All Forum Posts by: Joe T.

Hi all,

I purchased my first property and was sent a sales confirmation survey in the mail asking my sales contract price from my appraisal district. I did a little bit of googling but only found one source that basically stated that Texas is a non disclosure state, and I do not have to respond to this letter. I don't want them to know the purchase price of the home, because I'm assuming they will want to increase my property tax, which is already really high. 

Can anyone else confirm that this is true?

I had seen this property online. Do you know anything about the area? I am unfamiliar with that part of San Antonio, but from the little research I have done, I don't think I would feel very safe there. 

It has one it is set for next weekend. 

Final update -

We did it everyone! All of my problems have been resolved thanks to the advice provided to me in this forum thread. I sent them a notice to cure lease violation and she immediately responded telling me that they would remove it from the property. Who would have thought that doing things the correct legal way awards results. (Sarcasm - glares at parents). This was an excellent learning experience for me and I feel even more confident in my abilities to handle situations. 

Ok, I submitted a notice to cure. I'm prepared for the inevitable phone calls and crying. 

Thanks everyone! 

My parents are saying that I am being unreasonable by asking them to remove the trampoline. They think that I should take out a higher insurance premium instead to protect myself, as opposed to making them remove the trampoline. They also suggested that it sounds like I'm having "too many issues" and that I should sell the house and stop real estate investing... Obviously they aren't concerned with any liability issues, and instead are willing to give in to the tenants demands if they were in my situation.

Does anyone have a notice to cure document? I am having trouble finding one online. 

Just wanted to give everyone an update.

So I went to the house today and we discussed a lot of things, mostly personal chit chat. Her father was at the home, and showed me basically everything in the house that he would replace, this list included new counter tops, new cabinets, buying new doors for the interior of the home (lol), and re-painting the walls (previous home owners didn't know about painter's tape). After we got past all of the cosmetic things, we focused on the things that actually needed to be repaired. I went to home depot, bought all the materials, and fixed them while I was there. Total time was about 4 hours.. not too bad. 

The trampoline is still an issue though, I talked to her father about it and how it's a liability to me, and that they needed to remove it from the property. He suggested that we create an addendum to the lease about trampolines, and have her submit me proof of insurance stating that her renter's insurance covers that. I still don't think that would be acceptable by my insurance company however, because I have read that by even having a trampoline on the property, it invalidates your insurance, or I have to pay a higher premium. The father and tenant were adamant about keeping the trampoline because it's the only fun thing the kids have. I don't want to force them to remove it, but I also need to protect myself. 

Does anyone have any suggestions on this?  Would a trampoline addendum even count now that they have already signed the lease and it clearly states that no trampolines are allowed? It sounds like they are not going to budge on this issue. 

@Jason C.

Lol, that's not the issue at all. I clearly stated they were all cosmetic with the exception of a bent board under the cabinet. Not anything threatening. 

Anyways, I'm heading over there in 30 minutes. Wish me luck. 

@Mary B. 

I was not there at the property. She had to come to my work to get the key from me. As far as violations go, these are all cosmetic issues, and one faulty board under the sink. She is the one violating the lease by having a trampoline when it explicitly states not to. 

I'm getting a lot of mixed responses and it seems like there is a fine line between being nice and courteous and being a professional, respectable landlord. I have always been one to abide by any lease that I have signed, and follow correct procedures when requesting things. 

I do not want to be rude and unpleasant, but I also do not want to bend over for someone who will not follow simple guidelines that are present in the lease. We both signed it, and that means we both agreed to it. I wouldn't expect anything less of anyone else.