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All Forum Posts by: Chris Newton

Chris Newton has started 6 posts and replied 10 times.

Post: new tenant screening

Chris NewtonPosted
  • Los Gatos, CA
  • Posts 10
  • Votes 0

Hey guys, hopefully all your answers will be legit and not an advertiser but struggling to find a good screening company for a new tenant.  Found a website but the answers seem to be fake and so many are for and then against the same companies.  

I hear that verification of employment salary is almost impossible from these companies and, if we as a landlord, call the company.

Want to do credit check, eviction, criminal etc (as have kids on site and am only asking 1.5 month dep) and so many people are saying their reports came back clean but then they found out things after the rental went bad.

Seems ridiculous that someone hasn't cornered the market with an honest reporting company with such an important requirement.

Thx

Hi all,

I wonder if anyone can help me understand (OK simplify) the rent to buy process

My tenant has been in a year and asked if I would sell to them.  We make absolutely no money on this house and actually pay $6000 a year as their rent doesn't cover the mortgage.  This is without any issues that arise too.  There is already a drop of $70,000 from what we paid and its possible worth but guess that shouldn't factor in as I need to work out whats left to pay and what we have put in primarily.

Does anyone know my next move?  I guess we need to agree a price?  The tenant just signed a new 1 year lease but has also complained that the driveway needs relaying and that the deck is falling to pieces so guess this is a ploy to start negotiations on selling price.

I understand that they pay the rent for a given time, plus extra that we hold as a deposit/down payment so assume I can get that contract drawn up by a real estate attorney who can also work on closing once the agreed upon timeframe ends (is this better than a realtor or should I just go with one and pay the 5%?

Really appreciate any advice, good or bad as need to start somewhere, I have to remember that if they want 3-5 years then I still have to pay extra for that mortgage payment so need to factor that and closing costs into my final agreed price but hear that any repairs from the agreed day forward are the potential buyers concern so I guess they should do an inspection themselves before we agree a price.

Property is in NJ, thx

p.s. property is in NJ

Hi all,

I wonder if anyone can help me understand (OK simplify) the rent to buy process

My tenant has been in a year and asked if I would sell to them.  We make absolutely no money on this house and actually pay $6000 a year as their rent doesn't cover the mortgage.  This is without any issues that arise too.  There is already a drop of $70,000 from what we paid and its possible worth but guess that shouldn't factor in as I need to work out whats left to pay and what we have put in primarily.

Does anyone know my next move?  I guess we need to agree a price?  The tenant just signed a new 1 year lease but has also complained that the driveway needs relaying and that the deck is falling to pieces so guess this is a ploy to start negotiations on selling price.

I understand that they pay the rent for a given time, plus extra that we hold as a deposit/down payment so assume I can get that contract drawn up by a real estate attorney who can also work on closing once the agreed upon timeframe ends (is this better than a realtor or should I just go with one and pay the 5%?

Really appreciate any advice, good or bad as need to start somewhere, I have to remember that if they want 3-5 years then I still have to pay extra for that mortgage payment so need to factor that and closing costs into my final agreed price but hear that any repairs from the agreed day forward are the potential buyers concern so I guess they should do an inspection themselves before we agree a price.

You are right about the screening though, I did do an online screening that looked good but didn't call her boss to confirm annual salary and there was no old landlord info as she lived with a friend who had gone on business.  Def a red flag for next time (and the fake butter wouldn't melt attitude she had) when one small dog, became two indoor cats and then 6 turtles.  Do you guys have a better site for searches?  I did use tenantbackgroundsearch.com but found another that looked better recently but forgot to bookmark it.

I appreciate all this thanks.  Yes she had moved out completely and did leave a key, but forgot a couple of items.  The front door was unlocked as we are up in the mountains and it's a only few yards from my house plus we had been installing smoke detectors about an hour before but I had yet to finish.   She suddenly remembered wires that she had forgotten for her TV (she had 2x 5" holes cut out of the feature wall to hide her cables, without asking) so it was easier to have her reputable painter guy pop in and cover up the holes and remove her last items without me having to see her again.

My fault for not just getting it done myself I suppose but she is the sort of tenant that uses Court Action in seemingly every sentence and was seen taking pictures of everything when she left and even took a picture of her notice taped to my front door so I was trying to minimize any court action by at least keeping her in the loop of all the damage so I could get her replies by text to use if she decided to challenge my return deposit amount.

She did admit to the burns in the carpet (stupidly putting hot coals from the fire in a plastic home depot bucket) and argued that it wasn't cat urine but vomit as her cat had cancer (but obviously didn't think to clean them or have them professionally cleaned).  Also I had her admit she took the smoke detector down and removed the carbon monoxide unit also so have that as defense.

In CA we can't charge for a replacing a carpet unless its new, anything less than 8 years, you can only charge for years left and its older than that but was in a good state before she moved in.  We can also only charge $126 if we don't have receipts so for the work I did I was limited to that amount and let me tell you I was in there for 5 or more hours.  Plus I honestly don't want to fleece anyone and only want to charge what is fair to return it to how nice it was before the tenancy

Hi guys, I am furious. My tenant caused damage by leaving carpets with excessive cat urine and vomit all over, burnt holes in it with hot coals in a plastic bucket and pretty much never vacuumed stairs, cleaned shower etc etc.

