All Forum Posts by: George C.

Monteria, 

  I find that if you word your ads in a professional manner, use a registered business name & include that a credit check is required you cut down on a lot of the riff raff. You will still get those who know what to say to get a showing, all the while hoping the mentioned credit check in the ad was a bluff, or that they hope to charm you into not doing a credit check, etc.. Here is where a thorough application with the release for credit check & the required fee required with the filled out app shows that you mean business and that this is not your first rodeo. I've never got a completed app back with the $10 each adult from a deadbeat loser, pretty much anybody who got to that point got offered the rental. I've seen it all too often that people just love the place and want to move in right away, then when you hand them the two page app with all the questions & credit release, you could see it on their faces, the "oh sh*t look, it's a real app & credit check", they take it and tell you they will return it, yada, yada... and you never hear from them again. They do a self denial all on their own.

  ** at the time of application, I take a picture of their DL's for positive proof of their ID,  to make sure they are who they say they are and not using someone else's ID/credit to get the rental. I haven't run into that, but it's all too easy to get screwed relying on other peoples word.

I would go with the Walmart window units, too.  They get the job done at such a small price compared to central or split systems.

I only do the in person group showings, open house style. 

My biggest concern with lockbox showings is that the real deadbeats / tenants from hell know what to say (lie) to get a showing, what might one do when you give them key access and time to move in enough furniture in to say, " we're tenants" and create a lease and a receipt for cash to show the cops? In the N/E liberal states you could be months getting someone like that out & if they are rotten enough to pull that, they are rotten enough to cause pretty big damage, just because... It only has to happen once to be a life changer for you.  A scenario like that could easily cost you $10K+ and untold amount of heartache.

  As time goes by, people are less and less honorable in their actions & their word, the chances for this happening becomes greater. 

Patrick,

A humidifier would be good for after you close to help get the moisture under control, so would be just letting the house breathe with the windows open. These REO's have been closed up a long time, plenty have some kind of mold going on where they wouldn't normally have any mold had someone been living there conditioning the air with heat, ac & opening windows.

  To me it wouldn't matter the kind of mold, as long as I got it all out of there. You can even rent a fogger to fog the area or whole house with Concrobium or some other mold killer if you want to be extra sure.

I hate getting "experts" involved, too often their first and only interests is their own pockets. Too many times I've seen where some "expert" tried scaring someone into buying their services. I've seen real mold infested REO homes that I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. A small area or room that has mold is something even a home owner would take care of themselves & I would tackle myself.

  As far as liability & disclosure, if I got rid of the mold and the reason it sprang up in the first place, I would feel confident that it wouldn't come back to be an issue. If asked point blank if there was ever a mold issue, I'd say that, "there "is" no mold issue in the home, I can't speak for what might have been two, ten, twenty years ago... If you want to test for it go a head". * Now if there were mold disclosures in the expired MLS listing or pictures showing mold, then I'd have to take a different tact. In that case, I clean it all out myself & have the area tested myself to be sure it was done right and to have proof to disclose that it was done right. I wouldn't lie about the mold, but I would keep things steered to the truth that there is no mold issue now.

Count me as one who leaves his smart phone downstairs, no where near my bed. If there is an emergency they will call my home (land line) number (family & friends). Tenants and other business will be handled in the morning, other than between the hours of 11pm-7am. If there is a fire or flood in that time frame, there would be nothing I could do about it anyway, so me not answering late at night wouldn't make a difference.

  I send late emails too.

Patrick,

  Is the mold documented in the R/E listing at all? Are there pics of it in the listing showing the laundry room? If not, I'd bet your in the clear. A lot of homes have some kind of mold somewhere, if it's small enough I'd do the right thing and rip it out, Concrobium everything and let dry, then bleach everything to make it look clean and then re drywall.

 If it's not there, it's not an issue. If you try to just cover something up and it is still there to only poke it's head out later, that's  where things tend to get ugly.

The new home might not be looked at as a "performing investment" till after two years of being rented, so that mortgage being out there might limit you if you go to buy something for yourself, or an investment.  Let's say you can qualify for a $500K mortgage with your job & credit, but there is a $200K mortgage already out there (parents new home), you might be limited to a borrowing of only $300 for your purposes. Something to ask a bank or mortgage broker before you decide.

I wouldn't let them go, you are going to get stuck cleaning and fixing anyway, even if they leave it broom swept, it's still gonna be a mess and a pain to deal with for you. Get a judgment and ding their credit. If they work, I would try to garnish their wages if you can do that in your state.

John,

I would try to find out who the manager was to send them a thank you gift. I would definitely send the bank's headquarters a letter praising that employee.

 It's very scary how it's so easy to get ripped off for big bucks these days, thank God that manager wasn't asleep at the switch.

@Raquel L. 

I just went through this with a PA tenant that abandoned a house. I sued her in NJ where she moved back to.

  In our leases we state that any and all notices for repairs or lease issues must be in writing with reasonable proof of delivery to out addresses (no phone calls or texts). This way what they pulled (telling your Mom) doesn't get them out of the notice required.

  The point of a lease is to hold each other accountable, it's a contract binding on both of you, you not to kick her out and her not to abandon. I would hold her accountable till it's re-rented, you have to mitigate the damages by trying to find new tenants asap, so get it advertised and be able to show proof that your advertising.

  I would consider all of June till the end of the lease term owed till it's re-rented, which ever comes first and sue for that. Make them enforce the contract.

  Write up a move out repair & security accounting asap and get that sent out certified. If their negligence to notify you of a repair caused more damage, I'd charge for that repair as well.

  My tenant never showed in court, I was asked for proof of my claims right then and there to proceed with my case to get a judgment, now past the 60 day appeal time period I petitioned for wage garnishment. on their jobs in NJ. The judge I went before was ready to shoe me away, seemed to be a bleeding heart, but I had all my proof so he had to go ahead with my trial & judgment.

  Make sure you have *all* your proof if you go to court.

  I don't rent to family or anyone I know anymore, I've been down that road before, never again. It's all just business now.