All Forum Posts by: Kamal H.

Hi all!

I'm traveling to Atlanta this week to help my family figure out our next steps to take about a family home. The home is in a good area (I believe it is in the Grant Park area) however is not in good condition -- needs a lot of stuff cleaned out and some rehab done as well to bring it up to code. I will be in ATL from Wed. 01/16 through Wed. 01/23. 

Ideally I'd like to meet with a home inspector, contractor or/and estimator any day any time Thu 01/17 to Tue 01/22. I need help figuring out:

- Total cost of rehab/repairs (plus any recommendations for junk/hauling services)

- Help estimating current Fair Market Value of the home, before/after repairs

I can probably figure out FMV after repairs but basically I'd like to understand what needs to be done to restore the house to good working order and lay out a plan to do so. We are also considering selling the house but I'll be evaluating rehab options first. I live in Oakland, CA but coming out to Atlanta for a week specifically to help handle this situation so I'm motivated and will make every effort to meet any time a qualified and talented pro can schedule to stop by. By all means send me recommended professionals that I can call and schedule a walkthrough with.

Thanks BiggerPockets!

 If I refuse to do it, and the landlord refuses also then in a couple of days when the old tenant removes his name from the bill I'm assuming they will cut off electricity. Sure I may be able to prove or show in some way that the landlord has/needs to take over the bill but I'd have to deal with no power which means I simply couldn't live here. 

I'm going to go the route of just trying to draw up a new addendum myself where I put the electric bill in my name (which I think will make her less worried), but that I will deduct the 40% of bills that I pay for each month out of my monthly payment to her, so that she is responsible for collecting from tenants. I just don't see any other way other than her putting the bill in her name and all three tenants simply paying her (which would be great, but seems to make her most uneasy). Like I said I have a good relationship with landlord, and I have a good rental price so I just want to avoid as much conflict as possible. But your advice here has helped me a lot in understanding that I shouldn't have to collect from the other tenants. 

All of this has to be resolved in the next few days so I'll let you all know how it goes either way. Thanks! 

Hi Kelly, also I wanted to ask for the situation where you pay the utilities and charge more--do you charge more on a month-to-month basis or do you simply look at past utilities costs and use this as an average but set cost added to your tenants' rents? One thing both me and the landlord want to avoid is the other tenants having utilities wrapped into rent and then just wasting tons of power because their monthly bill is the same. I completely understand this as well so want to avoid it. Maybe there is a way to word the agreement that she has to be the collector of utilities and that they will be calculated month-to-month depending on the bill? Really, I'd do anything just to not have to be responsible for collecting from the other tenants.

Thank you guys so much. I'm trying to find the nicest way to explain to the landlord that this is now her responsibility without using the word "lazy", lol :-) I think more than lazy she is just inexperienced...all of us (landlord and tenants) are artists to some degree. I think she's scared of taking responsibility of the other two tenants 40% of utilities, but I don't think it's fair to me. I think the previous guy from downstairs whose moving out has been here for at least 15 years and my landlord got used to him handling everything...now she wants me to do the same but I don't want to. I'm in a bind though, because now the guy moving out is taking his name off everything which is absolutely his right, but we have to act fast or I will be completely blacked out of electricity. 

Regarding my rental contract: My current rental contract simply states that other than garbage that tenants are responsible for utilities according to an addendum added to the contract. I have to look for this addendum but me and the other two tenants worked out the 60/20/20 percentages and I have this documented somewhere just need to find it. Now that the tenant paying utilities is moving out I simply think we need to recreate and sign an agreement...

Which leads me to ask the question--if you have any suggestions for getting a template for an addendum to the current lease I think this will help. To be honest, even though I'm only a renter, I think I may know a bit more about land ownership than my landlord in some capacity. I'm hoping I can find a good document that says that I will put utilities in my name and then subtract out 40% of the bills in my monthly payment to her which will put her at ease. Hoping that if I do the groundwork to get the legalize I can take care of things before utilities are shut off--thanks so much for your help.

