All Forum Posts by: Colleen F.

@Natalia Perlova I would issue a pay or quit notice since he has not paid rent, even though he says he is leaving going through the process in case he doesn't. He is using his security deposit which you told him he could not do.  I would also arrange an inspection and issue a repair bill for any issues like lock removal. Looks like you are in Massachusetts so there are specifics related to security deposits. 

@Keegan Butler  It may be a knee jerk reaction but sound like you have to get her out because the unit maybe isn't habitable too. The reality is you have to provide a livable unit in the meantime so covered in rat droppings means you need an exterminator because while you want to renovate you can't ignore habitability issues of current tenants.  I would go through the legal motions to get her out including eviction.  Is she a hoarder? Is she mentally ill? try to find out what you are working with. It is not your job but can you refer her to an affordable complex. Some people offer an incentive to leave, depends on your philosophy.

@Aman G.   You might want to give more context on this question.  I don't know the Ohio laws but if you have a tenant you don't want to renew if there are lease violation etc. you should have addressed them like any tenant. Or is it a hypothetical if you get into section 8 can you non-renew?

@Kwanza P. you are looking for a clairvoyant I think ... since as right now the bill is very fluid. It includes budget cuts to HUD, shift to the states of S8, and limits in voucher time for able bodied adults. For the first two you can expect increased state taxes to compensate somewhat. What I have seen for the third is when in non-housing programs you limit by diagnosis or being mentally ill you get alot more people with that diagnosis or who are mentally ill so not so many people are disqualified from the benefit. I think the Section 8 Landlords may be waiting for the chips to fall before commenting.

@Parris Taylor I started to think about this a different way sometimes it isn't the task it is a general theme across tasks.  1. Timing (repairs, inspections, vacancies can be inconveniently timed).  2. Vendors availability/response (going out of business (retiring), callback.   3. Prioritizing capitol projects. What do you put on the list first. 4.  The single tenant issue that I wish I could never hear again is a noise complaint. It periodically raises its head and causes problems.  It is never big noise that you would evict for, it is that between tenant complaint is a small multifamily that you try to make people aware of but they forget. 

My solutions 1. find a backup, do proactive maintenance and make the tenants aware you are human and what is an emergency, make leases end mostly in spring/summer.  2. have multiple vendors, be persistent, pay promptly, and treat vendors nice. I also learned to call the right vendor, make sure to look at some jobs and know a one man shop can't handle them and others and know that one man shop is your best choice. 4. mostly I tell tenants to work noise out between them although I have talked to some.  

@James McGovern I know state laws are different and reading them and understanding them is important. For a specific tenant you are probably better off not asking and waiting for someone to request accommodation.   Asking the wrong questions to try to understand usually gets you in more trouble. Does Connecticut have anything that suggests you would have to let someone smoke over edibles?   Must you let them grow in CT as we can prohibit growing in a rental in RI. And you can always go back to the fact that you prohibit illegal activity.

This is a good concise summary.  It does illustrate how complicated our government is.   Although I do not have section 8 tenants  I don't have a problem with the expectation that people will get off section 8.   I believe our services are too fragmented and we could do a lot more for people if we didn't have so many applications for different programs Section 8, SNAP, Medicare, heat assistance, employment assistance. Having a unified system, having a timeframe for able bodied adults to leave the system makes sense, not sure 2 years makes sense.  And the reality is you can be able bodied and just not bright so you are never getting that better paying job where do we draw that line. 

@James McGovern  he does not need to understand if the use is medicinal or recreational he just needs the tenant to respect the lease.   Marijuana can be consumed in other ways if the tenant needs it for medicinal use.  There is no requirement he accommodate the tenant by letting them smoke. 

@Chadrick Bailey  Also use a separate credit card for the expenses related to the property even though you can track with a piece of software it is easier to keep track if you don't mix expenses.  Keep in mind when you say you are house hacking if you are living in one of the units you need to be aware of what is a personal vs what is a business expense. There are other options besides quickbooks online but is the most common and your accountant will like it.  However, do not expect it to be intuitive.  I used quickbooks desktop and haven't chosen a replacement since they jacked up the price. The most mentioned alternatives to quickbooks online are Stessa and Baselane. 

@Sasha Leans doesn't sound unreasonable. If they were a few years tenants I would have a different take. Is your rent at market?  Are they just getting a great deal on the other place?  They might be disappointed but I wouldn't expect anything less. Requiring the 60 days would be the hard line position. Allowing you to show would also be something you are entitled to but I would also point out is a condition of this more lenient stance.