All Forum Posts by: Chris S.

So one of my tenants has become a problem in regards to paying rent.  She is about 2.5 months past due on rent from earlier this year and hasn't paid rent for August.  I've tried to text and her and she is not communicating. I was working to give her flexibility as she had let me know she was having pandemic related financial issues, but I know she is working now.  

I'm in Massachusetts and from what I can gather, since we are in a county with 'substantial spread' and eviction is out of the question.

She is tenant at will and so I'm wondering if there is any method I could use to just sort of force her out without evicting?

A letter telling her that her rent is increasing by 30%?

A letter telling her that I'm moving to an annual lease with a steep monthly increase?

And in regards to the back rent - what is my course of action there?  Just let it go? 

Thanks Mary appreciate the advice. It looks like the CDC Moratorium on evictions lasts until June 30th.  I just texted her asking what her plan is on rent moving forward and asked if she had applied for any rental assistance as of yet. 

I have a two family in MA in which one unit has only payed a half months rent over the last three months.  

I have been in communication with this tenant--she did lose her job and was struggling financially---had initially asked me in early March if she could send rent in chunks which I said I was ok with, but she hasn't paid anything since that half month rent payment for March.

So, i'm sort of not sure what to do here.  Anyone have any advice on a stern sort of text to send to her -- I did just find out she is working again through another party (not sure if full time or not).  I honestly don't care about the 2 1/2 months of unpaid back rent--I just want to make sure I'm getting rent moving forward.

So update here and looking for a bit more advice if possible.  I had texted him in mid-Jan and advised him to try and find assistance.  He noted that they didn't think this was going to be longer than a month and was looking to have a roommate potentially move in, in March.   I had noted that I had some flexibility and said that we could try to work something out--he aggreed and was appreciative.  So, I did not receive any rent for February and have not heard from him since our conversations a month ago.  

Where do I go from here---I guess I understood that rent was going to be an issue for them for February---but should I check in and see where they are at?  Should I just accept the fact that they had zero money to pay for Feb and write it off as a lost cause and hope that they can pay for March forward? 

So i do a tenant at will lease with a 30-day notice.  So they did pay for the 1st so that was basically the roomate's window to leave.  There is only the one person on the lease--the one that is still there.   Okay thanks for those notes, I think I will let him know that I am compassionate for his situation, and am willing to provide flexibility for the next few months, but I do have bills to pay and ultimately they are going to have to figure out how to make the rent whole eventually. 

Hi all, just got a message from a tenant in a house that I own, saying that his roommate had moved out on Jan 1st and that he was recently unemployed due to COVID shutdowns.  Said that he was applying for unemployment but hadn't received any money from it yet.  Didn't give me any specifics but sounds like he might have trouble paying rent until things open up again.  Any advice on what to do here?  I even cut back his rent by a few hundred bucks during the pandemic for a few months just because I knew business was slow.  I don't want to evict him, but I also want to make sure that I get something coming in from rent somehow. 

Thanks Sean, yeah the mortgage is paid off, so no refinance planned.  The property is meant as a long term hold, but I do sort of hate the idea of sealing off a working fireplace.  Although while my tenants now are quite responsible, I guess it's not to say that the next ones won't be.  So thinking that there is probably a risk factor at play as well.  Maybe ultimately the answer is a gas insert, but I know how expensive that would be.  

I have a two family in the Boston area.  The downstairs rental unit has no working firelplace -- there is just a bush league electric insert.  

The upstairs unit has a working fireplace that the current tenants use often.

We just had the fireplace inspected due to some concerns we had and it sounds like it is going to be a forture to repair it.

Summary - needs to rebuild the firebox with firebricks ($3300), grind and repoint entire chimney ($3100), New Lead Flashing ($1150), new damper ($425) ---so grand total of around $8K.  says the fireplace is not useable.  

His other option was to close off the fireplace and flue tile for a cost of $2400.

We have great tenants and they love the fireplace, but $8K is a huge outlay right now for me, although seems as if I'm still stuck with $2400 in repairs if i close it off.

Any thoughts on this?

Wondering if anyone has a sample letter i could borrow.  I want to let my tenants know that I have some flexibility, but I also want them to know that rent also needs to be paid.  Some of my tenants work in hospitality industry, so I know they are going through a tough time.  At the same time, I have bills to pay.  Best way to handle communication on this?

Thanks for the recommendation Charlie, just gave him a call.  Waiting for a quote, but a nice guy!