All Forum Posts by: James Bradin

The first multi-unit I purchased was one of the more scary things I have done.  I asked the inspector if I could shadow him as he inspected the property.  I was tied to his hip for 3 hours, following him through every aspect of the inspection.  He did everything on an iPad, took pictures as he inspected/found issues, and compiled everything into a very detailed report.

The second inspection was done on a property that I purchased long distance.  That report was underwhelming, despite having a lot more issues.  If you can have someone from your "team" there that you trust, I would go that route.  Ask other investors or agents in the area if they recommend a certain inspector. Once you find an inspector ask for references or an example of one of their inspection reports.  

I have had to transition from Winter lease end dates to summer dates with multiple tenants.  I simply had them sign 6 month or month to month leases in order to make it to May - July months before having them sign year long leases.  Additionally, I have tried to increase rent each year, coupled with improvements to the units.  I personally have a hard time increasing rent without justification.

@Dennis M. hahah thats what I have felt like doing but I am trying to keep it as civil as possible.  

I have a troublesome tenant that I am having a hard time getting out of one of my multi-family properties.  The tenants were all on a month to month lease.  I had all of my tenants sign a year long lease after increasing their rent.  This particular tenant thought the increased rent was too much and told me that they refused to sign the lease and would be moving.  I notified the tenant that they had 30 days to vacate the property.  10 days prior to the scheduled move out date an ambulance was called to the property and the tenant was taken to the hospital.  The tenant notified me that they broke their back and they could not move out in the remaining days. They provided me while medical documents proving the story (they volunteered to provide the documents).  They explained that they would move out by the end of August.  They claimed that they had a place set up to move to, however then asked to sign the year long lease with the increased rent.

All of my other tenants have told me that they have seen the tenant walking, driving, and seems completely normal.  Through text/emails the tenant claims that they are basically hanging on for life and "moving all their stuff could sever their spinal cord at any moment."  

I allowed the delayed move the first month because I wanted to give them the benefit of doubt, however now I have a feeling that I am getting played.  There is no signed lease at this point for them to live there, they have not provided a security deposit, a notice to vacate was delivered at the end of June.  I am confident that they will not be out by the end of the month unless I take action.  The only ideas I can come up with is "Cash for Keys" or start working the eviction process.  

Do I have any other options?

I house hacked my first property prior to paying down my student loans and car debt.  In one year I could have paid them all off however my returns were so great that I decided to re-invest my returns into another property.  BP has tons of podcasts, webinars, and blog posts that will teach you everything you want to know.  

If you are motivated and not scared to take risks, the info from this website can make you more wealthy than you could imagine. 

Hey Kevin, welcome to BP.  I am also stationed at Cannon.  I discovered BP after pilot training.  I basically listened to every podcast I could listen to, read as many books/blogs/posts I could find.  The house hacking idea seemed like the best option for me.  I purchased a recently renovated duplex on the golf course in town in the fall of '16.  After 12 months of that I had enough capital to purchase a quad plex in my hometown in FL.  I plan on continuing to purchase small multi family units throughout the South East (primarily FL).  Let me know if you want to catch up around base and talk about this stuff in person.

I am about to start some rehab projects on my multi-family property in Bradenton, FL.  I am searching for a good General Contractor that works in the Bradenton or Sarasota area.  Does anyone have someone that they would recommend?  Thanks!

I have lived in both Bradenton, FL and Destin, FL, and plan return to both areas later in my career.  I spent my high school years in Bradenton and frequently spent my time at Anna Maria Island, Siesta Key, Key Largo, and several other beaches in that area.  Although it is expensive, there is new construction going up on the northern point of Anna Maria.  I see that area getting much more expensive in the next few years. 

Destin seems like a much more touristy town in my opinion.  It also tends to be more expensive than Okaloosa Island and Fort Walton Beach (10-15 min west).  I plan on investing in this area and have not ruled out vacation rentals.  It seems a lot more seasonal that Bradenton/Tampa (mostly due to the lower temperatures in the winter). 

I would also research Hurricane charts and flood zones.  Part of the reason my father retired to Bradenton was a direct result of looking at the historical data for Hurricanes throughout FL. 

Ok thanks for the advice.  I knew she was going to be a troublesome tenant and this only pushed up my timeline.  I just wanted to make sure that I can legally do this.  The fact that there is no documentation for her tenancy made me assume that I had the upper hand. 

I did some searches on past forums and while I found some info, I couldn't find anything that was exactly similar to my scenario.

I purchased a quad-plex this past Nov.  The property was poorly managed and maintained.  All four units have existing tenants that were on verbal month-to-month leases. I had an Estoppel Agreement filled out prior to closing.  None of the tenants had signed a lease for the property, only one had a portion a security deposit. Three of the tenants seem like good tenants that I would like to keep.  However, one seemed like trouble (even when I was under contract).

Bottom line up front: The troublesome tenant is refusing to sign the lease, and is claiming that I am discriminating against her due to her disability (FYI the lease is almost exactly the same lease from @Brandon Turner's book on managing rental properties).  Because she has not signed a lease on the property, and is now refusing to sign my lease I am assuming the law is on my side as the landlord/owner correct?  Does anyone have any advice?  Can I kick her out?  I know that eviction can be a long/expensive process, is this my only option if she doesn't sign?

For some additional background, the property is located in Florida.  She is paying well under market rent, but has paid on time.  I am having all the tenants sign month to month leases until May when I will then have them sign year long leases.  My plan was to keep this troublesome tenant on for the month to month until the summer when I would notify them that their lease would not be re-newed, and find a better tenant in the summer months.  I suspect she has drug related problems, and the police have been called to the property multiple times.

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.