Hello, I have seen several informative posts on who should pay utilities (landlord vs. tenant), however wanted to ask for advice specific to my case. Firstly I should say that I am the tenant in this case -- I joined these forums a while back because I was very close to being a landlord myself, however this case involves my current rental situation with my landlord.

I have a unique living situation. I live in a building that has one apartment upstairs (which I occupy) and 3 downstairs studios (used for music/artwork). I am one of three tenants here, but I am the only one living here full time. Upstairs where I live is residential, downstairs is commercial--I use one of the three rooms as a studio and two other tenants rent out the other two rooms. I've live here around 4 years and have a good relationship with my landlord. So, a longtime tenant from downstairs is moving out of his studio. For the duration of my stay here his name has been on all the bills and we pay him back. There is only one electric meter and since I'm here the most I pay 60%, and he and the other studio renter pay the rest (20% each). 

Well, now this tenant is moving out. So we have to transfer the bills out of his name. My landlord wants me to put electricity in my name--which I'd be fine with, but I don't want the responsibility of having to collect utilities from other tenants. Sure the previous tenant took on this responsibility but he and the landlord had this long-term relationship. The landlord has all but refused to put the electric bill in her name and we are close to having the power cut off if we don't decide. I've suggested that I put the bill in my name, which I'm fine with, but that the onus of collecting from the other tenants should be on her--so I would pay the single bill in full each month, but then take out the 40% owed by the other two tenants in my monthly rent/utilities payment to her (my landlord). This seems reasonable to me, since I'm taking responsibility for the full bill upfront, and paying my 60% portion. It's just that I would pass on responsibility for the other tenants portion to her. She doesn't want to do it this way claiming that doing the math each month is too complex (even though I offered to make her an Excel spreadsheet to help her keep track). Also she is concerned that if my monthly payments to her vary (because I would deduct tenants utilities which I already paid), she thinks it will look like she is collecting variable rent?? 

Overall I have a good relationship with my landlord and just want something that is fair. But I feel like she is used to the previous setup where a tenant took full responsibility for paying for a single meter, and now that he's moving out she wants me to take on this responsibility. Any suggestions on a fair way to proceed? Again, I'm fine having the bill in my name, it's only that I don't want to be responsible for collecting utilities from my downstairs neighbors. Any advice appreciated.

Uwe Knie, the contractor is a really nice guy. The project is taking so long, I would guess because this isn't a one-man job normally. I'm pretty sure that the mom found someone at her church for some ludicrously low price to do the work on the cheap. My roomate has a 9-5 job and is practically never home while the contractor is here. I work for myself and from home often so I'm always here with the contractor. In short, my roomie's schedule means that he doesn't experience any of the inconvenience that I do. Originally there were two contractors on the job; but one of the guys died a month into the project of old age (bless his heart)--he didn't really do any physical work but oversaw the current guy. Again, the contractors have always been cordial, but it seems like the mom is trying to do a friend a favor by giving him a job and also do herself a favor by getting really cheap labor. I've discussed with other contractors and they say the job could be done in a couple weeks rather than 3 months and counting. believe me i wish we didn't have this rent thing over our heads so we could just discuss the current situation. You guys are correct that this is an informal agreement--one where rent hasn't been paid in a while and one where landlord feels entitled to enter premises whenever they please and take as long as they like for renovations. Everything should be squared away in the next month or so; all of us are looking forward to it.

Charles Perkins--I approached this issue from this perspective:

1) we (landlord & I) have a verbal agreement that I pay rent and 1/2 utilities. we've never discussed and as far as I know he's never considered or brought up late payment penalties. this is inconceivable to many people on this post; but this is simply the reality of the situation.

2) both roomate/landlord and I know that we've put things off too long; he's had to go back and calculate the utilities that i owed and we're agreeing on the final amount owed.