She wanted some TV wires back that she left so she was organizing a painter to come and fill the holes and repaint them. He was scheduled to come this Saturday, ON HIS OWN, fine right!!!!!

I am in the garden and walk out front to see my tenants car outside the apartment and them both inside the building. I ask what the hell she thinks she is doing and would she not think about knocking on my door or texting me that she is here and to leave the building immediately. 5 mins later!!!! she goes to her car all butt hurt. I go, to work out the deposit remainder, as its been 21 days (so by law need to return that) and low and behold, she is back in there saying the painter needed help!!!!!!!! (which he did not)  She is having a good look around so I ask if she is hard of hearing and tell her she left the place in a disgusting state after she was trusted to rent with animals and that I really didn't want her in there.

15 mins later, I follow her out back, behind the property and she is now on the god damn roof (stable block with is unsupported and poss rotten) as she needs to get her wind chimes she left.

I ask her to get down as that would be my liability and (also ask if she is a grown woman or a child so lost my cool a little) agree to climb out the window to get the darn wind chimes. She sulks off saying she doesn't have to listen to me and I say OK well you will listen to the police if I have to tell her again.

I am coming out the house with the remainder check and she has been in the house again as the old garage foot wiping rug is now sitting on the apartment doorstep!!!! (and wasn't there less than 5 mins prior, so think she was stealing it) I put it back, give her the check and receipts and ask her to sign saying she received the check and understands the charges for cleaning, carpet damage.  She refuses saying we obviously can't communicate, acting like I am at fault and she has done nothing wrong!!!!!

Jeez I tell you, yes she is now out my life but I have a bad feeling she will dispute the amount though feel I am covered as only charged $100 for cleaning and repair for excessive .5" holes everywhere, $25 for supplies, $80 for the smoke detector she took down and monoxide detecter she took with her plus $200 carpet cleaning and $325 to repair the holes. I took pics of it all so think I am good but surely there is something I can do as feel she, and idiots like her, should not be able to do this kind of thing, she is the sort of person that thinks it's her world and we just live here.

Should I make a non urgent report to the police or serve her an injunction never to return to this property just to make it clear she was in the wrong. I also wonder if I should text warning if the check is cashed then she accepts the deposit return?? as I forgot to write it on the check.

Any advice is greatly appreciated and I know most will tell me to just forget it but maybe I should stand up for all the people this woman walks over daily. I could have had personal stuff over there or a new tenant could have taken possession and I would have been in trouble.  I only have a p.o. box too so guess she is pretending to be all sweet again to the new unsuspecting landlord

Thanks guys, like I mentioned she might actually clean herself but considering her dog and cats poo all over the garage floor and she is very quick to leave items about the front lawn for months I am a little worried about inside.

If I do it all myself, (carpets/cleaning if more than wear and tear) and takes a long time, would a hand written receipt that I sign be enough, do you think?  or does it have to be a registered company?  I know for a fact her handyman also cut 2 fist size holes out of the walls, somewhere inside, as I found them in the trash and know we will also have to lift the fridge back in etc

I am new to renting in CA and my tenant is about to leave. I just wondered if anyone knows if the $126 limit for returning a deposit without receipts is per deducted item or in total.  If needed, I will do the work myself but cleaning, plus any repairs, plus washing carpets, plus trash removal (obviously only if any of this is needed) etc, can def work out around $100 per instance.

One other question is I didn't do an inspection all year but read I can't do one now until they leaves, (unless they request this) and I can't find anything about being allowed access to show the unit to new tenants, guess I have to wait until they are out.

Post: Shared Garage issue in tenancy

Chris NewtonPosted
  • Los Gatos, CA
  • Posts 10
  • Votes 0

Hi, we are renting an apartment with a double garage underneath.  We told the renter she could use half of the garage and we use the other half.  We do mention in the lease agreement that she can use the right hand side of the garage but this was all common curtesy really.  Anyway she put up a makeshift chicken wire to separate part and we have racking to separate the other, as her cats were coming over and messing all over!!!!  So now we don't have access to the light switch, and I also have paint in a cupboard over there.  I have been pretty good at not needing to go over there but have had to move her rolling unit about 5 times in the year. (only when she has been out too)

Anyway, I received a message saying that something had fallen and had broken and I am not to go over there without written notice etc etc.  She does pay the electricity over there too so I guess that is an added issue.

My question is, can she demand that?  The tenancy is for the apartment and we let her use the right hand side of our shared garage as a curtesy.  (she uses it for a car and all her extra crap) Her contract is up in 3 months so wonder if I should just wait it out and threaten to write write, use of the garage, out of the next contract if she is going to be ridiculous and assign an outdoor parking space only.  Plus I can offer a $1 every time I need to use the light??

Anyone had this issue?