All Forum Posts by: Douglas T.

For the last 2 or 3 (maybe 4) years, I've had a special assessment tacked onto my monthly HOA for a building repair (boiler replacement I think). I've never claimed tax deductions for this repair. Obviously, I can deduct what I paid into this in 2023. But, can I now also deduct what I paid in 2022 and 2021 or have I missed out on that opportunity? This is a rental condo in Chicago.

I have a parking space in Chicago that I rent out.  I have had the same tenant for 2+ years with no real problems.  Her rent was due on 12/15.  I waited 10 days until I contacted her via email.  I emailed her on the 26th, 28th, and 30th with no reply.  Maybe I'm overreacting since this has occurred in the time b/w Christmas and New Years.

She has paid her last month's rent up front so she's technically paid through Jan 15th.  I've sent her 3 emails with very cordial wording.  What should my next move be?  I wouldn't have any trouble finding a new renter in the Chicago winter.  When should I consider our lease terminated?

I have a parking space that I rent out, and my tenant is renewing her lease.  I used Rocket Lawyer for the lease, and sent the lease to her for signature on 06/30/22.  The lease has a start date of 07/01/22 and an effective date of 06/30/22 (the date I created the lease).

As of 07/03/22, my tenant has yet to sign the lease.  I accept full responsibility because I didn't get the lease to her until the day before it started.. and on a holiday weekend.  So, it's no big deal.. except.. once she does sign, should I change the start date of the lease (07/01) or the effective date (06/30) before I sign it and give her a copy?

 John I am brand new to Zelle.  How does that work?

I have a parking space in Chicago that I rent out.  I used Cozy for a long time until they changed to Apartments.com a while back.  Recently, I noticed that my renter's June payment was doubled.  I looked at her payment history on Apartments.com and it looked as if she had been paying sporadically... skipping a month and then paying double the next month to make up the difference.  I compared that with my bank records.  They showed that she had been paying on time with on time monthly deposits from Apartments.com.  Getting helpful customer service with Apartments.com has proven difficult.  We are going back and forth on email and every time I get a reply, it's from different person.  Has anyone else had difficulty with rent payments using Apartments.com.  Is there a better service I should be using?

Is there a free website that will allow me to create a lease for a parking space?  

I will be closing on my condo in FT Lauderdale in just under 4 weeks.  It looks like my condo assoc. has wind insurance.  I will be on the 2nd floor.  Do I need flood insurance?  The property is 2.73 miles from the ocean.

Thanks for the info.  Did you have to pay for the public adjuster?

Hello. I will soon be a South Florida homeowner moving from out of state. I'm shopping for homeowners insurance. With all of the US hurricanes in the last 10-15 years, I would think the data would be out there about which insurance companies have provided the most rapid response and/or which companies have responded best to their customers' satisfaction. Any ideas about where I could obtain this information?  I'd also appreciate any tips you guys might want to add about homeowners insurance in a hurricane prone area that I might not think of.  I know I have to get my flood insurance separately.  I'm not quite sure how this works still.  Thanks in advance for any advice.

Just an update... I applied for a mortgage on my credit union's website yesterday and received a pre-approval letter this morning.  By 5pm, I had placed an offer which was almost immediately accepted.  The email I received from the credit union only listed about 10-12 documents they'd need with the signed contract, but I'm guessing they will keep wanting more and more documentation.  Maybe not... I've been with this credit union for 21 years and had an auto loan and several personal loans with them.  Fingers crossed!  Thanks for all the replies.