All Forum Posts by: Justin Juhan

Rent $950

"Water/Sewer/Garbage flat rate $50/month paid with rent"

I would not "include it in the rent" if your rent is 960 and your fee is 50, now your rent is 1010 for marketing this can really be a problem when people put a $1000 max filter on their search and other units in the area are marketed at 950-990.

We only show occupied units to approved applicants and we let the current tenant know that. We don't like trampling people through someones space. 

We schedule everyone in a 1-2 hour window 10-15 minutes apart.  and give the tenant at least 24 hours notice as specified in our lease. If everything goes smoothly and the house is clean etc we will credit the current tenants account $25. 

Our housing authority initially denied our 4.7% increase and countered with a 1.7% We sent a spreadsheet with comps: address, sqft, bedrooms, bathrooms, price, price/sqft.

They approved it and stated " because you submitted comps the increase was approved"

They do however have a policy on the website saying anything over 5% has a bunch of hoops to jump through. 

@Gregory DeRosso I'm not the OP here..

But he said his PM is only for onboarding/leasing. Once the tenant is in it sounds like @Rik Patel is self managing. Why should he fire the PM when they did their job?  Now it is up to him to flex his PM muscles or hire a full time PM. 

I like doing my own onboarding because it gives me the opportunity to feel out the needy tenants. I had an APPLICANT send me a 9 line item request to add to the lease last week. PASS

They accepted the condition of the property when they signed the lease and moved in. Hopefully they did a move-in checklist and noted it.  If something stops working that's on you. Anything cosmetic.... tough. I would give them the paint code and allow them to add it to the move-in checklist if within 30 days or so. Some tenants send me a bunch of stuff they find after they move in because they want me to know they didn't cause it, which I then add to the move-in checklist.

It's important to get off on the right foot with needy tenants and let them know you won't be a pushover. Firm but fair.

An example of a tenant asking for the blinds to be replaced because the end of one slat was broken:

"As observed on the move-in checklist the broken slat on the blind is listed as pre-existing damage. As this is cosmetic only not affecting the functionality and was in this condition at the showing and move-in it will not be replaced. "

@Cassandra Sifford

We use trafficMaster brand from HD. We got a bunch that was discounted online to $0.61/sqft delivered Freight to a property.  They also sell it in the store so if we need a smaller qty for a bathroom or something we can get it in the store pretty reliably between 0.89-0.99/sqft

This is the one we use

The longest we have had it in a property is 2 years and it is in perfect shape. Where it really pays off is when a piece of two is damaged from moving a fridge (yep that was me) etc. With a floating floor you have to cut that piece out or take it halfway apart. With this stuff you peel it up and drop a new piece in. Done. 

@Cassandra Sifford 

I would recommend self leveling compound ( mix and pour) for uneven concrete floors and even over existing tile.

It gives you a smooth flat surface to work with and is relatively easy to mix and spread. I always install a 1/2" wide foam weather stripping around the perimeter of the area I will be self leveling to allow room for the self leveler to expand with temp changes and not crack. You can look it up on youtube there are several video's showing how to mix and apply it. A stick down vinyl tile over smooth concrete (or leveler) is pretty bulletproof. That's what they use in most commercial stores and you can imagine the traffic they get. 

 I wouldn't worry about water in that case. Water is a concern when putting down over wood substrate. 

Cozy background has missed evictions tenants listed on their applications. I do as above and check the local court records website in the counties they have lived in. 

Don't accept credit reports from a tenant. 

Have you looked at 2mm peel and stick vinyl tile/planks?

Here is why I recommend it.

1. $0.69-0.99 per sqft

2. Non-interlocking 

3. GREAT over concrete

Pros:

If you damage a piece, you can lift the corner, peel it up, drop in a new piece and it cost you ~$1 and 30 seconds.

( I have done this SO many times after damaging pieces moving appliances etc)

We buy a couple extra cases and use the same pattern across multiple properties. I always take a case when doing turnovers. 

Cons:

Needs good surface prep (flat smooth clean)

Needs to be rolled with a 100lb roller at least ($20 rental at hd)

Not waterproof over wood

Will curl in hot/humid/direct sunlight sunrooms etc without being glued down.

Applications we have done with success:

Floor leveler over existing tile bathroom then peel/stick vinyl tile

Over level wood floors (plywood) 

Over existing linoleum 

Over concrete

Over damaged and stained oak hardwoods (when you pull it up it does not leave a residue)