All Forum Posts by: Donald Francis Reese Jr.

That makes since- I’m getting the heater inspected next week- as far as reserves yes I have reserves or I wouldn’t be buying anything- I asked about the heat because I plan to purchase window units regardless and was wondering about their heating function as to skip dealing with a super tight crawl space-  but from you’re saying their heating components must be trash! Thanks again 

I have a small 900-1000 square foot home In Columbus GA. Avg winter temp gets around 37-40 degrees The gas heater is shot and the ductwork is torn (located  in tiny crawl space) I already know cats did it. Central air was never installed. I’m getting costs to add central air and or mini splits from 10-13k plus another 1-2k to upgrade electrical service. The area rents anywhere from 450-700 and majority of houses have window units with gas heaters so tenants would be accustomed to the setup. My only concern is how well the ac/heater units heat- would a couple of these units suffice for heat in a room? Has anyone had any experience with these before with heart their rentals or home even? 

I own the home free and clear and do plan on financing to install a ac unit. For one I have other obligations for this year. Really looking for a quick fix without spending tons of money. 

Love the advice I’ve actually schedule a sit down with a prospective PM and he’s agreed to complete a mid routine inspection with me I guess one question would be since you’re a PM is do you typically find it with enforcing renter’s insurance and pet policy worth it in the long run? 

The property is in Birmingham AL. I ended my contract with Renters Warehouse as of a month ago and have been managing the rental myself. I’ve heard from lawyers cost of eviction may end up being around 1-2k plus lost rent and takes anywhere from 4-6 weeks to several months- 

Thanks for your input! I like how you said do a cost /benefit analysis which I will do. Hopefully it wont go the route of an eviction as simply I want them to abide by the lease. Why create a lease only for it to be allowed to be broken?: I've already have suspicion that their dog had got under the house and destroyed some duct work and if something like this happens again I have not pet deposit to pull from. I understand the cost of an eviction sometimes is not worth it but I can't tolerate continued late payments. Prior to me taking over my previous PM collected their late fee and was never persuasive against turning rent in late as a late fee was additional income to them. A pet deposit was suppose to be collected. In this case it wasn't. Renter's insurance is required to protect me in the long run from damages as I've heard others say it's important to have and saved a few landlords in the past. My goal is to get them to understand late/partial payments are not acceptable and to enforce the lease that they signed. 

I recently fired renter's warehouse as my PM company and when they finally turned over all of the documents i requested I found a host of things missing. My mistake early on was not double checking behind the PM company to ensure certain procedures were being followed. I understand that moving forward as this was my first time using a PM company so I'm really here looking for advice on what to do now.

After firing them I discovered the tenants have a credit score of 530 and 432: I know about the 620 requirement in the city in which I live and have followed that and found a good tenant with no issues and pays on time.

Renter's warehouse has no documents that they've done a criminal background or eviction record check.

They also barely make above the 30% rent to income ratio.

In my lease it states renters must carry renter's insurance: There is no renter's insurance on file: I'm thinking about sending them a letter to provide proof and if not having it or they wont get it following through with an eviction.

I have a pet policy that states all pets must be approved by landlord: No pets were approved but they keep an outside dog on premises and no pet deposit was collected. Technically I have not approved the pet so it would be a breach of contract but to give the benefit of the doubt since it is an outside dog I'm thinking I should I offer them to pay or provide a pet deposit or get rid of the dog?

There was no move in inspection performed by my PM which the tenant complained about when I recently scheduled a routine inspection. My thoughts on the inspection is to properly get everything documented: I remember everything that was damaged prior to the tenant moving in (One crack in the ceiling one in the wall) in which will be documented but I also want to check regular items such as appliances, smoke detectors HVAC air filters- attic for leaks since it has been raining heavily. I have been to the property more than normal due to an HVAC issue that was finally replaced and I am also doing a final walk through with the contractor during the routine inspection. When I informed the tenant of the route inspection they got defensive and asked why have I been to the property so much. My thoughts are at the end of the day it's my property and I'm making sure repairs are being completed correctly which I had a plumbing issue as well that was fully repaired and normally I would not been at the property as much. And it may have been my mistake by not doing the inspection while I was there previously but its that time (6 month into their lease)

Also they have been consistently late on rent. More so recently in May and incurred a $50 late fee but have not paid it. The lease renter's warehouse had drawn up is not iron clad on late fees and turning them into rent that is owed. June payment is coming up and I am wondering should I reject rent if they do not provide the $50 late fee? Also renter's warehouse allowed them to make partial payments in the past. Also when rent was due they decided to bring up an maintenance issue in which they knew about for some a week but did not say anything to me except after they were late on rent. It appears they are trying to get over.

