All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

Hi Kerry-Ann! Congratulations on getting started.

What market are your rental units in? If you are in Central Florida, then my company may be able to assist with boots on the ground.

Please feel free to call or email me if you're in Orlando.

For software, there are a lot of options. I would suggest searching the BP forum as there have been a few threads with recommendations and opinions for different uses.

Good luck!

Just adding that in my experience, renting a property to a tenant sight-unseen is usually a bad idea, even when the unit is properly turned and professionally cleaned.

Clearly there were missed maintenance issues in this case, but I would still instruct your PM (or future PM) to make it a requirement that all prospective tenants tour your properties first before processing applications.

I’ve even had tenants sign Sight Unseen / As-Is addendums and later be unhappy and still want to break their leases. These instances weren’t even for real maintenance issues, seemingly they were just because of subjective opinions about the property or location.

Prospective applicants can only gather so much from photographs and video. Prospects need to physically go to the property before signing a lease, so everyone is on the same page.

Just my two cents! 

Hey CR, I’m just commenting to show you some support. As a property manager for over 5 years, I definitely know that it can be a tough and thankless job at times.

There are specifics in your post that I won’t go too much into here, but I think a professional property manager would handle some of these situations differently.

Management tasks like enforcing lease agreements and handling delinquent rent can be difficult, especially when the tenants know you are the owner/operator. They can also be more taxing when you haven’t dealt with those types of situations before or frequently.

Keep the faith – not necessarily in this property or even in being a landlord at all - just in that there is always opportunity and every moment is a new moment.

It sounds like you’ve worked very hard, and you should take pride in that.

Hello David, it’s definitely a good idea to walk-through your occupied rental properties. Some items to look for:

1. Number of occupants at the property vs how many tenants are on the lease agreement.

2. Pets at the property (and whether they are on the lease).

3. Smoke alarms, CO alarms

4. HVAC Air Filter - note the size and whether it is new.

5. Check under sinks if you can, many times slow leaks occur there that go unreported.

6. Sanitation Issues (Not messy or untidy, but real sanitation issues that affect the habitability of the home).

7. Signs of pest issues (Cockroaches, fleas, rodents, etc.)

8. Ceiling stains, which can indicate leaks from above.

9. Any sort of surface damage: holes in drywall, carpet stains, damaged blinds, etc. 

10. Ask the tenants if there are any issues they have noticed and would like to report.

In general, I would take as many photos as you can during the walk-through. Documentation is very important, and sometimes an issue will pop up later and you will want photos to reference back to.

I would also add to be conscious of the tenant’s privacy and remember that it is their home too. It’s really in the tenant’s best interest to have a periodic walk-through, but I know sometimes it’s not perceived that way.

Good luck!

Hi Shelley! It’s tough to fully visualize the problem from your description. I’ve never seen a punching bag damage a floor, but I wouldn’t rule it out. (Especially during an intense work-out or something!)

My advice: thoroughly photo document the area including your repairs and the punching bag. I’m not sure of the laws and processes in Canada, but here in Florida if the tenant’s use of the bag damages the floor, then the repair costs may be able to be claimed from their security deposit.

When it comes to security deposit claims, it’s always best practice to have photographic documentation to prevent or respond to any disputes.

Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that and clear communication with the tenants can prevent any future issues. Good luck!

This is a good summary of the situation with condos in Florida right now. We are seeing many units being listed for sale in Orlando, FL for these reasons too.