All Forum Posts by: Corey Arnemann

Hi @Ludmila M.,

Great question by the way! I see a lot of great suggestions here so I will keep mine short.

I am a beliver that you can overcome any situation positively. One thing I noticed nobody suggested is by approching the issue by having good conversation and not by force or law. Maybe try asking your neighbour the reason for dumping her garbage onto your land. Or if it was not her, maybe it was her kids throwing stuff in the back? You just can't be sure of the situation. I would try to understand her point of view first before taking measures to "catch her in the act" and having a law inforcement agency deal with the situation. But not just ask questions about her point of view, I mean really understand what is going on. Why do this? Because you will now have the full knowledge of her issues as well, and are not guessing what is happening, and you may be able to offer a solution to stop the junk being thrown onto your yard.

I would approach the conversation with her like this:

- Knock on door

- Person answers the door

- "Hi, my name is Corey, I am your new neighbour and I just wanted to intriduce myslef and get to know my neighbours personally and hopefully start on a good note with everyone"

- Conversation happens here

- "Before I go, I just wanted to ask, there has been some items and garbage been thrown into my yard for the past couple of days, and I am not certain what is going on, and all I want to do is solve this issue peacefully, so I was wondering if you know of anyone doing this in the past or if it was for a particular reason?"

Again, what you are trying to do is create positive conversation while addressing the issue at the same time. Anytime someone acts upset or goes quiet, this is a sign they do not feel safe and you need to make sure they know you are trying to help, and not hurt them.

If you want to know how to speak to people about tough issues, and be successful at it I highly recommende this book called Crucial Conversations Book by Al Switzler, Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, and Ron McMillan. 

Good luck with resolving the issue!

Hi Neil. I wanted to ask if I could use your question in a blog post I am writing to explain to landlords how someone would handle this situation. Would this be okay with you?

Hi there, I see lots of great suggestions here, some are what I would also use. One of the hardest parts about being a landlord is confronting tenants about issues, especially about move outs and damages involved.

My advice is to have some quotes for each issue on how to return them to fixed or cleaned, then go over each issue with the tenant on your plan to fix the issues and the costs and that the security deposit will pay for the issues, even discuss your attempt to save them money (If you can). Typically, good tenants are good people, and they already feel bad about wrecking your house, and will be glad you discussed the issues with them. I always ask the tenants after the discussion, does this sound fair to you? This lets them have a chance to tell you how they are feelings, and concerns. Usually its fair, but this is great for knowing if a court action will follow or not. Typically not.

Now of course, if you had a walk in inspection, you could go a different route, by just fixing everything needed, deducting the security deposit, providing the tenants with the statement of the charges, and move on, but try negotiation first before flexing your landlord muscles. Less headaches, and a better conscience :)

Hi Samantha,

5 minutes away, I would let it slide. I always find having tenants feel grateful you helped instead of charging a fee just because it says so can go a long way for the relationship. I sometimes think about it like this, 1 hour of work to unlock a door is far easier than finding a new tenant and leaving your home vacant.

You need to build a relationship where the tenants offer you a coffee or a drink when you drop by. Those are by far the best tenants! You can be firm, but be nice. There is a quote "Be hard on the problem, but nice to the people" I always try to follow. @Colleen F. makes a great point with both how she handles tenants and coming up with a solution to avoid the problem all together.

Being a great landlord is more than just following the rules and charging people for mistakes, its going above and beyond the standards, and solving peoples problems on a daily basis. Heck, you may have missed an opportunity to chat it up with the tenant, find out about how life is going, and get to know them a bit better. Could you imaging a landlord/tenant relationship where they smile, laugh and bring you a drink of coffee every time you came over and say to you"Your the best landlord I ever had". Try and be that person :)

Hope that helps! 

hmm

Hey Shawn,

I am a fully licensed property manager and can help with any questions you have.

#1 I would start by checking your state laws on if you need to be license.

#2 Are you looking to manage your own properties? If so, I can give you some tips and tools to start managing. 

#3 I am looking to start flipping homes and have no clue where to start. Would you be willing to help me learn that part of real estate? :) Anything will help! lol

Sorry I was not very clear. I mean, what does he (or maybe even you) want out of life. Where would you like to end up? What kind of real estate investment can provide for that goal? This should be what guides us how to invest in real estate.  Its like asking "Why am I doing this"? To retire, to work on your own terms? I believe anyone seriously interested in real estate should look into these questions, and decide on a course of action based on your interests and goals :)

Break lease clause.

What are your goals in real estate? Why do you want to spend money on this kind of investment?

Attitude adjustment? lol

That sounds like fun. I agree with Chris M. 

*Grabs Popcorn* 

Good luck! :D