Sorry to ramble but would love to hear you all's take on it as what I plan on doing is completing the routine inspection, sending a certified letter about a breach of contract by not having renter's insurance and having an unauthorized pet (requesting a pet deposit) and then when rent is due see if they are going to pay one time and the full amount plus the late fee. If not then I;m going to proceed towards the eviction process (I do not think the cash for keys will work in this scenario but could be an option.)

Also I'm having a PM I'm thinking about hiring do the inspection with me- This property is long distance and I'm wanting to find a good PM do manage my other properties once they are ready to rent. So this is a long run play to build a relationship with a good PM.

I recently fired renter's warehouse as my PM company and when they finally turned over all of the documents i requested I found a host of things missing. My mistake early on was not double checking behind the PM company to ensure certain procedures were being followed. I understand that moving forward as this was my first time using a PM company so I'm really here looking for advice on what to do now. 

After firing them I discovered the tenants have a credit score of 530 and 432: I know about the 620 requirement in the city in which I live and have followed that and found a good tenant with no issues and pays on time. 

Renter's warehouse has no documents that they've done a criminal background or eviction record check. 

They also barely make above the 30% rent to income ratio. 

In my lease it states renters must carry renter's insurance: There is no renter's insurance on file:  I'm thinking about sending them a letter to provide proof and if not having it or they wont get it following through with an eviction. 

I have a pet policy that states all pets must be approved by landlord: No pets were approved but they keep an outside dog on premises and no pet deposit was collected.  Technically I have not approved the pet so it would be a breach of contract but to give the benefit of the doubt since it is an outside dog I'm thinking I should I offer them to pay or provide a pet deposit or get rid of the dog? 

There was no move in inspection performed by my PM which the tenant complained about when I recently scheduled a routine inspection. My thoughts on the inspection is to properly get everything documented: I remember everything that was damaged prior to the tenant moving in (One crack in the ceiling one in the wall) in which will be documented but I also want to check regular items such as appliances, smoke detectors HVAC air filters- attic for leaks since it has been raining heavily.  I have been to the property more than normal due to an HVAC issue that was finally replaced and I am also doing a final walk through with the contractor during the routine inspection. When I informed the tenant of the route inspection they got defensive and asked why have I been to the property so much. My thoughts are at the end of the day it's my property and I'm making sure repairs are being completed correctly which I had a plumbing issue as well that was fully repaired and normally I would not been at the property as much. And it may have been my mistake by not doing the inspection while I was there previously but its that time (6 month into their lease) 

Also they have been consistently late on rent. More so recently in May and incurred a $50 late fee but have not paid it. The lease renter's warehouse had drawn up is not iron clad on late fees and turning them into rent that is owed. June payment is coming up and I am wondering should I reject rent if they do not provide the $50 late fee? Also renter's warehouse allowed them to make partial payments in the past. Also when rent was due they decided to bring up an maintenance issue in which they knew about for some a week but did not say anything to me except after they were late on rent. It appears they are trying to get over. 

Sorry to ramble but would love to hear you all's take on it as what I plan on doing is completing the routine inspection, sending a certified letter about a breach of contract by not having renter's insurance and having an unauthorized pet (requesting a pet deposit) and then when rent is due see if they are going to pay one time and the full amount plus the late fee. If not then I;m going to proceed towards the eviction process (I do not think the cash for keys will work in this scenario but could be an option.) 

Also I'm having a PM I'm thinking about hiring do the inspection with me- This property is long distance and I'm wanting to find a good PM do manage my other properties once they are ready to rent. So this is a long run play to build a relationship with a good PM. 

Awesome! Thank you all for replying. All of your responses help me in making my decision which is to end the contract with renters warehouse- i will let you All know how it goes. 

I’ve been contemplating getting rid of my property manager which is renters warehouse and use an app like cozy to collect payment and manage my rental myself. My reason is that renters warehouse chargers me $79 a month to truly be a middle main and main point of contact to my tenants.  I still hear about every maintenance request and they lack necessary vendors at times( like a HVAC technician, which I think should be a must in the south) so I have to schedule the appointments myself. They also do not verify contractors work performed they send out which causing ongoing issues. So to me after just 3 months into a two year lease I think it’ll be worth it if spend $300 to get out of the contract and manage the property myself using cozy as renters warehouse isn’t added any value:  any thoughts on this?  Had any one had any experience with using Cozy or with renters warehouse and had similar experiences?