feel. I want constructive criticism. I often question my “nice guy” decisions.
Thanks!
