All Forum Posts by: Brian Phillips

I wouldn't do it. I don't have a Venmo account and I wouldn't go through the process of setting one up just to refund a deposit. And, as Kyle says, it makes documentation more difficult.

The eviction moratorium is the government's attempt to fix some of the problems caused by the lock downs. And the lock downs became "necessary" because the government botched its response to the novel virus. This is a classic case of the government creating problems and then enacting more controls and restrictions in a futile attempt to fix the problems it created.

Since the pandemic started, I have put any problem tenants on a month to month. I haven't told them explicitly, but I think that they realize that I could give them 30 days notice and terminate the lease. Only 1 of 4 tenants are behind, and they are making an effort to catch up.

In Texas, I have 30 days from when they vacate to return their deposit. I usually return it before that. But I want everything out of the house so I can do an inspection and see what kind of condition it is in. I would tell them that you need to be sure that they are leaving the property as the lease specifies, and you can't do that until they move out. Be sure to do this in writing. I have a tenant who doesn't speak English, and I don't speak Spanish. We communicate via text--apparently she has a translation app. It usually works pretty well.

The eviction moratorium is only the latest assault on property owners. Rent control, zoning, preservation, and a host of other laws make it increasingly difficult for us to produce quality, affordable rental housing. As one local tenants' group puts it, their are a lot more renters than landlords, and so the politicians and bureaucrats listen when they scream. We need to speak up against this injustice.