All Forum Posts by: Daniel Kennedy

thanks @Mike Dymski

Hi all,

After a two year stint with a property manager (PM), we decided to part ways at the conclusion of the tenant's lease. As part of the separation, we agreed that the PM would handle the security deposit and assess appropriate damages. The tenants didn't leave the property in the best of the shape and we effectively needed to keep the entire security deposit. Where things are getting tricky right now is that they had a contractor come out to assess the cost for the various repairs which included full carpet replacement (quoted at $2800). We decided to proceed with the carpet replacement with the PM's contractor (work was coordinated through the outgoing PM). Unfortunately, the carpet replacement went very poorly, taking over a week, doing patchwork (seams evident all over the house) and just a general realization that they didn't know how to install carpet appropriately). We got involved talking to the contractor and they wouldn't make it right (ie find other personnel to reinstall correctly) and so we agreed that they would remove their carpet and not invoice. Lo and behold, the contractor ends up invoicing my PM $1225 and the PM withheld this amount from my final owner close out distribution (even after I gave them heads up about the issue and told them carpet folks weren't going to invoice me). Did I mention the carpet contractor also ripped out the existing padding that they did not install? If I had contracted this work directly and had been responsible for payment, I would not have paid the invoice, but given that the work was coordinated and paid via the PM, I'm not sure what my options are to recoup these funds. Should I go after the PM or the contractor? Is it worth legal action or filing a complaint with the BBB? Or is this just a very expensive lesson learned and I should move on? I appreciate any advice.

Thanks @Vijaianand Thirunageswaram. The struggle is real! It really is a shame that Houston utility providers don't seem to have a more elegant solution in place but alas, only so much that can be done. I will check out Ampra. Thank you for the recommendation!

@Owen Hehmeyer thanks for the reply. If you don't mind me asking, any suggestions for electric providers that offer the contractless plans? When i go to "powertochoose" to find providers, doesn't provide an option to search for zero contract length. The one I found was TXU but required a phone call to get a commercial plan. Something I would prefer to avoid (20 cents/KWh). With centerpoint, is there anyway around the activation fee for new service? They are also wanting a deposit and said I wouldn't get it back if i cancel in less than a year (I need 12 months of history to get deposit waived and I'm at 11 months). I know in grand scheme these are not significant costs but trying to run a tighter ship.

Hi all. Our first and only tenant will be moving out at the end of the month and we plan to do some minor rehab and updates before releasing to a new tenant. I know I need to get the utilities back into my name for the time being but wondering what success people have had in finding companies that use "landlord"/"interim billing"/"revert to owner" agreements. I spoke with the gas company (Centerpoint) and they said they only offer them in select states, TX not being one of them. And as far as electric goes, I found one with a no activation/no cancellation policy but high rate and would still need to call to set up each time a tenant moves out. Spent a whole lot of time on the phone and honestly was a very cumbersome process. Is there an easier way to manage this in Houston? What am I missing? Would love some tips/suggestions!

@Michael Veal For properties in Harris County, you can visit hcad.org (harris county appraisal district) to find the information you need. You can perform a property search and get the detailed tax rate information. Add up the tax rate from each of the jurisdictions (ie Houston ISD, Harris County, City of Houston) for your total tax rate. Best of luck.