3) i have put money aside every month to cover rent/utilities and we will soon square away and I'll pay agreed upon amount.

Since I have all funds and am ready to pay; combined with the fact that we both agree there are no late fees, I'm not concerned about the bulk of the rent owed as we both agree on this amount. My only question is regarding the past few months where there has been a contractor onsite, approximately 40 hours a week doing work; along with his mother who on at least 15 occasions makes unannounced visits into the house. One time she knocked on my closed room door while I was asleep with my girlfriend and before i had a chance to answer she barged in to check on the room. Even my roommate agrees and has told his mom to stop being intrusive but she considers this her house and doesn't feel that 3 months of work or random walkthroughs are any issue. I know that under normal circumstances the landlord and tenant would come to terms of reduced payment for the intrusion of work being done. I just didn't know what the average amount of compensation was for this type of work. You all have made it more than obvious that you feel there should be no compensation, however this is mostly justified because of your belief that I should be penalized even though landlord and I have already agreed on amount that I would owe. From my perspective I'm more than ready to start transferring funds and there's no question of how much I owe other than maybe some percent of rent off for the last couple months. Others disagreed and that's OK with me; it's understandable that the thought of how much is owed would make a forum of landlords nervous, even angry. During this post I've tried to be respectful as possible to all views, all I ask is that others do the same. Thanks for all comments

understood. Joshua i appreciate your frank response.

in reply to Joshua Dorkin:
"Your landlord/"friend" owes you nothing . . . you, on the other hand, owe him and his mother "roughly around $30K."
--This is stating the blatantly obvious; which I already stated in my first posting. What new are you adding to this conversation with this statement?

and regarding DTES--I've never withheld payment or refused to pay. My landlord has been as "deadbeat" as I have regarding collecting rent.

nope, not a joke.

everyone here has taken the stance that i haven't paid rent because i'm holding back or trying to rip someone off. i actually agree that the situation is long overdue and i'm totally down to pay rent. i have a bank account that i've dedicated and make monthly deposits to so that i have everything covered. i do feel it's not good business the relationship i have with landlord and BOTH of us have obviously let this go on too long. i was naive to post this in a landlord's forum :-) but i wanted to be considerate and understand things from his perspective also. believe me i understand now. thing is, you all have painted me out to be the scum of the earth and in so many words implied that i'm both an idiot, dishonest and a vindictive for not squaring things away. i'm sorry that you are upset that there are no late fees in place and that our rent agreement is a verbal one. my landlord hasn't been kicking and screaming for me to pay up--we both are kind of embarrassed for putting this off for so long. so you can skewer me and make me out to be the devil all you want; go ahead and get your rocks off if it turns you on. but as a tenant, at least i'm upfront with everything; i have all the money to pay and no intentions of taking advantage of anything.

the situation i'm in with my landlord is pretty extreme and not ordinary. we have fallen WAY behind on the accounting but are now finally taking the steps to resolve the situation. talks about eviction are silly since it's never even been brought up between us. paying $100K in late fees is ludicrous since this isn't part of our agreement. you're wasting your time with "real world" examples of what you would do if some darn guy didn't pay you for so long... for all the people making crude comments about me, calling me a liar and a joke--it's unnecessary and ill informed. i'm not a demon tenant refusing to pay rent. i've never held my landlord hostage by holding back payment. what none of you can understand is the simple reality of the situation--both landlord and tenant fell far behind on finances; tenant has all funds and intention to pay which is a lot more than can be said for any of you with tenants that have purposefully screwed you over

it's obvious how you all feel regarding asking for some $$ off rent for the last couple months--I get it and I've taken note. hey guys, this is an internet forum, it's easy for you to say smart *** remarks about me without much repercussions. so if it makes you feel better to bash on me and take out all your tenant frustrations on me then by all means go ahead. i don't owe you anything, and if i did i'd pay you in full